Who and Where Slides Are You a Story Builder?
Today we are going to look for the "Who" and "Where" in our stories!
Who?
Characters
People, Animals, or Creatures
🦁
👩🚒
🤖
🐰
Where?
Setting
The place where the story happens
🌲
🏠
🏰
🏖️
Mistake Alert!
Listen closely to the story.
Who and Where Teacher Guide Who and Where Builders
Teacher Instruction Guide
Lesson 1
Objective
Students will identify and categorize story elements into Who (Characters) and Where (Settings) to support working memory and narrative recall.
Materials
Two Hula Hoops
"Who" and "Where" Label Cards
Picture Cards (provided in Student Activity)
A familiar story (e.g., The Three Little Pigs )
Tape or clipboards
Step-by-Step Facilitation
1
The "Silly Mistake" Hook
Start reading The Three Little Pigs . Halfway through, say: "And then the Giant Elephant blew the house down!" Pause and wait for students to correct you. Use this to introduce the idea that "Who" matters in a story.
2
Define the Zones
Place two hula hoops on the floor. Label one with a person icon (WHO) and one with a house icon (WHERE). Explain that stories are built with these two main parts.
3
Visual Sorting Practice
Hand out picture cards. Ask students to come up one by one and place their card in the correct hoop.
Memory Support Strategy
For students with significant memory challenges, use Physical Priming : Have them hold the "Who" label while looking for character cards. This reduces the mental load of switching between the category and the search task.
Who and Where Activity Cards Who & Where Picture Cards
Cut along the dotted lines to create your sorting cards!
NAME: __________________________
🐷
PIG
🏠
HOUSE
🐺
WOLF
🌲
FOREST
👑
QUEEN
🏰
CASTLE
🐻
BEAR
🏫
SCHOOL
👩🚀
ASTRONAUT
WHO
CHARACTERS
WHERE
SETTING
Story Path Slides Oh no! A Mess!
My story is SCRAMBLED!
The Story Path
1
Beginning
The story starts!
2
Middle
The big action!
3
End
The story finishes!
Story Practice
🏃♂️💨
😴
🐢🏆
Where do they go on our path?
Story Path Teacher Guide Story Path Builders
Teacher Instruction Guide
Lesson 2
Objective
Students will use a 3-panel visual organizer to sequence events from a story, reducing the memory load needed to hold narrative order.
The "Scrambled Story" Hook
Tell a story out of order. "The little pig went to sleep in his brick house. Then, he decided to build a house of straw. Finally, a big bad wolf was born." Wait for students to laugh or correct you. Explain that stories are like paths—we have to walk them in the right order!
Facilitation Steps
1
Read & Pause
Read The Tortoise and the Hare . Pause after each major phase: 1. The challenge, 2. The nap, 3. The finish line.
2
Anchor to the Map
Distribute the Story Path Map . Have students point to the "1" box (Beginning), "2" box (Middle), and "3" box (End). Use color-coding (Blue-Yellow-Green) to help those who don't recognize numbers yet.
3
Card Placement
Students place scene cards on the map.first ?" rather than "Where does the beginning go?" to keep the language action-oriented.
Cognitive Load Reduction
For students struggling to differentiate between panels, place tangible objects in each panel (e.g., a real ribbon in the 'End' panel) to serve as a physical memory anchor for that section of the story.
Story Path Map My Story Path
Name: _________________________________
1
BEGINNING
2
MIDDLE
3
END
Story Scene Cards
🐇🚩🐢
The Hare challenges the Tortoise to a big race!
💤🌳🐢
The Hare takes a nap while the Tortoise keeps going.
🐢🏆😭
The Tortoise wins and the Hare is very surprised!
Reasoning Slides Wait! What Happened?
Sometimes we see the End of a mess...
Story Links
Action
🌧️
It rains outside...
Result
💦
...so there is a puddle!
Let's Be Detectives!
We are going to find the picture that caused the story to happen!
🥛
✨
🧼
🍪
Reasoning Teacher Guide Reasoning Builders
Teacher Instruction Guide
Lesson 3
Objective
Students will match visual cause-and-effect pairs to develop logical sequencing skills, helping them understand why stories move from one event to the next.
The "What Happened?" Game
Show a picture of a "Result" (e.g., a child wearing a bandage). Ask: "Oh no! What happened? Can we find the picture that shows what happened FIRST ?" Reveal the "Action" card (e.g., a child falling off a bike). Repeat with several examples to build the concept of a story link.
Group Activity Steps
1
Visual Association
Explain that stories are like a chain of events. One thing happens, and it causes something else to happen. Use the "Arrow" concept: "The rain (Action) points to the puddle (Result)."
2
Scavenger Hunt
Hide "Result" cards around the room. Give students the "Action" cards and have them find the matching result.
3
Verbalizing the Link
Once matched, have students use the sentence starter: "This happened... because of this!"
Bridging Memory
For students who struggle to remember the link, use physical connectors like large LEGO bricks or puzzle pieces. Snap the two cards together physically to represent the mental connection being made.
Reasoning Matching Cards Story Link Cards
Find the Action and the Result that go together!
NAME: __________________________
Action
☁️🌧️
IT RAINS
Result
💦🦶
WET FEET
Action
🥛🥣
SPILLED MILK
Result
🧼🧽
CLEAN IT UP
Action
🌱☀️
SUN SHINES
Result
🌻✨
PLANT GROWS
Action
🎈🌵
BALLOON HITS CACTUS
Result
💥💨
POP!
Tactile Slides The Secret Chest
Inside this chest are Story Stones.
Touch and Tell
🐻
Touch the stone
Tell the story
Let's Build!
Line up your stones to make a Memory Road.
Tactile Teacher Guide Tactile Builders
Teacher Instruction Guide
Lesson 4
Objective
Students will use tactile "Story Stones" to physically represent story events, using touch and visual icons to trigger narrative recall during oral retelling.
Materials
Smooth garden stones or flat wood discs
Story Stone Icons (provided in activity sheet)
Glue or Mod Podge
A "Treasure Chest" or decorated box
A rug or long table for "Memory Road"
Facilitation Steps
1
The Treasure Reveal
Place the icons on the stones beforehand. Bring out the "Treasure Chest" and explain that these stones are special—they remember things even when we forget!
2
Touch and Recall
Pass around a stone (e.g., the Wolf icon). Ask students to touch the smooth stone and remember what the Wolf did.
3
Building the Memory Road
Have students work in pairs to line their stones up in the order they happened. Once the "road" is built, they "walk" their fingers along the stones, retelling the story as they go.
Sensory Integration
For students with severe working memory deficits, use textured stones (rough, smooth, cold, warm) for different parts of the story. The physical sensation helps create a "marker" in the brain for each narrative section.
Tactile Icon Cards Story Stone Icons
Cut circles and glue them to your story stones!
🐷
Character
🐺
Character
🌾
Setting
🧱
Setting
💨
Action
🏚️
Action
🍳
Action
🍲
Action
😨
Feeling
🥳
Feeling
How to make your stones:
Cut out the circles.
Put glue on your stone.
Press the circle down hard!
Memory Wall Slides Can We Remember?
We had a BIG DAY!
Finding the Pieces
Photos
Things we saw!
Drawings
Things we remember!
First, Next, Last!
We will put our memories in order on the WALL.
1
2
3
Memory Wall Teacher Guide Memory Wall Builders
Teacher Instruction Guide
Lesson 5
Objective
Students will collaboratively sequence a real-life shared experience using visual evidence (photos/drawings), reinforcing that externalizing memories helps us recall complex events.
Preparation Needed
Print 5-10 large photos from a recent class event (field trip, guest speaker, or holiday party). Have a large blank wall space or butcher paper pre-divided into First, Next, Last sections.
Collaborative Steps
1
The Photo Scramble
Spread the photos on the floor. Ask: "Our brains are full of memories! Can we find the photo that shows what we did FIRST when we walked off the bus?"
2
Fill the Gaps with Art
Identify moments you didn't catch on camera. Have students use the "My Part of the Memory" sheet to draw those missing pieces.
3
The Wall Retell
Once the wall is complete, stand as a class and "walk" the story. Point to each image and say: "First we did this, next we did this..."
Collective Memory Support
Leaving the "Memory Wall" up for several weeks provides a permanent cognitive prosthetic . When students talk about the trip, they can look at the wall to retrieve details they might otherwise struggle to access.
Memory Drawing Sheet My Part of the Memory
What do you remember from our big day?
NAME:
Tell Your Memory:
"I drew this because I remember when we ___________________________________________________________________"
