Andrew Johnson

10/3/2009
Advance Story Map Instruction

Source(s) (in APA):

Overview of Strategy (goal of strategy, how strategy accomplish the goal)

Advanced story map instruction is the use of a “Story Grammar” to categorize,

identify, and explore significant elements of a narrative text. There are several examples
of a narrative text, such as fiction, biographies, and historical accounts. According to
Gardill and Jitendra, if advanced story map instruction employed correctly, then students
should have an increase in correct word sequence, thought units, and retell ability.

Steps of the Strategy (clearly and briefly explained):

1. Introduce the procedures and the elements of a story grammar, and model the
concepts for the students. Teachers should explain the benefit of using a story
grammar for reading comprehension.

2. Teachers should model and use interactive instruction to teach the four major
concepts of story grammar: (A) Identifying important characters and their
personalities, and motivation, (B) Identifying the main problem and significant
plot development, (C) Recognize the attempts of the characters to solve problems,
and (D) Pinpoint the authors overall theme. Interactive instruction should include
the use of clear teacher demonstration either on overheads or PowerPoint slides.
Teachers should ask discuss a loud the concepts of story grammar as he/she reads
through the story. As the teacher fills out the story grammar worksheet, she have
the students do the same on their worksheet.

3. Error Correction: When the students commit errors, point students to the proper
area in the narrative to reread it for the correct answer. Use guiding questions and
modeling as necessary to help students come up with the correct answers.

4. Have students read a narrative independently, and ask the group key questions at
pre-determined points. Encourage students to complete the grammar worksheet
as the teacher completes the work on an overhead.

5. After students can use the story grammar independently, have them read through
a narrative and complete worksheet. Check the worksheet and provide feedback
to students independently.
Adaptations
1. Record or find a creative teaching method of story grammar and show the
students this video. Instead of the traditional method of using an overhead or
PowerPoint.
2. Teachers can place students in small groups during the 2 and 3 phase and allow
peer direction and error correction during those sections.
3. Have a student lead the independent reading stopping students at pre-determined
points to discuss story development. Have another student fill out the story
grammar worksheet on the overhead as their peers follow along.