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Story Elements Worksheet

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Story Elements Worksheet

Read the story carefully. Then answer the questions about its characters, setting, problem, and mood. In the final section, plan your own story.

Read the story

At the fishing harbour, Tane hurried along the slippery wharf as the last light faded. A thick fog curled around the boats, hiding their masts. Finn’s small dinghy had drifted loose, and it was bumping towards the rocky breakwater. Tane spotted a coil of rope beside a crate. He had to reach the dinghy before the rising tide carried it out of the harbour.

1.Who is the main character in the story?

Finn
Tane
The boat owner
The rising tide

2.Where does the story take place?

At a fishing harbour
On a mountain track
In a school hall
At a busy airport

3.What problem must Tane deal with?

4.Which details help create a tense or uneasy mood? Select all that apply.

The last light faded
A thick fog curled around the boats
The dinghy was bumping towards the rocky breakwater
The wharf was slippery
Tane found a coil of rope

Plan a story

Choose one beginning below and use it to plan a story. Your answers can be different from the sample answers.

A. Nathan found a sealed bottle caught beneath the harbour jetty. B. Finn heard a strange tapping from inside an old boat shed.

5.Which story beginning will you use: A or B?

6.Who is the main character in the story you plan to write?

7.Where and when will your story happen?

8.What problem or challenge will your main character face?

9.Explain how the setting will affect your story. For example, could the place or time make the problem harder, scarier, or more exciting?

Think about setting

Use the same story idea to consider how a different setting could change events.

10.Imagine your chosen story beginning happened in a crowded market instead of its original setting. How might the new setting change what happens to your main character?

11.Imagine your chosen story beginning happened on a small island during a storm instead of its original setting. How might the new setting change what happens to your main character?

12.How do characters, setting, and plot work together to make a story interesting?