An exceptional way for your students follow a story is for them to track the events from it. Not only is this a great way to teach the parts of a plot, it also reinforces major events, which helps students develop better understanding of how the events fit together to provide the overall structure of the story.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Display a large anchor chart labeled with key plot elements—such as Beginning, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution—to give students a visual reference. This helps them quickly identify and organize events from the story.
Demonstrate using sentence starters like First, Then, Next, and Finally to guide students in summarizing each event. This scaffolds their writing and ensures clear sequencing.
Read aloud a section of the story and pause to verbalize your thinking about what event just happened and why it matters. This models comprehension strategies for students.
Invite students to draw simple pictures illustrating each major event. Visualizing the plot helps reinforce memory and understanding, especially for visual learners.
Pair students to share and discuss their event summaries and illustrations. Comparing their work encourages critical thinking and clarifies misunderstandings.
The Cricket in Times Square tells the story of Chester, a country cricket who accidentally ends up in New York City. He befriends a boy named Mario, a cat, and a mouse, and together they experience adventures in Times Square. The story highlights friendship, adaptation, and the magic of music in unexpected places.
Use a timeline activity where students track and illustrate key events from the story. This helps reinforce plot parts—beginning, middle, and end—and encourages students to connect events and understand the story's overall structure.
Try a plot timeline, character mapping, or group discussions about the themes of friendship and adaptation. Short creative assignments like drawing scenes or writing diary entries from Chester's perspective also engage students easily.
Tracking story events helps students understand plot structure, remember key events, and see how events connect. This builds reading comprehension and analytical skills, making stories more meaningful.
Encourage students to visualize scenes by identifying main events, then drawing characters and settings using details from the text. Providing templates or digital tools can make illustration easier and more fun.