Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood set off through the forest to visit her grandmother. Right from the start, readers sense that trouble is looming, and it isn’t long before the big bad wolf makes an appearance. The ability to anticipate events like these stems from a reader’s understanding of narrative story structure. Recognizing that a story includes major elements such as setting, characters, and an initiating event helps readers connect the story’s components and engage more deeply with the text. 

Story grammar refers to the fundamental elements that make up a narrative. While there is some variability in the specific terminology used across different story grammars, the narrative structure is predictable and clear: setting, characters, initiating event, problem/goal, internal response, plan, attempt(s), consequence, reaction, and resolution/ending (Mandler & Johnson, 1977; Stein & Glenn, 1979; Westby et al., 1989).  

Story grammars offer reliable frameworks that readers can apply across narratives, just as a cook follows a recipe with key components, such as ingredients, preparation steps, and cooking methods. Research has shown that when students can identify and understand story grammar elements, they better comprehend narrative texts, make predictions, and recall and summarize key information (Bogaerds-Hazenberg et al., 2020; Idol & Croll, 1987;). This applies to students from elementary school through high school, including those with reading challenges (Duke & Pearson, 2002). 

Story Grammar Frames or Maps 

Story grammar frames, or maps, are visual organizers used to teach narrative structure. These frames have sections for key story components, and depending on the age of the students, they can be more or less complex. For younger students, teachers should focus on the most essential elements driving the storyline, such as characters, setting, problem, attempts to solve the problem, and ending. Older students can be challenged to elaborate more fully on these story elements while making higher-level inferences about the emotional states of central characters and theme (Hogan et al., 2011). 

Whether teaching a read-aloud, short story, or chapter book, a completed story grammar should guide instructional planning and the creation of questions, comments, and activities that help students identify and coordinate major story elements. During reading, the story grammar frame can be displayed on the board and progressively completed as the various elements unfold. After reading, the completed story grammar can serve as a tool for summarizing the story. 

Teachers can use story maps to pre-plan questions and discussion prompts. They can also use them during and after reading to help students identify the main elements of the story, monitor comprehension, and summarize.  

Explicit Instruction and Modeling 

As with all reading comprehension strategies, explicit instruction and ample modeling are essential. Teachers should explain the purpose of a story grammar frame and when and how to use it. Modeling the strategy should occur during an authentic classroom reading experience, such as a read-aloud, short story, or chapter book. Guided practice involves using questions and prompts to get to the heart of the story grammar elements, along with immediate feedback. Think-aloud techniques can be used to model the use of story grammar terminology, procedures, elaboration, and inference. As students become more adept at identifying story grammar elements, collaborative work offers opportunities for additional practice. Ultimately, the goal is for students to consider story grammar elements during independent reading, seamlessly integrating them into an active and engaged reading process (Duke & Pearson, 2002). 

A Timeless Tool  

Understanding narrative structure plays a crucial role in helping students comprehend and analyze narrative texts. As research continues to highlight the importance of text structure in reading comprehension, it is clear that story grammar instruction will remain a valuable tool for teachers at all grade levels. 

References

Bogaerds-Hazenberg, S. T. M., Evers-Vermeul, J., & van den Bergh, H. (2020). A meta- analysis on the
     effects of text structure instruction on reading comprehension in the upper elementary grades.
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Duke, N. K., & Pearson, P. D. (2002). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension. In A.
     E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.), What research has to say about reading instruction (pp. 205-
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Duke, Nell & Pearson, P.. (2002). What research has to say about reading instruction. Effective
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Hogan, T., Bridges, M., Justice, L., & Cain, K. (2011). Increasing higher level language skills to improve
     reading comprehension. Focus on Exceptional Children, 44(3), 1-16.
     https://doi.org/10.17161/fec.v44i3.6688 

Idol, L., & Croll, V. J. (1987). Story-mapping training as a means of improving reading comprehension.
     Learning Disability Quarterly, 10(3), 214-229. https://doi.org/10.2307/1510494 

Mandler, J. M., & Johnson, N. S. (1977). Remembrance of things parsed: Story structure and recall.
     Cognitive Psychology, 9(1), 111-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(77)90006-8 

Stein, N., & Glenn, C. (1979). An analysis of story comprehension in elementary school children. In R.
     Freedle (Ed.), New directions in discourse processing. Ablex. 

Westby, C., Van Dongen, R. & Maggart, Z.  (1989). Assessing narrative competence. Seminars in
     Speech and Language, 10(1), 81-90. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0028-1082490