Who, Where, What Happened? Story Elements

About This Resource

A complete Grade 3 ESL reading lesson pack on story elements: characters, setting, problem and solution, and the beginning, middle and end of a plot. Students read an original story about a lost kite, order the events, describe a character with evidence, compare settings and plan their own short story. Includes slides, a timed lesson plan, flashcards, worksheet, quiz, homework, rubric and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that every story is built from the same parts: characters (who), setting (where and when), and plot (what happens), which includes a problem and a solution. They read "The Kite in the Tree", find each element, order the beginning, middle and end, sort story details into the right element and describe the main characters using clues from the text. Finally, they plan their own story with a character, a setting, a problem and a solution.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Story Elements: Characters, Setting and Plot
Category: Reading
File Type: PDF
File Size: 369.7 KB
Published: 04 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 3 (ages 8–9), elementary ESL 50 minutes Reading comprehension retelling vocabulary using evidence story planning

Learning Objectives

Identify the characters, setting, problem and solution in a story.
Retell a story's plot in order: beginning, middle and end.
Describe a character using clues from the text and plan an original story.

How to Use This Resource

Start with slide 1: retell a familiar fairy tale in one minute and ask, "Who was in it? Where was it? What was the problem?"
Teach each story element with the slides, then read "The Kite in the Tree" together and do activities 1 and 2.
Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz to check and plan a story for homework. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Story hand: students trace their hand and write one element on each finger (characters, setting, problem, events, solution) to retell a story.
Setting swap: groups imagine the kite story set on a beach or in a snowy city and discuss how the story would change.
Story dice: roll dice for a random character, setting and problem, then tell a story to a partner.

Differentiation

Support: give a story map with picture prompts and sentence starters (The problem is...). Challenge: identify how a character changes from the beginning to the end and write an alternative solution.

Assessment

Worksheet activities and the quiz check identifying story elements and plot order (answer key included). The character description and story plan are checked with the rubric.

Teacher Tips

Use the same five questions for every story the class reads: Who? Where? When? What is the problem? How is it solved? Students soon ask them automatically, which builds strong comprehension habits.

What's Included

11-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (7 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 7 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)