2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 3 of 12
Story Builders
Characters, settings and order
What your child practices
Reading short stories, then naming the character and setting, explaining why things happened, and retelling events in order.
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 2.23; 2.27 · characters, settings and the order of events
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- The main character is who the story is mostly about.
- The setting is where and when the story happens.
- Events happen in order: beginning, middle and end.
Example: Jay forgot his lunch at school. His teacher shared her apple. Where does this story happen? Look for place words. The story happens at school. Answer: at school
Story Builders in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 3 of 12 in 2nd grade English Language Arts, after Sound Detectives and before Word Power.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Who is the main character in this story?
Ana's grandmother taught her how to bake bread.
They mixed flour, water and yeast.
The dough rose in a warm bowl.
Ana's whole family ate fresh bread for dinner.
- 🧑🌾a farmer
- 👧Ana
- 🍞a toaster
👧 Ana
Hint: The main character is who the story is mostly about.
Question 2
Where does this story happen? (the setting)
Ana's grandmother taught her how to bake bread.
They mixed flour, water and yeast.
The dough rose in a warm bowl.
Ana's whole family ate fresh bread for dinner.
- 🍳in a kitchen
- 🛝at a playground
- ⛵on a boat
🍳 in a kitchen
Hint: The setting is where a story happens. Look for clues in the first sentence.
Question 3
Who showed Ana how to bake?
Ana's grandmother taught her how to bake bread.
They mixed flour, water and yeast.
The dough rose in a warm bowl.
Ana's whole family ate fresh bread for dinner.
- 🧑🏫Her teacher
- 👵Her grandmother
- 🧑A neighbor
👵 Her grandmother
Hint: The first sentence tells you who taught Ana.
Question 4
Tap what happened, from the beginning to the end.
Ana's grandmother taught her how to bake bread.
They mixed flour, water and yeast.
The dough rose in a warm bowl.
Ana's whole family ate fresh bread for dinner.
- The dough rose.
- They mixed the dough.
- The family ate the bread.
- Ana learned to bake.
Ana learned to bake. → They mixed the dough. → The dough rose. → The family ate the bread.
Hint: Read the story again from the top. What happened first?
Question 5
Who is the main character in this story?
Sam's class went to the aquarium.
They watched the jellyfish glow.
A sea lion splashed everyone!
On the bus home, Sam drew a picture of the sea lion.
- 🧑Sam
- 🐉a dragon
- 🧑✈️a pilot
🧑 Sam
Hint: The main character is who the story is mostly about.
Question 6
Where does this story happen? (the setting)
Sam's class went to the aquarium.
They watched the jellyfish glow.
A sea lion splashed everyone!
On the bus home, Sam drew a picture of the sea lion.
- 🐠at the aquarium
- 🐄at a farm
- 📚at the library
🐠 at the aquarium
Hint: The setting is where a story happens. Look for clues in the first sentence.