Start the lesson by teaching students the basic concepts of setting. Tell them that the setting of a story is the time and place in which the story happens. Ask them to complete the tasks listed on the worksheet. These include thinking of a story set in the past, present and future, and ones that take place in locations such as the ocean or outer space. The task helps children understand that all stories have a setting and gives them a new understanding about old stories.
Props can help you keep the children’s attention. Get a top hat, a magic wand, three pictures of famous heroes, three pictures depicting challenges and three pictures of fun places. Put the pictures inside the hat and grab the wand. Explain to the children that writing stories is like magic, and tap the brim of the top hat. Pull out the pictures of the heroes, telling them that they become the hero anytime they start to write. Pull out the location pictures, and tell them that stories can whisk you away to far-off locations. Ask if this is all that is needed for a story. After some responses, point out that the final thing you need is a challenge. Pull out the challenge pictures. Compose a story as a group by choosing a hero, setting and challenge.
Discuss what would happen if the setting were wildly different in a well-known story. Ask the children what the “Three Little Pigs” story would be like if it took place in deep space or in the Arctic Circle. Have the children speculate on the different possible settings (in both time and space) for a story and how those changes would affect the content. This will help children understand why setting is important.
Many improvisation groups and programs start off by giving the actor a character and a setting. Do this with children to help them understand how easy story creation becomes if you have a character and a setting. Have the class decide on a well-known character and a setting. Ask for volunteers to act, and encourage them to have fun with the role but think about where they are supposed to be. Change the setting each time to show how setting affects what happens.