Reading 8.4.3 Exploring Story Structure

Reading: Exploring Story Structure
Lesson 8.4.3

Learners can:

• explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of the text

Vocabulary: sabotage

Curriculum Kit Materials: The Pet War

​Words to Know

Today, you will read chapters 25 and 26 from The Pet War.

As you read, look for details that will help you answer the following questions:

• Who do you predict will win the pet war?

You have learned that the word “structure” refers to how story events flow from beginning to end. A well-structured story will be engaging and easy for readers to understand.

There are various structures an author can follow depending on the type of writing.

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​Story Structure

Multiple Choice

Which part of the story did you read today?

• climax

• falling action

• rising action

• conclusion

The author of The Pet War writes the story in chronological order. This means that the story is written in the order in which the events occur.

​Each chapter tells about a different day in Otto's journey to earn money for a pet dog.

Within each chapter, an author must make sure the story is organized and makes sense. Even though each chapter in The Pet War takes place on one day, sometimes Otto experiences many different events or goes to multiple settings.

​Chapter Structure

Multiple Select

What are two reasons why the author includes a page break on page 228?

• 
  The page break signals time passing while Otto sleeps during the night.

• The page break signals the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one.

• 
  The page break signals the time passing between Otto's dog walk and going home.

• The page break signals a change in setting as Otto goes from walking dogs to being at home.