Module 6 - Lesson 3

Writing Setting

Module 6 - Lesson 3

Lesson Objective

In this lesson, you will;

• Use prepositional phrases to develop setting.

• Generate ideas for a story's setting.

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, you’ll become a setting builder! Authors make their stories exciting by creating settings that readers can picture in their minds. You’ll learn how to use prepositional phrases (like under the bed or in the forest) to show where and when your story takes place. Through fun activities and creative writing, you’ll practice making settings that feel real and interesting—so your readers can imagine being right there in your story!

The setting of a story is the time and place in which the action occurs.

What is setting?

It is important because it can help us imagine the story and feel like we're really there. Setting can also impact the mood of a story.

For example, a spooky forest might make us feel scared, while a sunny beach might make us feel happy.

What makes a great setting for a short story?

Both of these paragraphs are one writer's attempt to write the setting part of her story. Which paragraph would work better as a setting?

They were disappointed with the beach cottage. It was small, and most of the things in it were very old and didn't seem to match. There were just two rooms and a bathroom.

The beach cottage was smaller than they thought it would be. There were just two rooms besides the bathroom--one room with beds and one with a small kitchen. The beds were different in style, too. One was made of sturdy metal rods, and the other seemed built of logs with the bark still on them. The kitchen contained a dented refrigerator, a small sink and a table that was not much bigger than a bench.

Your setting will be much easier for readers to imagine if you choose words that appeal to all five senses.

Let's Practice!

Practice choosing phrases that help readers imagine sensory details. Using your pen, connect each question with its best answer.

Juicy salted watermelon

Which phrase best helps you imagine a taste?

eating fruit

The phrase that identifies a specific type of fruit helps you imagine how the fruit tastes.

bad smell

Which phrase best helps you imagine a smell?

rotten eggs

The phrase that identifies a specific smell helps you imagine a bad smell instead of just knowing that there was a bad smell.

Practice choosing phrases that help readers imagine sensory details. Connect each question with its best answer.

lazy blue-screen leaves

Which phrase best helps you imagine a sight?

pretty plants

The phrase that identifies the color and shape of a plant helps you imagine its beauty, more than reading the writer’s opinion that the flowers are pretty.

sandpaper gritty

Which phrase best helps you imagine a texture?

rough surface

The phrase that identifies the texture of a specific object is easier to imagine.

Practice choosing phrases that help readers imagine sensory details. Connect each question with its best answer.

low voice

Which phrase best helps you imagine a sound?

grawl

A specific type of sound is easier to imagine than a more general category.

Great job!

Prepositional Phrases: Your Setting Toolkit

You can make your setting much easier to imagine if you understand how to use prepositions.

They start with prepositions like:

• Location: in, on, under, above, beside, behind, near

• Time: during, after, before, throughout

• Description: with, without, among, between

Prepositions are little words that you see every time you read something. That's because most writers rely on them to add details to their stories.

Examples: Simple: "The castle was scary." With prepositional phrases: "The castle on the hill was scary during the storm with its broken windows."

Prepositional Phrases

The boldface word in each phrase is a preposition.

at the beach against the wall under the table over the fireplace

in the woods inside the closet on the playground of the house

How do you make your story more detailed without adding lots of extra sentences?

A prepositional phrase is a small group of words that contains a preposition. You saw a list of prepositional phrases on the previous page. When it's time to revise your short story, you may need to add details to help readers imagine its action or setting. But where should you add these phrases?

The paragraph below is one writer's attempt to describe where and when his story is going to happen.

Read the passage carefully, looking for places where the writer could add prepositional phrases to make the scene easier for readers to visualize.

“The boat had been washed ashore and was leaning sideways. It was a little rusted and cracked. There were storm clouds and the waves had whitecaps.”

The boat had washed ashore during an earlier storm and now leaned against the bank. We could see rust and cracks on the metal sides, and the letters on the cabin were fading. Storm clouds gathered in the sky overhead, and the tops of the waves were white with foam.

Practice 1: Setting Detective

Instructions: Read these setting descriptions and identify the prepositional phrases. Use your pen to circle them

1. "The old library stood behind the oak trees, with dust dancing in the afternoon sunlight." 2. "Under the bright stars, the campfire crackled beside the quiet lake." 3. "The playground buzzed with excitement during recess on the sunny day."

Practice 2: Setting Detective

Challenge: Add prepositional phrases to bring these mini-paragraphs to life!

The house was old. The house was old. Its windows were cracked and the paint was peeling.

The house was old. The house was old. Its windows were cracked and the paint was peeling on the walls by the front porch. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the doorway, and weeds grew along the path to the gate.

You’ve learned how prepositional phrases can turn simple sentences into vivid pictures that bring your settings to life. Remember, setting isn’t just where and when a story happens—it’s also the feeling of the place, and prepositional phrases are the tools that help you show it clearly to your readers.

Great Job! See you in the next class!