Before & After Setting | Story Setting Analysis & Drawing Activity | Grades 6β8 | Printable PDF
π BEFORE & AFTER SETTING
When the Setting Changes, Everything Can Change!
What happens when a familiar place becomes something completely different?
ο»Ώ
A peaceful forest becomes a dangerous wilderness.
A lively town becomes deserted.
A welcoming home becomes a place of mystery.
But here's the real question...
How does that change affect the story?
Introducing Before & After Setting, a creative reading response funsheet that encourages learners to investigate how settings develop and transform throughout a story.
Designed for Grades 6β8, this printable activity combines visual creativity, descriptive writing and literary analysis.
πΌοΈ DRAW IT. DESCRIBE IT. INVESTIGATE IT.
Learners choose an important moment in a story when the setting changes.
They then explore the transformation through a series of engaging activities.
BEFORE THE CHANGE
Draw what the setting looked like before the important event.
AFTER THE CHANGE
Illustrate how the setting looks after the event.
DESCRIBE THE SETTING
Use descriptive language to explain the setting before and after the change.
HOW DID THE SETTING CHANGE?
Identify and describe three important differences.
WHY DOES THIS CHANGE MATTER?
Explain how the transformation affects the characters, events or overall story.
π§ THINK DEEPER!
The activity concludes with three thought-provoking questions:
β How does the change in setting influence the mood of the story?
β How do the characters react to the change in setting?
β If the setting had not changed, how might the story be different?
These questions encourage learners to move beyond identifying details and begin exploring the relationship between setting, mood, character and plot.
π PERFECT FOR
- Novel studies
- Short story analysis
- Reading response activities
- Setting and atmosphere lessons
- Descriptive writing practice
- Compare-and-contrast activities
- Visual interpretation
- Independent reading tasks
- English enrichment
- Homeschool learning
β€οΈ WHY TEACHERS WILL LOVE IT
MORE THAN A DRAWING ACTIVITY. MORE THAN A READING RESPONSE.
Before & After Setting helps learners understand that setting is not simply the place where a story happens.
Setting can influence characters, create atmosphere, shape events and even change the direction of a narrative.
The combination of illustration, description and higher-order thinking makes this a versatile resource for a variety of novels and short stories.
π¦ WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
1 printable PDF page
β Two large illustration spaces
β Before-and-after descriptive writing prompts
β Three-point setting comparison
β Literary analysis question
β Three higher-order thinking questions
β Black-and-white, printer-friendly design
β Ready-to-use classroom activity
Please note: This is an open-ended reading response activity. No fixed answer key is included.
ποΈ THE WRITE STUFF EMPORIUMβ’
Designer of Wonder and Curiosity.
CURIOSITY ALWAYS LEADS!