Story Structure

Reading Street

Unit 1 Week 4

Created by Kristi Waltke

Let’s Review

Good readers summarize. As they read, they pause to sum up the important ideas or events.

This helps them remember the information.

As you read a story, note the main events.

After you read, ask yourself what the main events were and in what order they occurred.

Author’s PurposeThe author’s purpose is the

reason or reasons the author

has for writing.

An author may write to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or to express ideas and feelings.

An author may have more than one purpose within a story. You will often be

asked question about why an author includes what he or she does in a story.

Sequence•  Sequence means the order in which

    things happen.

• Dates, times, and clue words such as first, then, next, and last can help you understand the order of events.

• Sometimes two or more events happen at    the same time. Words such as meanwhile and during can show this.

First Event Second

Event ThirdEvent Fourth

Event

Story Structure in Fiction

Story structure is like a patternthat stories follow.

In the beginning, you have aproblem or goal established.

Next, there is rising action thatbuilds toward the climax.

Then the conflict or problem isconfronted. This is the climax

of a story.

Finally you have an outcomeand the problem is resolved.

Story Structure in Horned Toad Prince

In the beginning, you have aproblem or goal established. What is Reba Jo’s problem?

She made a deal witha frog that she

doesn’t want to keep.

Story Structure in Horned Toad Prince

Next, there is rising action thatbuilds toward the climax. What isThe rising action in this story?

Reba Jo tries to avoidthe toad by galloping away and slammingthe door on the toad.

Story Structure in Horned Toad Prince

Then the conflict or problem isconfronted. This is the climax of a story. What is the climax

of this story?

Reba Jo begins to fulfill her end of their bargain. She

kisses the toad as part of anew bargain to get him to

leave pronto.

Story Structure in Horned Toad Prince

Finally you have an outcomeand the problem is resolved.

What was the outcome in this story?

The toad turns into a hand-some young caballero! He

leaves Reba Jo forever because of the final deal

she made when he was a toad.

Remember that good readers use

Story Structure to predict and

understand a story.