Identify story elements
key notes :
As you read, think about a story’s setting, characters, plot, problem and solution. They can help you understand a story better.
The setting is when and where the story takes place. The setting can contain more than one scene, or place where events happen. For example, in the story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, the setting is a forest. But some of the story happens on a path in the forest and some happens inside the grandmother’s house in the same forest.
The characters are the people or animals that act in the story. The most important characters are called main characters. The story is about them and follows what they do.
The plot is the events that happen in a story, or what the characters do. The plot of a story is often told in the order that the events happen.
The problem is something that goes wrong for the characters, or something that needs to be fixed or changed. The problem, or conflict, in a story often causes the characters to take action.
The solution is how the problem in the story is solved. The solution, sometimes called the story’s resolution, is what wraps up the story.
Learn with an example
Read the story.
The Switch Bars
Tess dumped her books on the floor. Another Friday, and she had no plans. Tess complained to her stuffed monkey, ‘Living in the White House is SO boring, Irving!’
Then she got a text from her friend Gabby. Gabby lived in a basement flat downstairs, because Gabby’s father worked for Tess’s mum as the White House chef. Mum was the president of the United States.
Gabby told her she had just got a magical gift, and she wanted to show Tess.
Soon after, she came up to Tess’s room. ‘I love it up here!’ she said. ‘It’s nice and quiet.’
Tess raised an eyebrow, then asked, ‘So what’s your magical gift?’ It looked like Gabby was just holding granola bars.
‘Grandpa sent me Switch Bars,’ Gabby explained. ‘You eat them with someone you want to switch places with. When both people are ready to switch back, they each take another bite and return to their own lives.’
‘I know who I would want to switch places with,’ said Tess immediately. ‘YOU!’
‘Me?’ laughed Gabby. ‘Well, I was hoping to switch places with YOU.’
‘Let’s try it, then!’ Tess said. They broke a granola bar in half and each took a bite.
Tess felt her arms tingling. She looked down. It had worked. She had turned into Gabby! She was in Gabby’s flat. Gabby’s three brothers were zooming around with their toy lorries and yelling. Gabby’s parents were watching them and laughing. Gabby’s baby sister was cooing and giggling. This flat was where all the fun was!
Gabby’s father, Mr Fletcher, flew out the door, carrying his chef’s hat. ‘I’m doing a big state dinner tonight. See y’all in the morning.’
Mrs Fletcher was bouncing the baby in her arms. Mrs Fletcher turned to Tess and asked, ‘Gabby, can you get dinner started?’
Tess forgot that Gabby had to help around the flat. Tess followed Mrs Fletcher’s directions. She chopped vegetables. She boiled water to make pasta. She added spices to the sauce.
After dinner, Tess hoped she could take a break and read. But there was no quiet place in this home. Gabby’s brothers were so loud, and now the baby was crying. Tess couldn’t concentrate on her book, and the flat was too small to escape them.
‘Gabby! Come and help me with the dishes!’ Mrs Fletcher called.
More chores! Tess sighed and got up. She hadn’t realised how much work—and noise!—was in Gabby’s life.
Meanwhile, Gabby was delighted to find herself in Tess’s skin. She had this big, beautiful bedroom all to herself!
Tess’s mum came in and reminded Gabby that there was a big state dinner tonight because the prime minister of Belgium was visiting. Gabby was thrilled. Tess always got to meet such exciting people.
Later that afternoon, Gabby decided she wanted to get a smoothie from the juice shop nearby. But then Elijah, the Secret Service officer in the family quarters, reminded her that he would have to come with her if she was leaving the White House. Gabby had forgotten that Tess needed to have a chaperone just to go down the street.
As Gabby and Elijah walked downstairs, they passed a group of students going on a tour of the White House. When the students saw the daughter of the president of the United States, they all pointed and murmured. Gabby felt her face turning red. She didn’t want all this attention!
Suddenly she saw a girl who looked exactly like Gabby’s old self running towards her. It was Tess.
‘Gabby, being you has been fun,’ Tess said. ‘But I think I’m ready to switch back.’
‘Me too!’ said Gabby, and they shared the granola bar that would turn them back into their normal selves.
What is the story’s setting?
- the White House
- a fancy restaurant
- the capital city of the United States long ago
- a juice bar
The story’s setting is the White House. Look for details in the story that tell you when or where the events are taking place.
‘Living in the White House is SO boring, Irving!’
Gabby lived in a basement flat downstairs, because Gabby’s father worked for Tess’s mum as the White House chef.
Read the story.
Rescue Mission
Fatimah brushed Pancho’s coat and held out an apple for him.
Her little horse deserved it. They’d ridden up Mount Danger today. That trail was steep and difficult. But they loved it. Fatimah hadn’t owned Pancho long, but the horse was better than she was at finding his way.
Fatimah closed the stall door and turned on the nightlight. One thing she’d learned about Pancho was that he hated the dark. Another was that he loved peanut butter.
‘Good night, silly horse,’ she said and headed to the house.
The phone was ringing. Fatimah answered, ‘Hello?’
‘Fatimah! Thank goodness you’re home! We need you on a rescue mission!’
She recognised Raul’s voice. ‘Where’s the emergency?’ She’d often ridden with the search and rescue team with her old horse, Blaze. But Pancho wasn’t trained for rescue work.
‘There’s a girl on Mount Danger,’ Raul explained breathlessly. ‘Amanda something. Her father came in. Said they were hiking and she fell. Broke her leg and lost some blood. He couldn’t carry her. He got lost. He can’t explain where she fell. Nobody knows that mountain as well as you!’
‘Except Pancho,’ Fatimah sighed. The sun was setting. She wasn’t sure she could convince Pancho to go out in the dark.
She told Raul, ‘Come on over. Bring your biggest torch. Make it two.’ Shoving her rescue kit into her backpack, she hurried to the barn.
Raul’s huge torch made the darkness vanish. Pancho, though sleepy, seemed happy to be saddled up for another ride. With Fatimah on Pancho and Raul on his horse Stormy, they started up Mount Danger. They didn’t want the injured girl to spend the night out there alone.
Fatimah told Pancho, ‘We need you to find Amanda.’ But she knew Pancho had no idea how to rescue anyone.
‘We were up here earlier today and didn’t see those hikers,’ she told Raul. ‘They were probably on the other side.’
‘It’s lucky you know that,’ Raul said. ‘Otherwise we’d be searching for weeks.’
‘It’ll be hours, at least,’ Fatimah answered, worried they might not be able to find the girl that night.
They stopped every now and then to call. There was no response. Raul’s torch was getting dim. Fatimah worried the battery would fail before they found Amanda.
Pancho suddenly stopped. He raised his nose and sniffed. He snorted and then started walking faster and faster.
‘What’s up?’ Raul asked.
Fatimah shrugged. ‘He usually only gets that excited about peanut butter,’ she laughed.
Pancho started running towards a clump of trees. He didn’t seem to care that it was pitch dark. Clinging to him, Fatimah turned on her headlamp. Then right in front of them she spotted a girl huddled in the undergrowth. Beside the girl lay a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich. Pancho gobbled it down before anyone could stop him.
‘Pancho!’ Fatimah said. ‘Raul, we found her!’ she called then, louder than she’d intended. It was going to be all right.
What is the story’s setting?
- a Girlguiding summer camp by a lake
- a rescue training centre in the United States
- Mount Danger and the area around it
- an army outpost in the Sierra Nevada range
The story’s setting is Mount Danger and the area around it. Look for details in the story that tell you when or where the events are taking place.
They’d ridden up Mount Danger today. That trail was steep and difficult.
let’s practice!
Read the story.
Chasing Charlie
On Monday, as Simone walked down the corridor of her block, Mrs Grisman peeked out from her door.
‘Could you take care of Charlie for a few days? I’ll be visiting my new grandbaby!’
‘Oh, yes!’ Simone said. ‘Of course! I have the key.’
She loved playing with Mrs Grisman’s cat. Since Simone’s mother was allergic, Simone couldn’t have one of her own. Simone was planning to have twelve cats when she grew up. Running downstairs, she already couldn’t wait for school to be over.
That afternoon, Simone rushed to Mrs Grisman’s flat. She slowed when she saw Deion, another kid who lived in the building, bringing Brutus in from his walk. That big dog was scary. Deion seemed nice, but he’d moved in recently, and Simone didn’t really know him.
‘Charlie, I’m here!’ she called, opening the door. Charlie always greeted Simone by purring and rubbing his head on her legs. He was an indoor cat, and Simone thought of fun games for him to play. He loved it when she scrunched up aluminium foil and rolled it on the floor.
Today Charlie came running and she knelt down to pet him. Suddenly, Brutus entered through the open door, barking at the cat. Charlie shot out the door and ran down the stairs.
‘Uh-oh!’ said Simone.
At the same time, Deion said, ‘Oh no! I’m sorry!’ He clipped Brutus’s lead back onto his collar.
‘It’s okay,’ Simone said, which wasn’t true. ‘I should have closed the door,’ she added, which was true. ‘I need to get him back. He’s an indoor cat.’
‘Ah,’ Deion said. ‘I’ll take Brutus home right now. Let me know if I can help you.’ He retreated down the hall with Brutus.
Poor Charlie! Simone ran outside. Charlie had climbed partway up a tree next to the block of flats.
‘Come down, Charlie!’ Simone called. But Charlie stayed put. The cat was too high to reach. She looked further up. The tree’s upper branches were next to Mrs Grisman’s window. She had an idea.
She hurried upstairs and knocked on Deion’s door. He agreed to help with her plan. She dashed inside Mrs Grisman’s flat again and opened the window by the tree.
‘Hey, Charlie!’ she called to the cat, now below her. He meowed but didn’t move. Simone grabbed the bag of Charlie’s favourite stinky Tuna Treats. She leaned out the window to look further below. Deion and Brutus were coming out of the building.
‘Okay, Deion,’ she yelled.
He shouted, ‘Brutus, it’s a cat!’ Brutus barked and jumped, his big front paws on the tree.
Simone held out a handful of Tuna Treats and called, ‘Charlie! Treat!’
The cat looked down at the dog and up at Simone. He scampered up the tree, out onto the nearest branch. He leaped through the window, onto Simone’s head. She held onto Charlie, waved at Deion below and then slammed the window shut.
‘Thanks for helping me meet the neighbours,’ she said, petting the cat.