IEP goals for story elements and story grammar

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A story elements IEP goal names the text, the elements the student must identify and how many must be correct. Example: after reading an unpracticed grade 2 story, Lily will name the main character, setting, problem and solution on a 4-box story map, with 4 of 4 correct in 4 of 5 stories. Add elements as the student masters them.

Story elements are the parts most stories share: characters, setting, a problem, events and a resolution. Story grammar is the more detailed version SLPs often use, which adds the character's feelings, plans and reactions. A student who can name these parts can follow a plot, retell it, and later write one.

The 16 goals below go from naming characters and setting to analyzing how the parts work together. Each has a condition, a baseline, a criterion with a denominator and a template link. Numbers are illustrations. For goals about retelling the whole story, see IEP goals for retelling a story. The pillar on reading comprehension strategies covers how to teach story structure.

Story grammar elements

Teachers usually teach five elements. SLPs working on narrative language often use a fuller set. Pick one list and use it in teaching, goals and scoring.

Element	Question it answers	Example from a fictional story
Character	Who is the story about?	Theo, a boy who just moved
Setting	Where and when?	A new school, the first week
Initiating event (problem)	What starts the trouble?	Nobody sits with him at lunch
Internal response	How does the character feel about it?	Lonely and nervous
Plan or attempt	What does the character try?	He brings his chess set to lunch
Consequence	What happens because of the attempt?	Two kids ask to play
Resolution or reaction	How does it end, and how does the character feel?	He has a lunch group and feels at home

The What Works Clearinghouse guide on comprehension in kindergarten through grade 3 recommends teaching students to identify and use a text's structure, including the parts of a story.^[1]

How to choose a story elements goal

Read a short story with the student and ask one question per element. Note which ones the student answers, which need a prompt and which are missing.

What the student does	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Names "a boy" but not the setting or problem	Characters and setting	Elements correct, out of 2 or 4
Lists events but cannot say what went wrong	Problem and solution	Problem and solution correct, out of 2 per story
Names all 5 elements on a map	Plot structure (rising action, climax)	Plot diagram parts correct, out of 5
Tells stories with no feelings or plans	Full story grammar	Rubric on story grammar parts
Names elements but cannot explain how they connect	Analysis: setting, character and plot	Rubric with text evidence

Characters and setting (preschool to grade 2)

After a picture book read aloud, Lily will name the main character and one other character and point to them in the pictures, with 2 of 2 correct in 4 of 5 books. Baseline: names 1 of 2. Template.
After a short story read aloud, Lily will answer "where" and "when" questions about the setting, with 2 of 2 correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 0 of 2. Template.
After reading an unpracticed grade 1 story, Max will fill a 4-box story map with the character, setting, problem and solution, with 4 of 4 correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 2 of 4. Template.
Given a choice board of 3 pictures for each element, Max will select the character, setting, problem and solution of an adapted story, with 4 of 4 correct across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Lily will identify story elements." Measurable: Goal 3 above. It names the elements, the text and the criterion.

Problem and solution (grades 1 to 4)

After reading a grade 2 story, Ivy will state the problem and how it was solved in one sentence each, with both correct in 4 of 5 stories on 3 probes. Baseline: problem correct in 2 of 5, solution in 1 of 5. Template.
After reading a short story, Ivy will tell how the main character felt about the problem and why, with feeling and reason correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
After reading a story with 2 or more attempts, Noah will list each attempt and whether it worked, with all attempts correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: names the last attempt only. Template.
Given a story with the ending covered, Noah will predict a solution that fits the problem and the character, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Ivy will understand problem and solution." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Score problem and solution separately so the graph shows which part is growing.

Plot structure and full story grammar (grades 3 to 6)

After reading an unpracticed grade 4 story, Aria will complete a plot diagram with exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, with 5 of 5 parts correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
After reading a grade 3 story, Aria will retell it with all 7 story grammar parts, scoring 12 of 14 on a story grammar rubric on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 6 of 14. Template.
Given a picture prompt, Ben will tell an original story with a complete episode (problem, feeling, attempt, consequence and ending), scoring 8 of 10 rubric points in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Before telling a story, Ben will plan it on a story map with all 5 elements and then tell it using the map, with 5 of 5 elements present in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Aria will improve her understanding of plot." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the 5 parts and a criterion for each story.

Analyzing how elements work together (grades 5 to 10)

After reading a grade 6 story, Zoe will describe the main character with 2 traits and one piece of evidence for each, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
After reading a short story, Zoe will explain how the setting shapes what happens, with one example from the text, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
After reading a novel chapter, Malik will explain what drives a character's key choice using 2 details from the text, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 of 4 assessments. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
After reading a short story, Malik will identify whose point of view the story is told from and one thing that narrator could not know, with both correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Zoe will analyze literature." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It names the element, the response and the rubric score.

For theme, the message that ties the elements together, see IEP goals for theme and central idea.

How to measure story elements goals

Use one element list all year. If the goal says 5 elements, score 5 every time.
Score each element 0, 1 or 2 for rubric goals: 0 missing, 1 vague, 2 clear. The retell rubric has written rules for each row.
Use unpracticed stories at one level. Change the story, not the difficulty.
Record on one sheet. The rubric scoring data sheet fits story grammar rubrics; the accuracy data sheet fits story map counts.

Probe every 2 weeks and graph each score; repeated measures over time show the trend.^[2]

Short-term objectives for story elements goals

Add elements as the student masters them. For the 4-box map goal: by the first report, character and setting correct in 4 of 5 stories; by the second, character, setting and problem; by the third, all 4. The IEP must say how and when progress on each annual goal is reported.^[3] See the short-term objectives guide.

Adapting by grade and support level

Grade band or need	Typical focus	Example change
Preschool to K	Character, setting, what happened	Picture books, pointing
Grades 1 to 2	Problem and solution, 4-box map	Short stories read aloud or decodable
Grades 3 to 4	Plot diagram, full story grammar	Unpracticed stories at instructional level
Grades 5 to 8	Character traits, setting effects, motive	Novels and short stories with evidence
High school	Point of view, motive, structure	Rubric with quotes
Access needs	Choice boards, AAC	Adapted stories with picture supports

A filled-in story map template is the easiest way to teach and probe these elements together. The narrative language goals page holds SLP templates, and the literary analysis goals page covers motive, point of view and theme. The narrative language glossary entry explains the term for families. Run drafts through the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

What are the story grammar elements?

A common set is character, setting, initiating event or problem, internal response, plan or attempt, consequence, and resolution or reaction. Teachers often use a shorter list of five: characters, setting, problem, events and solution.

What is a good story elements IEP goal?

One that names the text, the elements and a count. For example: after reading an unpracticed grade 2 story, the student will name the character, setting, problem and solution on a story map, with 4 of 4 correct in 4 of 5 stories.

Is a story elements goal the same as a retell goal?

They overlap. A story elements goal asks the student to identify the parts, often with a map or questions. A retell goal asks the student to tell the whole story in order without prompts. Many students need the first before the second.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.