STORY MAP

Here is an innovative twist on the traditional STORY MAP. Instead of the usual chart format for listing Character/ Setting/Problem/Events/Solution... I've devised a story map format which looks more like a Pirate's Treasure Map with a start and finish. The story maps out along a meandering path in chronological sequence.

It also resembles those board games we all liked to play as children, or at least those of us who are old enough to remember the tactile feel of real board games with movable pieces before the electronic, computerized video games that kids play today. Anyone remember Uncle Wiggly?

OKAY. I am showing my age.... onto the Pryor Story Map.

This is the sixth grade lesson I did some time back. It could be adapted to any grade level.

First, I created an overhead map of Little Red Riding Hood all in graphics. When I put this up, I asked the students to tell me what story this represented.

Most of them got it right away. It was hard to believe it, but some were unfamiliar with the story (yes, childhood culture has changed).

Then I explained how to create a story map..(the Pryor way) and presented them with a blank template. You could just use a blank piece of paper and have them put START at the top left corner, and FINISH (or Conclusion ) in the bottom right hand corner. Draw a line snaking its way back and forth from start to finish.

I then read an unfamiliar fairy tale, THE CORN DOLLY, in FAIRY TALES by Terry Jones. Any story with a simple plot would work.

As I read, I filled in a blank story map on the overhead and encouraged the students to do the same on their maps. The drawings were very simple stick figures or symbols.

I then said we could use the map to "retell" the story from beginning to end.

I had the first student start the story and we went round robin to "read" the map and retell the story. They decided that the retelling would have been better if we had recorded the phrase that the dolly repeated each time she complained. This would also be true for some familiar stories with repeated phrases like LRRH or The Three Pigs ("...and what big eyes you have, grandma!" or"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.").

The second day, I explained how one could use the story map format to create a story before writing it. So we did one together.

RULES: No sex or violence.

As we progressed they could easily see how characters and events must connect. We came out with a reasonable story with three characters, a problem, and a solution.

The third day, I had them create their own stories and then, this is important now, had them CONFER with a buddy on their story maps. They then REVISED (added, deleted, changed) their maps to make better stories. All this BEFORE writing one sentence of their stories. After they retold their stories from their maps several times, they were READY to write them down.

This process leads to better planned stories. It helps the students focus on the story and include important information.

Under the guidance of the teacher, the students could elaborate and flesh out their characters, determine parts to "explode" and "shrink."

Personally, I would work at the graphic level story map as long as I could, retelling many times to different people, before committing sentences to paper.

It's very hard to get students to change what they've written down on paper.

If they have computer keyboarding skills, I'd have them write their drafts on the computer using word processing skills. But that's another What Works topic.

Download the JPG file of the LRRH story map above.

Download a blank story map.