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Students focus on how stories start and how characters are introduced.
Imagine you are standing in front of a magic door. Before you step through, you need to know who is inside and where you are going. This is exactly what the beginning of a story does for you!
Every story has a beginning. This is the very first part of the book or tale. Think of it like the step on a long walk. The beginning tells us the setting, which is where and when the story happens. Is it in a dark castle? Is it on a sunny beach? The author uses the first few sentences to paint a picture in your mind so you aren't lost.
Quick Check
What do we call the part of the story that tells us 'where' and 'when' the story happens?
Answer
The setting.
The beginning is also where we meet the characters. A character is a person, animal, or creature in a story. Authors introduce them by telling us their names and showing us what they look like or how they feel. We usually meet the most important character, the main character, right away so we can follow their adventure.
Read this story start: 'Once upon a time, in a deep green forest, there lived a tiny rabbit named Pip. Pip was very brave and loved to wear a bright red hat.'
1. The setting is the deep green forest. 2. The character is Pip the rabbit. 3. We know Pip is brave and wears a red hat.
Quick Check
In the example about Pip, what is one thing we learned about how Pip looks?
Answer
He is a tiny rabbit who wears a bright red hat.
After we know the where and the who, something usually happens! This is the first event. It is the spark that starts the whole engine of the story. It might be a character finding a map, hearing a strange noise, or deciding to go on a trip. This event makes the reader want to keep turning the pages to see what happens next.
Read this start: 'Luna lived on a shiny silver space station. One morning, while brushing her teeth, she saw a glowing purple rock floating past her window. She dropped her toothbrush and ran to the door.'
1. Character: Luna. 2. Setting: A shiny silver space station. 3. First Event: Luna sees a glowing purple rock and runs to the door.
Read this start: 'The rain tapped on the attic window. Sam found an old wooden box hidden under a dusty blanket. It had a heavy gold lock. Sam reached into his pocket for a key.'
In this beginning, the author uses the setting (a rainy attic) to make the story feel mysterious before Sam (the character) even opens the box (the first event).
What is a 'character' in a story?
Which of these is a 'setting'?
The beginning of a story usually happens at the very end of the book.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the three things we find at the start of a story: the S______, the C________, and the first E____.
Practice Activity
Pick your favorite book. Open to the first page and point to the name of the main character and the place where they are.