Narrative Macrostructure: Build the Whole Story
Generation prompts that each require a complete story grammar including a character, a setting, a problem, attempts and a resolution, rather than a string of events.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read the prompt, then give the student a minute to plan before speaking. For students who need support, list the story grammar parts on paper and tick them off as they tell it. The first plan fails card is the most useful for students who resolve every problem in one line, because it forces an attempt that does not work. The story from your own life card, which asks them to name each part, is a good close for checking whether the structure has become explicit.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- Question promptAsk a story-grammar question: who, where, what was the problem, what happened next?Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two possible next parts of the story and let the student pick and say it.Log as cued
- ModelTell that part yourself; the student tells it back in their own words.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer parts, and keep a first-next-last visual on the table.
Ask for the retell without the pictures, with a feeling or a reason added to each part.
Matching IEP goal
Given a picture or story prompt, Student will tell a story that includes a character, setting, problem and ending in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one question prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Ten story prompts that each demand a complete structure rather than a chain of events: a story about a lost object with a character, setting, problem, two attempts and an ending; a story where the first plan fails and the second works; two characters who want different things; a promise and what got in the way; a competition with a goal, an obstacle, an attempt and a result. The prompt itself names the parts, so the student cannot skip them without noticing.
What to listen for
Listen for a real problem. Many students produce and then, and then with nothing going wrong, which is a sequence rather than a story. Check for attempts: does the character do anything about the problem, or is it solved by luck? On the surprise ending card, notice whether something was planted early or the ending comes from nowhere. Record which parts are present, not just length.
Carrying it home
After a film or a book, ask what the problem was and what the character tried first. When your child tells you about their day, ask what went wrong and what they did about it. Those two questions carry most of the structure.
What's in this activity
- Tell a story about a lost object. Include a character, a setting, a problem, at least two attempts and an ending.
- Tell a story that starts “It was already late when...” and make sure there is a real problem in it.
- Tell a story where the first plan fails and the second one works. Say both plans out loud.
- Tell a story about a day that went wrong. End it by saying how the character felt afterwards.
- Tell a story with two characters who want different things. Say what each one wanted.
- Tell a story set somewhere you have never been. Describe the setting before anything happens.
- Tell a story about a promise. Include what was promised, what got in the way, and how it ended.
- Tell a story where the ending is a surprise. Plant something early that explains it.
- Tell a story about a competition. Include the goal, the obstacle, the attempt and the result.
- Tell a story from your own life with all the same parts a made-up story needs. Name each part as you go.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Second through eighth grade, for narrative and story grammar goals.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all ten prompts play free. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment.
- What is macrostructure?
- The overall shape of a story: character, setting, problem, attempts and resolution. It is separate from sentence-level grammar, and a student can be strong in one and weak in the other.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.