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28 Writing Add-On Stories

Page
136
from
Write Away

Start-Up Activity

Ask your students "Who knows the story of the Three Little Pigs?" Most hands will go up. Then lead a discussion:

What problem did the first little pig have? (He built his house of straw, and a wolf blew it down.)
What problem did the second little pig have? (He built his house of sticks, and the wolf blew it down.)
How did their problem get solved? (They hid in their brother's house, made of bricks, which the wolf couldn't blow down.)

Let them know that many stories start with a character who has a problem. More characters are added along the way until the problem is solved. A surprise at the end makes the story fun. (The wolf tries to climb down the chimney but gets his bottom burned in the kettle!)

Think About It

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”

—Duke Ellington

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.2.RL.1.1

LAFS.2.RL.1.2

LAFS.2.RL.2.4

LAFS.2.RL.2.5

LAFS.2.W.1.3

LAFS.2.W.2.5

LAFS.2.W.2.6

LAFS.2.W.3.8

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.4.b.6.B

110.4.b.8

110.4.b.9.A

110.4.b.8.C

110.4.b.11

110.4.b.12.A

110.4.b.11.C

110.4.b.11.D

110.4.b.11.E

110.4.b.7

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 137 from Write Away

Sample Add-On Story

Have volunteers read aloud each paragraph of the sample add-on story. Then lead a discussion:

What problem does Connie have? (She wants to learn to tap dance.)
Whom does she ask for help? (She asks Karen, Reba, her neighbor, and her dad.)
How does Connie's problem get solved? (Her dad teaches her to tap dance.)
What surprise happens at the end? (Connie didn't know her dad could tap dance.)

Tell students that their own add-on stories should involve a problem that characters one by one try to solve.

For an additional add-on story, share with students A Fable.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.2.RL.1.1

TEKS Standard:

110.4.b.6.B, 110.4.b.8

NE ELA Standard:

LA 2.1.6.i

Related Resource Tags

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Level:

Grade 2

Mode:

Creative Writing

Form:

Story

English Language Arts:

Reading

Page 138 from Write Away

Writing an Add-On Story

Help students brainstorm characters for their add-on stories:

List the three funniest people you know.
Write down three animals that you like.
List three interesting jobs that people do.
From your lists, choose one main character for your add-on story.

Once students have decided on a main character, have them think of a problem that person, animal, or worker might face. They can list many problems and then choose one that would be most interesting. For example, a plumber might face a problem of a kitten stuck in a drain pipe.

Finally, have students list others characters they could add to solve the problem.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.2.W.1.3

TEKS Standard:

110.4.b.11, 110.4.b.12.A

NE ELA Standard:

LA 2.2.2, LA 2.2.2.a, LA 2.2.2.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:

Grade 2

Mode:

Creative Writing

Form:

Story

English Language Arts:

Writing Process Prewriting

Page 139 from Write Away

Write, Revise, and Edit

Have your students draft their stories, introducing their main characters, setting up the problem, and bringing add-on characters in one by one.

Once they have finished drafting, have them revise and edit using the questions on the page. You can distribute a checklist to guide students as they improve their writing.

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