Teaching setting of a story

If you are looking to add some high interest activities for teaching characters and settings, try using the animated short Geri’s Game.

If you’ve ever had (or possibly you currently do have) a student who struggled with phonics even after receiving daily, systematic instruction, it’s most likely because they have not yet developed their phonemic awareness abilities. Read more

Hey there! How are you? We are crazy busy getting ready for our first week of school. We have meet the teacher day tomorrow and then the first day of school on Wednesday. I do not feel at all ready. But I know that it will all come together and be just fine...right? I am here today to share a book that I think is so sweet and many can make a connection to. I want to talk about The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. Don't you just love Cynthia Rylant's books? I do... :O) So, there are many…

After this past week, my kiddos could certainly answer that question with a big YES! This week we learned what the setting is, what makes up a setting, and why on earth it matters so much! My kiddos rocked it, so I’m here to share what we did. I know that spending an entire week on setting might seem like…

Theme can be a difficult reading concept for students to pick up. It is all too often confused with main idea. Over the years I've tried many different activities and these are the ones that helped my students learn to easily identify the theme from a story, fable or reading passage. Click thru to read these classroom tested teaching tips for teaching theme. #Theme #ReadingComprehension #UpperElementary #ElementaryTeacher

Engage your kindergarten students in core retell practice with fun activities, crafts and this FREE retelling sign.

Grab these free printables and teaching ideas to help students understand that the setting of a story provides important clues to the plot.

Story Structure Anchor Chart Setting characters plot

Understanding story structure isn’t something that comes naturally to students. Understanding story structure is a key component of reading comprehension, so you better believe I hit this one hard with my students. I am so excited to share with you the process I use for teaching story structure using ANY fiction story with a plot. With some or all of these engaging activities, you and your students will become story structure experts!

Learn how to teach story elements in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third and fourth grade in this blog post. I touch on the standards, Anchor Charts, Mini Lesson Resources, Story Elements Video, Reading Passages, Mentor Texts for Teaching Story Elements, Teaching Characters, and Mentor Texts, as well as some hands-on activities. Learn how you can incorporate these story elements activities in your lesson plans here.