Young students love the familiarity and comfort of a fairytale. One thing that I love about fairytales is that they always have every story element. This makes them perfect for teaching story elements.
Think about it- they all have a clear character(s), setting, problem, and solution. This makes them a great genre to use with this comprehension skill. Then, students can recognize all the story elements in a more complex text as well.
Why teaching story elements is important
Students need to learn at an early age how a story is structured. When they learn how a story is structured, they will be able to retell stories better as well. Learning story elements helps students grow their comprehension.
I have compiled a list of some of my favorite fairytales to add to your mini lessons for teaching story elements.
Little Red Riding Hood
This version of Little Red Riding Hood is child-friendly and clearly shows the different story elements in the text.
The Three Little Pigs
Using The Three Little Pigs is great for teaching story elements because there are multiple characters, multiple settings, and a common major problem. I also like to use this one because it has multiple characters working together to create one solution.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
This version is very similar to the original. I like to use it for teaching story elements because there are multiple characters, but one particular setting. However, the main setting is the house, but Goldilocks goes to various settings within the setting.
Teaching Story Elements With Our Reading Unit
Our reading unit for teaching story elements uses fairytales in the lesson plans.
What’s included:
- Anchor charts
- 9 lesson plans
- Pre- and post-assessment
- Bookmarks
- Reading passages
- Reading centers
- Graphic organizers
- Discussion cards
You can check out our story elements reading unit here!
Grab a freebie: Story Elements Sorting Center
Fill in your name and email below to receive this Free Story Elements Sorting Center in your inbox! A fun, interactive, low-prep activity to get your students engaged and learning!
