Objective:
To Develop story problems from settings
Write the following list on the board. Call on volunteers to read each sentence aloud. Then ask students to decide what problems people would face in each situation.
1. People stuck in an elevator between floors.
2. Hikers lost in the mountains.
3. A skier caught in a blinding snowstorm.
4. A swimmer with a sudden cramp.
Procedure
After they have worked through the Introduction and Development sections, ask the students to reread the four paragraphs in the Development section, and speculate on who the characters in each paragraph might be and how they would solve their problem. Encourage the students to be as detailed as possible. Then, encourage a variety of responses by mentioning different kinds of stories, such as mystery, science fiction, and historical fiction.
Reinforcing the Concept
Ask the students make and describe which could be settings for dangerous situations. Allow students sufficient time to study the pictures. Then discuss these questions with the class. What problems could the characters face in each setting? What in the picture suggests this?
Ask the students to select from novels or stories descriptions of several different settings that would cause particular problems for the characters. Have the students read the descriptions aloud to the rest of the group. Discuss these questions with the group. What details make the setting real and vivid? What problem might a character face in each of the settings? What details in the description suggest this?
