Story Map Basics

Story maps are used for teaching children to work with story structure for better comprehension.
Story maps are so helpful because they provide a visual representation of the various story elements in an organized fashion. They are similar to graphic organizers!
Some basic story elements (sometimes referred to as story grammar) that might be seen on story maps include:

Setting/time/place
Characters/who/what
Problem/goal
Solution/outcome/ending
Theme/main idea/moral

Knowing story grammar and the general structure of stories helps students understand how to ask themselves questions as they are reading. Once students know basic story grammar and how to use it, they begin to automatically ask themselves the correct questions and reflect on what they are reading or have just read, therefore improving reading comprehension.

Here are some examples of story maps:

Story map templates for lower level students can be very basic:

But, they can also be very complex for higher ability level students:

Story maps can be fun and completely student made:

Students (especially visual learners!) who are just beginning to learn story grammar benefit emensly from drawing their own pictures of the various elements:

After reviewing this page, please return to Unit 1- Story Maps