Reading Training #4:

Story Structure

Starting the Conversation

What would you say are some

genres of reading?

Can those genres be divided into

story and text structures?

What does Story Structure mean

to you?

Reading Materials

The following are three popular reading materials that you

encounter in college. Which one do you see the most in

your discipline?

Textbook

Academic Journal/Research Article

Novel

Let’s take a look at Novels and the way in which they are

set up. This is normally referred

to as Story Structure.

Novel’s Story Structure

Plot

Characters

Setting

Point of View

Theme

To apply and fully understand the parts of story structure,

use the following story as a sample to answer the “Activity”

questions in the coming slides. The Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One pig built a house of straw while the

second pig built his house with sticks. They built their houses very quickly and then

sang and danced all day because they were lazy. The third little pig worked hard all day

and built his house with bricks.

A big bad wolf saw the two little pigs while they danced and played and thought, “What

juicy tender meals they will make!” He chased the two pigs and they ran and hid in

their houses. The big bad wolf went to the first house and huffed and puffed and blew

the house down in minutes. The frightened little pig ran to the second pig’s house that

was made of sticks. The big bad wolf now came to this house and huffed and puffed and

blew the house down in hardly any time. Now, the two little pigs were terrified and ran

to the third pig’s house that was made of bricks.

The big bad wolf tried to huff and puff and blow the house down, but he could not. He

kept trying for hours but the house was very strong and the little pigs were safe inside.

He tried to enter through the chimney but the third little pig boiled a big pot of water

and kept it below the chimney. The wolf fell into it and died.

The two little pigs now felt sorry for having been so lazy. They too built their houses

with bricks and lived happily ever after. (The three, 2015)

Plot

The events of a story that show the characters’ struggle to reach a goal (Tompkins, 2014)

The plot can normally be divided into beginning, middle, and end of a story

You should always identify the problem and how it is resolved

Activity: ◦ What are the beginning, middle, and end of the

story?

◦ What is the problem of the story?

◦ What is the solution to the problem?

Characters

People and/or personified animals and

things found in the story (Tompkins, 2014)

Characters include very person, animal, or

thing that takes action and is active in the

story

Activity:

◦ Who are the characters in the story?

◦ Is the brick house a character?

◦ Who is the hero and who is the villain?

Setting

Location, weather, time period of events,

and time when actions occur (Tompkins, 2014)

For setting, describe when and where the

events occur.

Activity:

◦ Describe the location of the story.

◦ Are the weather and time period explicitly

stated in the story? If not, can they be

inferred?

Point of View

The perspective from which the story is told (Tompkins, 2014)

Stories can be told from: ◦ First-person: one character tells the story; reader only

knows what this character knows

◦ Omniscient: reader knows everything about everyone and knows everyone’s thoughts

◦ Limited omniscient: story is told in third person but from the viewpoint of one character

◦ Objective viewpoint: reader knows what is happening but does not know what the characters think (Tompkins, 2014)

Activity: ◦ Which of the above perspectives is that of the story?

◦ If we were told what the characters are thinking, what point of view would we have as a reader?

Theme

The message or general meaning of the story, many times connected to “general truths about human nature” (Tompkins, 2014, p. 302)

Many times, you can find the theme of a story by asking: why was this story written? What is the message the author wants me to hear?

Activity:

◦ What is the theme of the story?

◦ Are there several themes in this story? If so, which ones?

Considering Story Structure

In what ways does the story structure

help you understand a story?

Should you look for all of the

components of story structure in every

story you read?

In which academic disciplines would you

find this story structure?

What’s Next?

Now that you know about

story structure, let’s learn about

expository text structure!

References

The three little pigs. (2015). In Short Story. Retrieved July 9, 2015.

Tompkins, G. E. (2014). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (6th ed.). New

York City, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.