Describe characters, setting and events, and tell how they and the pictures build a story

Learning goal: This lesson teaches Ohio's 2026 standards RL.1.3 and RL.1.7, first implemented in 2027-28. Children describe characters, settings and major events using key details, tell how each of these elements contributes to the story, and use the illustration and key details together, explaining how the visual supports understanding of the story. The earlier grade 1 story lesson on this site asked children to name these elements; the 2026 statements also ask for the second half of the job: telling what each element does for the story.

For the adult: Read the story aloud once for enjoyment. On the second reading, show the picture (the diagram on this page) when you reach the moment Pip stops on the third stone. Children do not need to decode every word; they need to listen, look and talk.

Original story — The Stepping Stones

Pip and her grandmother, Nana Rose, walked to the creek behind the library. The water was low and clear. Five flat stones made a path across it. "We can cross on the stones and eat our lunch at the picnic table on the other side," said Nana Rose.

Pip hopped onto the first stone. Then the second. Then the third. She stopped. The fourth stone was gone! A gap of moving water sat where it should be. "I can't jump that far," Pip said. Her lip shook.

Nana Rose looked along the bank. "The storm last night was strong. The water may have pushed the stone away." She pointed. A flat gray stone lay in the shallow water near the bank.

Pip stepped back to the bank. Together they slid the flat stone through the shallow water. It was heavy, so they pushed it slowly, one side and then the other. They set it in the gap. Pip pressed it with her foot. It did not wobble.

Pip crossed all five stones. At the picnic table she gave Nana Rose the biggest apple slice. "We fixed the path," Pip said, "so the next walkers can cross too."

Three story elements. A character is someone who takes part in the story: usually a person or an animal, though in some stories a toy or another thing acts and talks like a person. A setting is where and when the story happens. Major events are the important things that happen, in order, that move the story from its problem to its ending. Naming them is the first step: the characters are Pip and Nana Rose; the setting is a creek behind the library the day after a strong storm; the major events are starting across, finding the gap, finding the moved stone, sliding it into place and crossing to lunch.

Describe with key details. To describe means to tell what something is like, using details from the story as proof. "Pip is a girl" names her but does not describe her. A description sounds like this: Pip is eager at first, because she hops onto the stones right away. She becomes worried, because she says "I can't jump that far" and her lip shakes. At the end she is thoughtful, because she thinks about the next walkers. Each describing word is joined to a detail with because. Nana Rose is calm and noticing: she looks along the bank and spots the stone.

Tell how each element contributes. To contribute means to help make something happen. Ask three questions.

- How does the setting help the story? The creek is the reason the characters need stones at all. Nana Rose thinks the strong storm "last night" may have pushed the stone away, which would explain why a stone is missing. The shallow water near the bank makes it possible to slide the stone back. Without this setting, there would be no problem and no way to solve it.
- How do the characters help the story? Pip's worry makes the problem feel real, and her helping push the stone shows she can do something about it. Nana Rose's noticing gives the story its turning point: she sees the stone.
- How do the events help the story? In this story, each event leads to the next (not every story is joined this tightly). The gap stops Pip; stopping makes Nana Rose look; looking finds the stone; moving the stone lets Pip cross. If you mix up the order, the story stops making sense.

Pictures and words work together. This illustration shows one moment (some illustrations show several steps, but this one does not). It shows the moment Pip stands on the third stone: four stones are in place, the fourth place is an empty gap, and a flat stone lies near the starting bank, on the side Pip came from. The words say "the fourth stone was gone," but the picture lets a listener see how wide the gap is and where the loose stone lies, which helps explain why Pip is afraid and how the stone can be reached. The words tell us things this picture does not show: what Nana Rose thinks moved the stone (the storm), that the stone is heavy and that Pip thinks of the next walkers.

A common mistake. Some children treat the picture as the whole story ("Pip is standing on a stone, so the story is about standing"). This picture shows one moment, not the beginning or the end. Another mistake is inventing details the picture does not show, such as "a fish took the stone." Always ask: Do the words or the picture show this?

A fully worked model. Question: "How does the setting help the story, and how does the picture help you understand it?" Model answer: "The setting is a creek after a storm. Nana Rose thinks the storm may have pushed the fourth stone away, so the setting causes Pip's problem. The picture shows the empty place where the fourth stone should be and the stone lying near the bank, so I can see why Pip can't jump and where the stone went. The words tell me the stone is heavy, which the picture can't show." That answer names the element, gives a key detail, tells what the element does and explains what the picture adds.

Worked example 1: Describe a character and say what she contributes. Question: "What is Nana Rose like, and how does she help the story?" Step 1, find details: she looks along the bank; she explains the storm; she points to the stone; she helps push. Step 2, choose a describing word that fits all of them: calm or noticing. Step 3, answer: "Nana Rose is noticing, because she looks along the bank and finds the stone. She contributes the turning point: once she finds the stone, the problem can be fixed." A word like "old" would name a fact about her but would not explain her part in the story.

Worked example 2: Put major events in order and show how each leads to the next. 1. Pip starts across the stones. 2. She stops because the fourth stone is gone. 3. Nana Rose finds the stone near the bank. 4. They slide it into the gap. 5. Pip crosses and thinks of the next walkers. Check: event 2 causes event 3 (stopping makes Nana Rose look); event 3 makes event 4 possible; event 4 makes event 5 possible. "Pip gave Nana Rose an apple slice" is a small detail, not a major event, because it does not change the problem or how it is solved. An event near the end can still be major: Pip crossing and thinking of the next walkers finishes the story and shows how she has changed.

Worked example 3: Use the picture and the words together. Question: "How far is the gap, and why does Pip say she can't jump?" The words say only that the stone is gone. The picture shows one whole stone-space missing between the third and fifth stones, with moving water in it. Answer: "The picture shows a gap as wide as one missing stone plus the spaces around it, with water in it, so it would be a long jump for Pip. The words tell us she is afraid, and the picture helps me see why."

Representation task (with an adult): Make a three-column chart titled Characters, Setting, Events. In each column the child draws or dictates one key detail and, underneath, finishes the sentence "This helps the story because…". Then put a sticky note on the picture where the problem shows, and say one thing the picture shows that the words do not say, and one thing the words say that the picture does not show.

Independent performance: After hearing a different short story your class knows, the child (orally or with dictation) (1) describes one character with a describing word and a key detail joined by because; (2) names the setting and tells how it helps cause or solve the problem; (3) retells the major events in order; and (4) points to one illustration and explains how it helps a reader understand that moment.

Success criteria: Each description has a detail from the story. The setting explanation says what the setting does, not only where it is. Events are in order and are major events, not small details. The picture explanation names something the picture shows and connects it to understanding the story. The adult records which parts needed prompting.