Writing Task Activity
Story mapping is the ability to identify the components of a story—setting and characters, as well as the sequence of the story (beginning, middle, and end). Story mapping is an important skill that contributes to a student’s ability to comprehend what he/she has read. This skill is particularly important when reading narrative texts, but it is also an important component for problem-solving skills across a wide range of subject matters.[1]
This writing activity allows students to practice the skill of summarizing a story through story mapping.
The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn
(fictional narrative)
Part 1: Standards Addressed in This Activity
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| W.K.1 | Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which students tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book. |
| W.K.3 | Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. |
| RL.K.3 | With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. |
| RL.K.10 | Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. |
| SL.K.5 | Add drawings or other visual displays to description as desired to provide additional details. |
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Part 2: Description of Activity
The student will summarize the story, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, by drawing the parts of a story map. (See Handout). Students will learn or review the elements of a story:
- The title of the book
- The setting and characters in the story
- What happens at the beginning, middle, and end of the story
Part 3: Teacher and Student Instructions
- Read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn if it is available in your classroom or in your school’s library. If it is not available, the link provided is a YouTube video of the story being read aloud. https://youtu.be/HX_eproWV_U
- After the reading, remind your students that a story has many elements including setting and
characters, and that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. - Hand out the Story Map worksheet to each of your students and explain to them what they will be asked to draw.
- Allow students to confer with the teacher or peers if they have questions.
- Once completed, have students share their story maps with the class and/or display them.
Part 4: Materials
- Story Map handout
- Pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paints
