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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 15

Story Elements

Characters, settings and plots

What your child practices

Naming the characters, setting, problem and solution of a story, describing how characters feel and what they are like, and finding a story's lesson.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.8(B); 3.8(C); 3.8(D) · characters, settings and plots

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Characters are who the story is about. The setting is where and when it happens.
  2. The problem is what goes wrong. The solution is how it gets fixed.
  3. Clues about what characters say and do tell you how they feel.

Example: A rabbit keeps eating Lena’s lettuce, so Lena and her mom build a fence. What is the solution? The problem is the rabbit eating the lettuce. The fix is what stops it. Answer: Lena and her mom put a fence around the lettuce.

Story Elements in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 2 of 15 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Read and Think and before Word Jobs.

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.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What is the problem in this story?

    Leo was spending the night at his grandma's farmhouse.

    When the lights went out, he heard a strange “hoo-hoo” sound outside his window.

    Leo pulled the blanket over his head. He could not fall asleep.

    Grandma came in with a flashlight and shone it on the tree outside. A fluffy owl blinked back at them!

    Leo smiled, whispered goodnight to the owl and soon fell fast asleep.

    • Leo lost his flashlight.
    • A strange sound kept Leo awake.
    • Grandma could not find the owl.

  2. Question 2

    How did Leo most likely feel when he first heard the sound?

    Leo was spending the night at his grandma's farmhouse.

    When the lights went out, he heard a strange “hoo-hoo” sound outside his window.

    Leo pulled the blanket over his head. He could not fall asleep.

    Grandma came in with a flashlight and shone it on the tree outside. A fluffy owl blinked back at them!

    Leo smiled, whispered goodnight to the owl and soon fell fast asleep.

    • Proud
    • Nervous
    • Hungry

  3. Question 3

    What is the setting of this story?

    Leo was spending the night at his grandma's farmhouse.

    When the lights went out, he heard a strange “hoo-hoo” sound outside his window.

    Leo pulled the blanket over his head. He could not fall asleep.

    Grandma came in with a flashlight and shone it on the tree outside. A fluffy owl blinked back at them!

    Leo smiled, whispered goodnight to the owl and soon fell fast asleep.

    • At Grandma's farmhouse at night
    • At school during lunch
    • At a city park in the morning

  4. Question 4

    What is the problem in this story?

    On Friday morning, Kenji had to return a library book about dinosaurs.

    But the book was missing! He searched his backpack, his desk and under his bed.

    Then Kenji remembered reading in the car after soccer practice.

    He checked the car and found the book under a seat.

    Kenji got to school just in time to return it.

    • The library was closed.
    • Kenji could not find his library book.
    • Kenji did not like dinosaurs.

  5. Question 5

    When does this story happen?

    On Friday morning, Kenji had to return a library book about dinosaurs.

    But the book was missing! He searched his backpack, his desk and under his bed.

    Then Kenji remembered reading in the car after soccer practice.

    He checked the car and found the book under a seat.

    Kenji got to school just in time to return it.

    • On a Sunday night
    • On a summer afternoon
    • On a Friday morning

  6. Question 6

    How did Kenji most likely feel when the book was missing?

    On Friday morning, Kenji had to return a library book about dinosaurs.

    But the book was missing! He searched his backpack, his desk and under his bed.

    Then Kenji remembered reading in the car after soccer practice.

    He checked the car and found the book under a seat.

    Kenji got to school just in time to return it.

    • Proud
    • Worried
    • Sleepy

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