Internet Academy Resources
Story Mapping What is Story Mapping?
Maps make something very big much smaller. They show the main points in a picture and help us see how to get where we want to go. They show direction, the main roads, the big cities and towns, the obstacles, or rivers and mountains, and they help us figure out directions to get to the end of our journey.
A story map does the same thing! It shows the main ideas, the big characters and events, the obstacles or problems that might prevent the characters from getting where they want to go, and it takes us to the end of the story where everything is solved.
How will making a story map help me be a more effective reader?
Story mapping lets you see the BIG picture of the whole story on one page. It helps you figure how the characters get from the beginning of the story, through their problems, to the end of the story.
Let’s see how story mapping works. A basic story map includes these FIVE parts:
- Characters
- Setting: Where the story takes place, how the story starts
- Problems: Something always happens, and sometimes many things, that become a problem for the character or characters.
- Solutions: The characters figure out how to solve the problems.
- Conclusion: The ending that usually makes us smile.
Here is a simple example:
Title: The Story of My Life
Author: Helen Keller
Characters: Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Mr. and Mrs. Keller
Setting: The story takes place in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Alabama and Boston.
Beginning situation: Helen is the little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Keller.
PROBLEMS
- Helen got sick and she became blind, deaf and she couldn’t talk.
- Her parents didn’t know what to do.
- No one in her town knew how to communicate with Helen.
SOLUTIONS
- Helen’s parents called Annie Sullivan.
- Annie taught Helen how to talk.
- She taught her to read with her hands and communicate with her hands.
- She got her into the Perkins School for the Blind.
Conclusion:
- Helen was able to ride horses.
- She went to college and also the White House and was in the newspaper.
- She helped others who could not read and write to have a good life.
That’s a basic story map. Now you can get creative. Use your imagination and design what your map will look like. You might draw a scene in the background, you might add color, arrange the sections in a different way so that it looks like it’s a map. The sky’s the limit! Have fun! All you need to do is include the main parts and anyone looking at your map will be able to get from beginning to conclusion! That’s what effective readers do!
Did you know that you can use this skill in your independent reading too? Give it a try.
