How it works
A setting is easy to name and harder to explain. This setting graphic organizer starts with where and when, moves to what a reader would notice there, and ends by asking what the place and time do to the story.
Read the full guide
Details first, effect last
Fill the middle boxes from the author's words: what the text lets you see and hear. With those on the page the last box is easier, because the details are the evidence for it.
When a story has more than one setting
Use the opening sheet for the place where the main problem happens. For a story that moves between two places, the two-settings sheet shows what the move changes. For a novel, log each move on the tracker.
- When is more than a date. A season, a time of day or long ago all count.
- No place name in the text? Look for clues: the weather, the clothes, how people travel.
Questions and answers
What is the setting of a story?
The time and place in which the story happens. It can take in more than a spot on a map: the historical period, the culture, the geography and the hour are all elements of a setting.
What are the three types of setting?
A setting can take three basic forms: the natural world, with its landscapes, weather and seasons; the cultural and historical background of the story; and a place made or lived in by people, such as a house, a park, a street or a school.
How does the setting affect a story?
It sets the backdrop and the mood. Different settings give different moods: a desert, for example, can suggest solitude and struggle. A setting can also shape what the characters do and what goes wrong for them.
What grade do students learn about setting?
In the Common Core standards, kindergartners identify settings with support and first graders describe them. Fourth graders describe a setting in depth, fifth graders compare two or more, and seventh graders analyze how setting shapes the characters or plot.