Characters, setting and plot · Grade 1

Every story has characters (who it is about), a setting (where and when it happens) and a plot (what happens). Most plots follow a pattern: an opening, a build-up, a problem, a resolution and an ending. As the story goes on, the main character often changes.

Key facts

• The main character is the person the story is mostly about. We learn what they are like from what they say, do and think.
• The setting is the place and time: a lighthouse on a stormy night, a school in winter.
• The plot is the chain of events. The problem (or conflict) is what goes wrong; the resolution is how it is solved.
• Story structure: opening → build-up → problem → resolution → ending.
• To see how a character changes, compare them at the start and at the end: afraid of water → asks for swimming lessons.

Worked examples

Other years

• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 2
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 3
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 4
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 5
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 6
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 7
• Characters, setting and plot · Grade 8