The Anatomy of a Tale

Story Elements
Characters: People, animals, or other creatures who take part in a story. Setting: When and where the story events take place. Plot: The plot of a story tells what happens from the beginning to the end. A plot often includes a problem that the main character faces and tries to solve. Solution: The way a problem gets worked out. Foreshadowing: The use of clues to give you an idea of what will happen later in the story. Theme/Lesson: What the story is meant to teach you. Event: Something that happens during the plot of a story.

Types of Tales
Folk Tale: a simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. Folktales are told primarily to entertain rather than to explain or teach a lesson. Tall Tale: a humorously exaggerated story about impossible events. Fairy Tale: a fictional story that features magical characters and involves magic or enchantments. Fairy Tales often have unlikely events and plots. Myth: a story, passed down from generation to generation, that explains how the world was created or why the world is the way it is. Fable: a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature. Fables often have animals as characters.