What are Story Frames?
Story frames are structured outlines or templates that guide students in organizing and writing stories. They provide a scaffold for narrative writing, helping students understand the key components of a story and how they fit together. Story frames are particularly useful for developing writing skills in young learners or those who struggle with organizing their thoughts.
A typical story frame might include prompts or sentence starters for different parts of the narrative, such as:
- Introduction: “Once upon a time, there was…”
- Setting: “The story takes place in…”
- Characters: “The main character is…”
- Problem: “One day, something unexpected happened…”
- Events: “First… Then… After that…”
- Resolution: “Finally, the problem was solved when…”
- Conclusion: “In the end…”
By following this structure, students can focus on developing their ideas and creativity without getting overwhelmed by the overall organization of the story. Story frames can be adapted to various genres and complexity levels, making them versatile tools for teaching narrative writing across different grade levels.
Teachers can use story frames in multiple ways:
- As a pre-writing activity to help students plan their stories
- As a reading comprehension tool to analyze existing stories
- To teach specific narrative techniques or genres
- As a collaborative writing exercise where students fill in different parts of the frame
Story frames not only improve writing skills but also enhance reading comprehension, as students become more aware of narrative structures in the texts they read. This awareness can lead to better understanding and appreciation of literature across various genres.