Menu
Menu
There’s a fine line between teaching reading skills and making reading boring and too academic. It’s important for students to love reading for school and for pleasure. Building in free reading into the daily schedule can help do this. But as a teacher, you also want a way to do a quick check to see how your students are doing with important reading comprehension skills. That’s where the story map graphic organizer comes in.
Before jumping right into using graphic organizers, it’s important to first teach story elements. Weaving this instruction into any book or story you are reading as a class is a great way to introduce or dig into story elements. In the upper elementary grades, students are generally exposed to story elements like characters, setting, plot, problem & solution, sequencing and more.
While a specific lesson on these points is great, weaving them into the natural discussion about literature really helps students to see it in action. When reading a story or book in class, take time to discuss the different story elements that students have learned. Creating a Story Elements Bulletin Board or Anchor Chart is really easy with these story element poster!
These posters make it easy for students to learn story elements and their meaning. They also make a great tool that students can refer back too! In addition to using as a display tool, they can also be copied in a smaller size and added to a reading journal or interactive notebook. The included black & white version is perfect for this!
Once students have been introduced to different story elements, then it is time to build in opportunities for them to practice identifying and describing them. That’s where story map graphic organizers come in.
You can find these Story Elements posters in the Appletastic Learning store. They are ready to print and use in your classroom!
A story map graphic organizer is a simple, one page graphic organizer that students can fill out during or after reading a book. Some will include basic story elements, while others might focus deeper on one specific story element.
These graphic organizers make a great reading response activity and helps students grasp the elements of the book they are reading. This can include characters, plot, settings, and more. The organizer aids in the student’s comprehension of the story by providing a great base for them to explore all elements of the book.
These graphic organizers are very versatile and can be used in the classroom in many different ways. Here’s some of my favorite ways to use a story map graphic organizer:
There’s no right or wrong way to use the story map graphic organizer!
Story maps and graphic organizers are a wonderful way to measure your students understanding of a story and its elements. This particular Story Maps Graphic Organizer set is perfect because you can use it for any fiction book. And . . . it includes a printable AND digital options so you can use it in a variety of ways.
The packet has everything you need to create an amazing story map for any book your class is reading! It includes 12 different book report graphic organizers, cover for booklet creation, digital and printable version of templates, and suggested usage and teaching ideas. You and your students will love how fun and hands-on these story maps can be!
Using graphic organizers as a mini-book report is a fun way for students to apply what they are learning through books they are reading. It’s also a great way to get a comprehension check of independent reading. The Story Map Graphic Organizers are great book report options. However, they focus primarily on story and literary elements.
Sometimes we just want a deeper book report option. Throw out what you know about the traditional book report and try something fun and new. Your students will love all 4 projects in this engaging Book Report Bundle.
This resource includes everything you need to get students excited and interested in sharing their books. You’ll get templates for 4 different projects, including a cereal box book report, lap book, mini books, and story maps graphic organizers for any book. The great thing about these reports, you can have students work independently on them or together in class. Additionally, you can display their finished products in the class, which is always fun! You won’t be disappointed in the finished results, these are SO much better than the traditional book reports!
Be sure to save these Story Map ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board. Then you can come back to these resources and use them as you need them!
Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.
©2022 Shelly Rees. All Rights Reserved.
