Susan Berkowitz’s Free Story Parts

Being able to talk about what we did recently is the basis for all of our conversations.  It’s so important for kids with communication disorders to be able to talk about their experiences.  Otherwise, they are at a loss in social interactions.  What can they do beyond just listening to others?  And that’s not an interaction at all!

Beyond the social participation component, telling about events is important for academic success.  Students need to be able to talk about stories and to tell about history; which is basically one really long series of stories.

Being able to say, “Guess what I did?” and follow it with a cohesive narrative is critical for both social and academic success.  

Academically, this is what is at the heart of the sequence of events we call the plot of the story.  

Here is a visual I use to help students develop their understanding and use of the parts of a story. You can download it onto your desktop and use it with students who have difficulty with language, as well as general education students who are developing story grammar knowledge.

Keep on talking!