The Gap in the Park Wall: Set the Scene and Sequence a Story

Study how a story orients the reader and moves through a day in order.

Answer Key

Read the story

The Gap in the Wall

1The stone wall around Linden Park was older than anyone in town. It was waist-high and made of gray stones stacked so carefully that no cement held them together. People sat on it to eat their lunch, and small children walked along its top while holding a grown-up's hand.

2One windy night in April, a large branch from an oak tree crashed onto the wall. In the morning, a gap as wide as a car stood where the stones had been, and a heap of rocks lay in the grass. Town workers set orange cones around the gap.

3Ten-year-old Kofi Mensah saw the cones on his way to school. That afternoon, he told his aunt Ruth about the broken wall. Aunt Ruth was a stonemason, someone who builds and repairs things with stone. "The town called me this morning," she said with a grin. "Want to help me fix it on Saturday?"

4On Saturday, they started early. First, Aunt Ruth had Kofi sort the fallen stones into three piles: big flat ones, medium ones, and small chips. "The big ones go on the bottom," she explained. "The small chips fill the cracks."

5By midmorning, they were setting the big stones along the base. Each stone had to lean slightly inward, toward the middle of the wall. Kofi lifted with his legs, the way his aunt showed him, and pressed on each stone to test it. If a stone wobbled, they tried another one.

6After lunch, the wall began to rise. Kofi tapped small chips into the gaps between stones, and Aunt Ruth placed long stones across the whole wall to tie its two sides together. Finally, they laid wide, flat stones along the top.

7As the sun went down, Kofi climbed onto the wall and sat on the newest stone. It did not move at all. "Someday," Aunt Ruth said, "you can bring your own kids here and tell them you fixed this."

Setting up the story

The beginning of a story orients the reader: it shows the setting, introduces the characters and sets up the situation.

Who tells this story?

A. Kofi, who uses the words I and me
B. Aunt Ruth, who uses the words I and me
C. a town worker who set out the cones
D. a narrator outside the story, using he and she

Why does the writer describe the wall in paragraph 1 before Kofi appears?

A. to show the reader what the wall was like before it broke
B. to explain how Kofi first learned to build stone walls
C. to tell the reader that Aunt Ruth built the wall long ago
D. to show that people in town did not care about the wall

Read paragraph 3 again. Underline the sentence that tells the reader Aunt Ruth's job.

Ten-year-old Kofi Mensah saw the cones on his way to school.That afternoon, he told his aunt Ruth about the broken wall.Aunt Ruth was a stonemason, someone who builds and repairs things with stone."The town called me this morning," she said with a grin."Want to help me fix it on Saturday?"

Suppose the writer wanted the story to begin with Kofi instead of the wall. Which first sentence would orient the reader best?

A. Kofi Mensah liked soccer, drawing, music, and lots of other things.
B. Stones can be found in many colors, shapes, and sizes around the world.
C. On an April morning, Kofi Mensah walked past a broken park wall.
D. That evening, Kofi sat on the finished wall as the sun went down.

Putting events in order

The events of a story should unfold in an order that makes sense.

Sort the events. Did each one happen before Saturday or on Saturday?

A branch crashes onto the wall.Kofi sorts the fallen stones into piles.Aunt Ruth places long stones across the wall.Town workers set cones around the gap.Kofi tells Aunt Ruth about the broken wall.Kofi sits on the newest stone.

Before Saturday	On Saturday
A branch crashes onto the wall. Town workers set cones around the gap. Kofi tells Aunt Ruth about the broken wall.	Kofi sorts the fallen stones into piles. Aunt Ruth places long stones across the wall. Kofi sits on the newest stone.

Complete this summary of Saturday with the time words the writer used in paragraphs 4 to 6. Use each word bank choice once; two choices will not be used.

Word bank: After lunch · Someday · Finally · One windy night · First

First, Kofi sorted the fallen stones into three piles. After lunch, the wall began to rise as Kofi tapped chips into the gaps. Finally, they laid wide, flat stones along the top.

Why does it make sense that sorting the stones is the first job on Saturday?

A. The town had asked them to count every stone in the wall.
B. They had to know which stones go on the bottom and which fill cracks.
C. Kofi was not strong enough yet to lift any of the stones.
D. The small chips had to be placed along the top of the wall first.

Plan a story about a kid who helps fix something in a town. Write an opening of 2 to 3 sentences that shows the setting, introduces the characters and sets up the situation.

Every summer, the fountain in Fairview's town square splashed from morning until night. One Monday in June, it stopped. Eleven-year-old Lena Park noticed right away, and that evening her neighbor Mr. Diaz, a plumber, asked her to come along when he went to take a look.

List three events that would come next in your story. Begin each event with a time word or phrase so the events unfold in a natural order.

First, Lena and Mr. Diaz opened the small door at the base of the fountain. Next, they found a pipe clogged with leaves and cleaned it out. Finally, Mr. Diaz turned the water back on, and the fountain splashed again.