READING AND WRITING STORIES

Chapter 9

Essential Questions

How do students develop concept of story?

What kinds of reading activities are available for students?

What kinds of writing activities are available for students?

How do students read and write stories as part of the four instructional patterns?

How Students Learn to Write Stories

Reading storiesTalking about storiesBy story writing

Elements of Story Structure

PlotStudents can complete

Beginning-Middle-End ClusterPlot Profile

Characters / Character TraitsStudents can completeCharacter Traits ChartOpen-Mind Portraits

Elements of Story Structure

SettingFour dimensions

LocationWeatherTime periodTime

Students can completeSetting Map

Elements of Story Structure

Point of ViewFirst-personOmniscient Limited omniscientObjectiveStudents can

Contrast different viewpointsRetell or rewrite a familiar story from

different viewpoint

Elements of Story Structure

ThemeUnderlying meaningExplicit or implicitUsually more than one themeStudents can complete

Sketch-to-StretchStory Quilt

Theme

Sketch-to-Stretch1. Read a story.

2. Discuss the story.

3. Draw sketches.

4. Share the sketches.

5. Share some sketches with the class.

Story Genres

Types or stories Folklore – fables, folk and fairy tales, myths,

legends (Aesop’s Fables; Sleeping Beauty) Fantasy – modern literary tales, fantastic

stories, science fiction, high fantasy (Charlotte’s Web; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Realism – contemporary, historical fiction (The Watsons Go to Birmingham)

Teaching Students About Stories

Teach by reading and writing stories talking about storiescompleting graphic organizers, diagrams,

chartsminilessons on story structure, genres,

literary devices

Writing Stories

Intertextuality – shaping of texts' meanings by other textsstudents read and discuss storiesthey take ideas from stories they read

to incorporate into their storiesothers hear the stories and incorporate

some of the ideas into their writing

Intertextual Links

Use specific story ideas or specific genres

Copy the plotWrite a new story about a

character from a previously read story

Intertextual Links

Write a retelling of the storyIncorporate content from an

information book into a storyCombine stories to make a

new story

1. Writing Retellings

Rewriting a story in one’s own words

Can be collaborative or individualCan be dictated or written

independentlyCan be written from another point of

view

2. Innovations on Texts

Using the repetitive pattern or refrain of a known text to create a new text

2. Innovations on Texts

Read a storyDiscuss the repetitive pattern

or refrain of the textModel using the repetitive

pattern or refrainWrite own text using pattern

3. Writing Sequels

Writing additional adventures for a known storyDiscuss and graph storyUse graph to plan another

adventure (model)Independent planning & writing

4. Genre Writing

Using the characteristics of a particular literary genre to write stories:Read a story of a particular genreTeach the characteristics of the

genreModel planning/writing a genre storyIndependent planning/writing

Writing Original Stories

Students begin to write original stories after writing personal narratives and retellings

Students learn to write more effective stories by examining elements of story structure, reading lots of stories

Writing stories themselves

Assessing Students’ Stories

Teachers consider four components in assessing students’ storiesStudents’ knowledge of the elements

of story structureTheir applications of the elements in

writingTheir use of the writing processQuality of the finished stories

Assessing Students’ Stories

In regard to learning about the story elements, teachers should consider whether the studentDefined or identified the characteristics of

the elementExplained how the element was used in a

particular wayApplied the element in the story that he or

she wrote

Assessing Students’ Stories

Teachers observe students as they write to answer the questionsDid the student write a rough draft?Did the student participate in a writing

group?Did the student revise the story according to

feedback received from writing group?

Assessing Students’ Stories

Did the student complete a revision checklist?

Did the student proofread the story and correct as many mechanical errors as possible?

Did the student share the story?

Assessing Students’ Stories

To assess the quality of the story, teachers should ask Is the story interesting? Is the story well organized?