LESSON 2.4
Starting a Story
Grades 1-3
Story Starters
Story Starters tell you what story to write.
You should always answer the same way:
I had a problem with ___________________
-or-
I had a problem when ___________________
Example 1
Behind the mall, you see a homeless man putting meals, covered with cellophane, into a dumpster. When he leaves, you sneak a peek. There is a meal of steaming potatoes, a salad, and a steak. There is even a knife and fork with a pink napkin rolled around them! Write a story about the man.
Write the What Statement like the following. Ignore all other information.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with | a homeless man who put hot meals into a dumpster. |
Example 2
Ignore all extra information and commands.
Write: I had a problem when…
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with | I became a giant bug |
More Examples
Story starter: You find a weeping dragon in the woods. Write a story about what happened.
Write: I had a problem with a dragon weeping in the woods.
Story starter: You found a moose that thought it was a dog.
Write: I had a problem with a moose that thought it was a dog.
Task 2.4.1 – Individual
Fill in the What Statement boxes based on the situations:
1. You met a monster who loved playing baseball.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with |
2. You became friends with a rabbit lifeguard. Tell about what problems resulted.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | my friend, a rabbit lifeguard |
3. You are haunted by bubble gum commanding you to chew it.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with | bubble gum that commanded me to chew it. |
4. Your parents bought a table that followed you wherever you went.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | a table that followed me wherever it went. |
5. You found a giraffe that kept belching.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with |
6. You were given a fish that is afraid of the water.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | a fish that is afraid of the water. |
7. Your baby brother is a math genius.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
| I | had a problem with |
8. Your dog can rap.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
9. You brought home a whale that kept growing.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
10. An octopus that thinks it is King Henry VIII.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
Task 2.4.2 – Individual
Fill in a What Statement for each of the following.
1. You find a weeping dragon in the woods. Write a story about what happened.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
2. You meet a frightened astronaut riding a horse. Tell what you did.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
3. You are captured by a tribe of cross-eyed cannibals on the South Pacific island of Borneo. Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end about what happens.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
4. At a Halloween party you discover that the cute girl dressed as a vampire really is a vampire. Write a story about what you did.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
5. You are on vacation in Indonesia. A man in a remote village sells you an orangutan that thinks it is a movie star. Tell what happens next.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
6. You stay overnight at your aunt’s house. There is a huge flat-screen TV in your bedroom. But the TV turns out to be an alien! Write a story about what happens.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
7. You are very poor. Your grandmother has given you a sack of quarters to pay the rent. On the way to the bank, the bag bursts. Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end about what happens next. 
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
8. You have purchased your first car. You worked hard to fix it up, and it’s perfect. You drive to the airport to pick up your brother who is coming home from the army. But on the way you run into a mind-reading tornado! Write a story about how you save your car.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
9. The Arctic Ocean has become tropical. You are one of Santa’s elves. Write a story about how the change affects you and your fellow elves.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
10. You are an apprentice witch in fifteen-century Germany. A wizard’s spell has locked you inside your broom. Write a story telling how you got out of the situation and what you did about the wizard.
| LH | VP | RH |
|---|---|---|
Task 2.4.3 – Individual
You take a shortcut on your way home from school. In the woods, you come across a shar-pei, which is a very wrinkled dog. He starts talking to you. Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end.