Write the words beginning, middle and end on a board and ask the student to listen carefully to the story and try to remember what happens in the beginning, middle and end of it. As you read the story aloud, stop at pictures and discuss. Pause after the beginning and ask the students what has happened so far. After reading the story talk about what happened in the beginning, middle and end.
Worksheets, referred to as graphic organizers, are easy to create. You can write on a white board, or give students a handout, or they can draw their own graphic organizer in a writing journal. Divide notebook or copy paper up into three segments and write as a title of each section: beginning, middle and end. Ask the students to write down what happened in the beginning in the appropriate section, and so forth. Younger students may just draw a picture of what happened in each section. Many children's book publishers and education websites provide a variety of free graphic organizers that can be downloaded and printed.
Write down statements about the story on the board and ask the students to figure out what happened in chronological order. For example you can prompt them by asking, "What event happened first in the story?" The students can write the order they feel the sentences should be in by rewriting them in their writing journals. Another option is to have worksheets and ask them to number the sentences in the order of events. Discuss answers together as a group after they have had time to answer, allow students to fix any wrong answers on their worksheet so that they may use it for a study sheet for a test or quiz later.
Create specific questions to ask about the story you have read aloud. You may want to have a read aloud session and ask the students to take turns reading the story again. Have the questions written on the board and, as you read, the students may stop to answer the questions by writing it on the board themselves, or telling you what they think the answer is. Students should copy questions and write their own answers in their writing journals.
Ask the students to role-play the story you read together. With a few props and coaching you may be able to pull together a performance they could share with another class. Have them make their own hats or props out of construction paper as part of their lesson. Other students may want to draw a backdrop for the production. Paper mache trees and rocks may add to the stage effects.
Evaluate the success of your lesson by giving the students a quiz or test about the story. Example questions could be for them to identify a beginning, middle and end of the story. Another question could be about the order of events. Using character names within the quiz evaluates retention and comprehension on the part of the students. You want to be sure the method you are using to reach your students is effective, so evaluation is vital.