Using Story Map for Effective Comprehension

Many adolescents who struggle wiht reading difficulties struggle with reading comprehension (Cirino et al., 2013). When supporting students improve their comprehension, it is important to consider the characteristics of the texts students are reading (Schmitz et al., 2017). Texts of different genres (e.g., literary, informational) may place different kinds of demands on students’ reading comprehension. Often literary texts may require students to identify and make inferences about cause-effect events, conflicts, characters’ motivations and emotions, and elements of the setting (Graesser et al., 2001). In contrast, comprehension of informational texts may ask students to evaluate textual information and compare it to prior knowledge (Kendeou & van den Broek, 2007).

Remember story mapping instruction is a type of comprehension strategy instruction that has demonstrated positive effects on the reading comprehension of secondary students with reading difficulties (Boon et al., 2015). Well a story map is a graphic organizer students use to organize and display narrative elements (e.g., setting, characters, conflict) in a literary text. Overall during story mapping instruction, students learn to identify textual details related to story elements and use that information to complete a story map (Fore et al., 2007). Importantly, story mapping instruction may assist students visualize and identify narrative elements, thus improving their comprehension of the text’s meaning (Boon et al., 2015).

How Effectiveness of Story Maps Benefit

Teachers knows that no two students are exactly alike in their learning styles, subject preferences, and skill levels. Story maps can help readers of all abilities and interests.

Because story maps are graphic organizers, they allow students to tap into visual learning and organize multiple literary elements.

Here's how they work:

1. The teacher introduces simple story concepts (e.g., characters, setting, plot and/or problems to be solved).
2. The teacher gives each student a blank story map.
3. Students look for story concepts/elements and write them in the blank spaces on the map.
4. Students discuss their responses with the teacher.

So, exactly how do story maps benefit students?

• Organizing information?- Students can organize information into smaller categories.
• Summarizing story -?Listing important elements helps students summarize the story.
• Main theme easy to spot? - Main themes are easier to spot in a passage or an entire story.
• Building writing skills? - Students build writing skills and mental organization skills.
• Broad Use of Story maps?- Story maps work well for both fictional stories and non-fiction articles.
• Learning Styles when reading aloud?- Story maps reinforce kinesthetic, visual, and even auditory learning styles (if reading aloud).
• Building academic language - As a student creates their story map, they organize?their thoughts and ideas. This prepares students to?orally share what they've learned and?why they've filled out the story map as they have. This practice builds academic language skills that are imperative for deeper learning.

Improving Comprehension Through Use of Story Maps

A story map are used to teach students to monitor their understanding of materials by reflecting upon specific questions while reading. What, where, who, why and how questions are used to direct introspection. Some examples are:

• What is the story about?
• Who are the main characters in this story?
• When and where did the story take place?
• Why did such an incident take place?
• What does the story teach us?

Students should be able to find the answers from the reading material and write them in a story map template – a document that has the questions printed on it with spaces for student answers.

Using Story Maps in Practice

Introduce and Model: The first step to implementing story maps is acquaint students with the strategy. Teachers can select a reading passage, prepare a story map template and display it in class. Using the template, teachers can model the strategy by reading the passage aloud and stopping at key points that can be included in the map. The connection between questions and the passage can be emphasized in the following ways:

• First, re-read the content from the passage and connect it with any relevant questions. Teachers can write their answers on the template displayed.
• Second, use a reverse method in which content is read aloud and students are instructed to identify the question with which it most closely relates.
• Finally, instruct students to read through the passage and assist them in finding answers.

Practice: In this strategy students can be instructed to work in small groups or in pairs and practice filling in the story map.It is effective when students can take turns being the reader (reading out loud) and recorder (noting answers in the map). As students master the use of story maps, provide them with opportunities to apply the strategy independently. Teachers can help assign reading material and instruct students to fill in their story maps. Teachers can review the maps and correct answers to check for comprehension.