Year 3 English: Plot: beginning, problem, middle and ending
Part of the Year 3 English reading fiction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Plot: beginning, problem, middle and ending
The plot is the events of a story, in the order they happen. Most stories have a beginning, a middle and an ending. The beginning introduces the characters and the setting, and often shows a problem.
In the middle, the characters try to solve the problem. The ending puts the problem right, or shows what happens after it.
Read this short story. Then answer the questions in exercise 7C.
Sam's Volcano
Sam had one week to finish his science model. At first, he made a flat pile of wet clay. It did not look like a mountain at all, and Sam sat on the step with a long sigh. Then his sister Ruby arrived with a tin of baking soda. 'Build it around a plastic bottle,' she suggested. So Sam built a tall, lumpy cone over the bottle and painted it brown. On Thursday, he poured in vinegar and a squirt of red food colour. The mixture bubbled up and spilled down the sides, just like lava. His teacher clapped, and Sam grinned from ear to ear.
Key ideas
- The plot is the events of a story, in order.
- The beginning introduces the characters and the setting.
- The problem is the difficulty the main character must deal with.
- The middle shows attempts to solve the problem. The ending puts it right.
- Words such as first, then, next and finally help you to put events in order.
(a) The tide came in and washed it away.
(b) Ali started a sandcastle.
(c) Ali finished the walls.
Method. Look for the time words in each event, and the order they must happen in.
- Find event 1 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(b) Ali started a sandcastle.
- Find event 2 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(c) Ali finished the walls.
- Find event 3 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(a) The tide came in and washed it away.
- Write the answer. b, c, a
Check. The tide washes the castle away only after it is built. ✓
Watch out. Also accept any order that matches the story, if you explain the order.
Method. Look for the sentence that tells us where the story is set.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: setting.setting
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:Max lived with his gran by the sea
- Write the answer. Max lived with his gran by the sea.
Check. This is the beginning of the story. ✓
Method. Look for the thing that goes wrong.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: problem.problem
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:sprang a leak
- Write the answer. The boat has sprung a leak.
Check. A leak is the problem. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: do not put the events in the order you like best. Put them in the order they happen in the story. An ending comes last, even when you read it first.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child: what happened first? What went wrong? How was the problem put right? Then ask them to draw a plot line with three or five stages, and label it.
Exercise 7C Practice: plot and the order of events
Method. Find the sentence about the start of the model.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: problem.problem
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:It did not look like a mountain at all
- Write the answer. It did not look like a mountain.
Check. The text says: "It did not look like a mountain at all". ✓
Method. Find the question word: who. The sentence before the idea names the person.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: who.who
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:his sister Ruby arrived / she suggested
- Write the answer. Ruby
Check. Ruby arrived, and then she suggested the bottle. ✓
Method. Find the question word: what. Look for the sentence about building.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: what.what
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:a tall, lumpy cone over the bottle
- Write the answer. a tall, lumpy cone
Check. The text says: "a tall, lumpy cone over the bottle". ✓
Method. Find the question word: what happened. Look for the sentence about Thursday.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: what happened.what happened
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:The mixture bubbled up and spilled down the sides
- Write the answer. The mixture bubbled up and spilled down the sides.
Check. Copy it exactly. ✓
Method. Find the question word: how. Look for the teacher in the last sentence.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: how.how
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:His teacher clapped
- Write the answer. The teacher clapped.
Check. The text says: "His teacher clapped". ✓
Method. Find the words that describe Sam at the end.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: happy at the end.happy at the end
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:Sam grinned from ear to ear
- Write the answer. grinned
Check. Grinned means smiling widely. ✓
(a) She had a quick breakfast.
(b) She missed the bus.
(c) Lena woke up late.
(d) She ran to the bus stop.
Method. Use the time words and the logic of the events to put them in order.
- Find event 1 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(c) Lena woke up late.
- Find event 2 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(a) She had a quick breakfast.
- Find event 3 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(d) She ran to the bus stop.
- Find event 4 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.(b) She missed the bus.
- Write the answer. c, a, d, b
Check. Lena wakes up, eats, runs and then misses the bus. ✓
Method. The first part of the story sets the scene.
- Think about the start of a story. The beginning tells us who is in the story and where it happens.the start
- Match the part to its job. The middle has the attempts, and the ending puts the problem right.the first part
- Write the answer. the beginning
Check. Introduce, then problem, then ending. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: the opening, or the start.
Method. Think about the part of the plot where the problem is solved.
- Think about the problem. The problem is put right at the end of the story.put right
- Name the part. The last part of a plot is the ending.the ending
- Write the answer. the ending
Check. In The Volcano story, the ending shows the teacher clapping. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: the end, or the final part.
Method. Look for the sentence where something goes wrong.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: problem.problem
- Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:he tripped and fell
- Write the answer. Tom tripped and fell.
Check. The problem is the fall. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: Tom fell over on the way to the race.
Method. Think about where the story starts.
- Find the problem. The model did not look like a mountain, so Sam needed to solve a problem.It did not look like a mountain at all.
- Give your reason. The problem drives the plot, and the middle and ending show how it is solved.The problem starts the plot.
- Write the answer. Yes. The story starts with a problem: the model did not look like a mountain.
Check. Ali is right, because the plot is built around solving the problem. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: Yes, the problem starts the story, and the ending puts it right.