Story Element Focus

Overview

In this lesson, students identify and discuss characters, setting and plot events in Wombat Stew by mapping the story elements. The lesson builds students’ understanding of what makes a story and prepares them to retell parts of the story in later lessons in the unit “Wombat Tales: A Story Adventure”.

Learning intentions

WALT: Identify characters, setting, and plot events in Wombat Stew.

Success criteria

• I can name the main character(s) in the story.
• I can describe where and when the story happens (setting).
• I can put the story events in order on a story map (beginning, middle/problem, end/resolution).
• I can use correct story words (character, setting, plot/beginning, problem, resolution).

Curriculum links

• Discuss plot, character and setting, which are features of stories.
• Share responses by making connections to students’ own experiences (e.g. “Have you ever tried to make food or solved a problem?”).
• Understand that words represent people, places and things, happenings and states, and qualities/details such as when, where and how (using descriptive words in oral responses and story map labels).
• Retell or adapt a familiar story using plot and characters (as a stepping stone for later lessons through role-play prompts).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Show and predict). Teacher shows a single picture from Wombat Stew (or displays the opening scene) and asks: “Who do you think is in this story? Where are they?” Students do a quick turn-and-talk, then share one idea with the class.

2. 5–13 min · Explicit teaching (Story elements). Teacher draws a large model on the board: a simple “story map” with three boxes—Character, Setting, Plot (3 sticky notes: Beginning / Problem / End). Teacher models thinking aloud: “The character is… The setting is… First… Then… Finally…” using consistent language and student-friendly examples. Students repeat the key terms chorally: character, setting, beginning, problem, resolution.

3. 13–22 min · Interactive read-aloud (Stop and label). Teacher reads Wombat Stew (or shows read-aloud video audio if available), pausing at three key moments: start, problem/complication, and resolution. Students signal with fingers (1, 2, 3) to show which part of the story the class is in, then help the teacher complete the class story map.

4. 22–35 min · Guided practice (Create the story map). Teacher hands out each student’s story map template and models one example label using sentence starters. Students work independently or in pairs to complete their own story map:

• Character box: main character(s)
• Setting box: where/when (e.g. “in a forest”, “at night”, “in a burrow”—whichever matches the text)
• Plot box: three short event captions in order (Beginning / Problem / End)

5. 35–42 min · Share and feedback (Gallery walk). Teacher sets up a quick gallery: students stand by their desks’ work, or rotate if space allows. Students do “kind, specific” feedback using stems: “I like… I noticed… Next time, you could…” focusing on one success-criteria target.

6. 42–45 min · Exit ticket (Quick check). Teacher gives a one-sentence card: “The setting is ____ because ____.” (Sentence starters provided.) Students complete it and hand in to confirm understanding.

Resources

• Printed Wombat Stew story pictures or short read-aloud text pages
• Large class story map poster with boxes: Character / Setting / Plot (Beginning–Problem–End)
• Student story map worksheet (one per student)
• Sticky notes or sentence strips for plot captions
• Coloured pencils/crayons
• Sentence starter cards (for setting and plot captions)
• Dyslexia-friendly options: sentence strips, picture cards, high-contrast worksheets

Assessment

• Formative during interactive read-aloud: teacher listens for correct identification of beginning/problem/end
• Check student story maps: completeness of character, setting, and ordered plot events
• Exit ticket: setting sentence correctness and use of “because” (simple reasoning)

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and a partially completed story map (e.g. Character box pre-labelled), plus picture prompts for setting details.
• Dyslexia-friendly: Use pre-cut sentence strips for students to place into the plot section; offer a “copy the words” option from a small word bank (character, forest, burrow, beginning, problem, end).
• Support for oral language: Allow students to dictate captions to a partner or teacher scribe, then the student selects from options to write.
• Extension: Students create an additional “side event” for the plot map (another middle event) and explain how it changes the problem or leads to the resolution.

Extension (advanced learners)

• Create a new character for Wombat Stew: name them and add two labels—what they are like (adjective) and what happens when they join the stew. Add their event as a fourth sticky note in the Plot section, keeping it in order.