First Edition

Story ElementsStacie Lambert and Christine McLaughlin

1 Welcome! Today we will be learning about elements of a story!

Story Elements: Little Red Riding Hood

By Stacie Lambert and Christine McLaughlin

We are the authors of this e-book. We are pre-service elementary teachers. We created this e-book as a project for our class at Indiana University. In this e-book students will be learning the ten basic elements of a story. We are using the story of Little Red Riding Hood so students can understand examples of each element of a story.

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Videos

These videos help us have a basic understanding for the rest of the e-book. The first video goes through a few of the basic elements of a story and the second is the story of Little Red Riding Hood, which is used as an example throughout the rest of the e-book.

Little Red Riding Hood Video

This video goes through the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The rest of this e-book talks about all of the different elements of a story and uses Little Red Riding Hood as an example for each element.

This video goes over the basic elements of a story to introduce elements of a story before we dive into all ten!

Basic Elements of a Story

Definition:

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Little Red Riding Hood goes through the woods to deliver her grandmother cookies.

Setting

The setting is where a story takes place.

Definition:

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On her way to grandma’s, Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf who asked her where she was going. She didn’t know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf so she said to him, “I am going to see my grandmother and carry her cookies from my mother.”

Characters

Characters are the people who make up the story.

Definition:

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"Does she live far off?" said the wolf

"Oh I say," answered Little Red Riding Hood; "it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house in the village."

"Well," said the wolf, "and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there first."

The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gath-ering nuts, running after butterflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers. It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman's house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap.

"Who's there?"

"Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf, coun-terfeiting her voice; "who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother."

Rising Action

This is the part of the story where the main problem becomes clear.

Definition:

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The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then he immedi-ately fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days since he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother's bed, expecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door: tap, tap.

"Who's there?"

Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at first afraid; but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, an-swered, "It is your grandchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter mother sends you."

The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

Climax

The most important point in the story.

Definition:

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The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bed-clothes, "Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed with me."Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed. She was greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, "Grandmother, what big arms you have!"

"All the better to hug you with, my dear."

"Grandmother, what big legs you have!"

"All the better to run with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see with, my child."

"Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!"

"All the better to eat you up with."

Little Red Riding Hood realized that it was not her Grandmother and ran away as fast as she could! She realized that it was so important not to talk to strangers and especially to not tell them where you are going.

Resolution

The ending of the story.

Definition:

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There was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood who went into the woods to deliver cookies to her Grandmother. Along the way, she came across a wolf who asked her where she was going. The wolf went to her grandmother’s house and ate her and hid in her bed waiting for the little girl. When Little Red Riding Hood got to her grandmother’s house, she realized that it was the wolf acting like her grandmother and ran away. She realized that it was so important to not talk to strangers.

Plot

Summary of all the events in the story.

Definition:

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The main problem of the story was when Little Red Riding Hood discov-ered the wolf in her grandmother’s bed. Conflict

The main problem of the story.

Definition:

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The Wolf is the antagonist in the story because he wants to eat Little Red Riding Hood.Antagonist

The character in the story who opposes the main character; the “bad” guy.

Definition:

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Little Red Riding Hood is the leading character in the story.Protagonist

The leading character in a story.

Definition:

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The moral of the story is not to talk to strangers.Theme

Moral of the story.