Common Core: Kindergarten English Language Arts

This subject focuses on foundational English language arts skills for kindergarten students, emphasizing reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Advanced Topics

Understanding Story Structure

What Makes a Story?

Stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning tells us who is in the story and where it happens. The middle shares what happens to the characters. The end tells us how things are solved or finished.

Story Parts

  • Characters: Who is in the story
  • Setting: Where and when the story takes place
  • Events: What happens

Try to spot these parts when reading or listening to a story.

Why It Matters

Knowing how stories work makes reading more fun and helps you create your own stories, too!

Examples

  • Identify the main character in a fairy tale.

  • Retell a story in your own words, from start to finish.

In a Nutshell

Understand the parts of a story: beginning, middle, end, characters, and setting.

Key Terms

Character
A person or animal in a story.
Setting
Where and when a story takes place.