What is setting?-Where and when a story takes place.

Place State/country Specific location

Time Time of day Time of year Year

Lets start with change in place-There are different laws in different

countries.For example: A story takes place in the U.S. with a 16 year old getting his/her driver’s license. If the story were moved to Canada it would have to change to an 18 year old because the driving age is 18 in Canada. This would change the story.

Lets start with change in place-If it were a story just before the civil war,

the stories would be very different if it was in a southern state or northern state.

-If story takes place in Florida and is about natural disasters it would be about hurricanes. If it took place in California it would be about earthquakes.

Change in time- what year is it?-If the story took place in the past, there

would be no cars which makes a big difference in stories.

-The past also had a lot of diseases that we now have cures for.

-The future might have flying cars and even more cures for diseases.

Change in time of year-If the story takes place in the winter,

characters might have to deal with snow and ice and winter clothes.

-If the story takes place in the summer, the characters would deal with the heat.

-If it is fall then leaves might be a factor.-If it is spring there would be a lot of rain.

Change in time of day-If it is late then it will be dark and

characters will have to deal with that.-If it is early in the morning the characters

might be sleeping or just waking up.-If it is around meal time characters might

be hungry or need to eat.

Any change in time or place can have a dramatic affect on the plot or what happens in the story.

Example: Sue was driving her car in the middle of

winter. There was ice on the ground and her car started to slide. She tried to get control but couldn’t and crashed into a tree.

What might have happened if it was summer?

Example:-The year is 1885. There is no running

water so you have to go to the nearby river to fill a bucket so you can have water to drink. You also have to cook breakfast on a woodstove.

What would probably happen in the story if the story took place now?

Example:-It is early in the morning. Johnny and his

dad were camping and woke up to see the sunrise. They look at its beautiful colors and eat breakfast.

What would the story probably be like if it took place in the evening?

Example:-Joseph is at school. It is math time. He is

working on a fractions worksheet. As soon as he is done he will turn it in.

What would probably happen if this story took place at home?

Example:-In England, there is a Parliamentary

Monarch which means a king or queen makes all the

laws.

If the story took place in the United States how do you think it would change?