D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose and Voice

Writing Narratives: Stories with a Problem and a Solution

D2.1 D2.3 D1.4About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can plan a story with characters, a setting, a problem, events and a solution.
I can write a story with a beginning, middle and end.
I can use dialogue (talking) with quotation marks.
I can show how a character feels instead of only telling.

Words to know

narrative
A text that tells a story. It can be true (personal narrative) or made up (fiction).

character
A person or animal in a story.

setting
Where and when a story happens.

problem
The trouble the character has to solve. It makes the story exciting.

solution
How the problem gets solved.

dialogue
The words characters say to each other. It goes inside quotation marks.

story map
A graphic organizer for planning a story.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you wrote personal narratives: true stories about one small moment in your life, with a beginning, middle and end. In Grade 3 you will also write made-up stories (fiction). The secret ingredient of a great story is a problem!

Every story needs a problem

"Ella went to the park. She played. She went home." Is that exciting? Not really! Nothing goes wrong.

Now try: "Ella went to the park, and her puppy slipped out of his collar and ran into the woods." Now we want to keep reading! A problem makes the reader wonder: What will happen? How will they fix it?

A story mountain. The story climbs from the beginning, through the problem, up to the big moment, then down to the solution and the ending.

A model story

The Runaway Toque

On the first snowy morning in December, Kofi and his best friend Ellie raced to the toboggan hill behind their school. Kofi was wearing his brand-new toque. His grandma had knitted it for him, with a fluffy pom-pom on top.

Halfway down the hill, a gust of wind snatched the toque right off his head. It twirled through the air like a little kite and landed on a high branch of the old maple tree.

"Oh no!" Kofi gasped. "Grandma made that for me!"

He jumped as high as he could. His fingers didn't even come close. Ellie threw a snowball at the branch. Thump! A pile of snow slid off the branch and landed right on her head. Kofi couldn't help giggling, but his ears were starting to sting with cold.

"Let's ask Mr. Dubois," Ellie said, brushing snow off her face. "He's the caretaker. He knows how to fix everything."

Mr. Dubois came out with his long snow brush. He reached up, gave the branch a gentle tap, and the toque floated down into Kofi's mittens.

"Thank you!" Kofi said, pulling it down over his frozen ears. As he climbed back up the hill, he thought, Sometimes the smartest thing to do is ask for help.

A red and white knitted toque with a pom-pom lying in the snow near a school on a winter morning. — A lost toque in the snow behind a school. A problem like Kofi's runaway toque is what makes a reader want to find out what happens next. AI-generated image

Story part	In The Runaway Toque
Characters	Kofi, Ellie, Mr. Dubois (and Grandma, who knitted the toque)
Setting	The toboggan hill behind the school, a snowy December morning
Problem	The wind blows Kofi's toque onto a high branch.
Events (tries)	1. Kofi jumps. 2. Ellie throws a snowball. Both tries fail.
Big moment	Ellie has the idea to ask Mr. Dubois.
Solution	Mr. Dubois taps the branch with his long snow brush, and the toque falls.
Ending	Kofi thanks him and learns it's smart to ask for help.

A story map for the model story

Worked example

Let's find the dialogue rules

Look at this line from the story: "Let's ask Mr. Dubois," Ellie said.

Quotation marks go around the exact words someone says: "Let's ask Mr. Dubois,"
A comma goes inside the quotation marks before Ellie said.
The speaker tag (Ellie said) tells who is talking.
When a new person speaks, start a new paragraph. That's why Kofi's words and Ellie's words are in different paragraphs.

Dialogue rules: quotation marks around the spoken words, a comma or end mark inside them, a speaker tag, and a new paragraph for each new speaker.

The parts of a line of dialogue: quotation marks around the exact words, a comma inside them, and a speaker tag that tells who is talking.

Worked example

Let's show, don't tell

Telling: "Kofi was cold." How can we show it instead?

Think: What would the reader see or hear if Kofi were cold?
His ears would sting. He might shiver or stamp his feet. His breath might make clouds.
Write it: "Kofi's ears stung, and he stamped his boots to warm his toes."

Showing lets the reader figure out the feeling. It makes them feel like they are there.

Just for fun

What did the falling snow say to Ellie after she threw her snowball?

"Sorry, I just fell for you!"

Words that move a story along

Time words: one morning, first, later, after that, the next day, finally

Surprise words: suddenly, all at once, without warning

**Instead of said:** gasped, shouted, whispered, giggled, asked, groaned

Use them to help readers follow the events and feel the excitement.

Hands-on activity

Story-in-a-bag

You need: a paper bag and 3 small household objects (a spoon, a key, a toy car, a mitten). Ask a grown-up to choose objects that are safe and not too small.

Without looking, pull out the 3 objects.
Use them in a story! One object could cause the problem, and another could help with the solution.
Fill in a story map: characters, setting, problem, two tries, solution, ending.
Tell your story out loud to a grown-up first.
Write your story. Include at least two lines of dialogue and one place where you show a feeling.
Draw a picture for the big moment.

Your turn

What is the setting of a story?

Why does a story need a problem?

In The Runaway Toque, what were the two tries that didn't work?

Add quotation marks: Can I come too? asked Ellie.

Show, don't tell: Mia was happy.

Give three time words that move a story along.

Is The Runaway Toque a personal narrative or a made-up story? How do you know?

More practice: warm-up

Name the characters in The Runaway Toque.

What punctuation goes around the words a character says?

What part of the story tells how the problem is fixed?

Which is a word you can use instead of said?

What do you start when a new character speaks?

More practice: on your own

Make up a problem for a story set at a cottage on a lake.

Punctuate: We found it shouted Sam

Show, don't tell: Leo was scared.

Why do you think the writer had Kofi's first two tries fail?

Write a good first sentence for a story that tells the setting.

Challenge

Fill in a story map for a new story: a puppy at a winter carnival. Include characters, setting, problem, two tries, solution and ending.

Write a short dialogue (at least 3 lines) between two characters who disagree about what game to play. Use correct punctuation and a new paragraph for each speaker.

Rewrite the ending of The Runaway Toque so that Kofi and Ellie solve the problem themselves, without an adult. Keep it safe!

Check your understanding

Quiz

What makes a story exciting to read?

What is the setting of The Runaway Toque?

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

Which sentence shows that a character is tired?

When should you start a new paragraph in dialogue?

In a story map, what comes right after the problem?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.1, D2.3, D1.4): Grade 3 writers draft narratives, both personal and made-up, with characters, setting, a problem, events and a solution. They use dialogue and "show, don't tell" to add voice. The model story is a form to study and borrow from.

How to help at home:

After reading a picture book or chapter, ask: "What was the problem? How was it solved?"
Let your child tell the story out loud before writing. Oral storytelling is real composing.
Point out dialogue punctuation in books you read together.

Common difficulties:

Stories with no problem, or that solve it in one sentence. Ask for "two tries that don't work" first.
Endings like "and then I woke up and it was a dream." Encourage a solution the character works for.
Dialogue punctuation. Focus on quotation marks first; commas inside quotation marks can come later.

For the story-in-a-bag activity, avoid small objects (choking hazard for younger siblings) and sharp items.