Which instructional approach is most likely to accelerate children's understanding of story structure in a kindergarten class?

The most effective approach for accelerating children's understanding of story structure in a kindergarten class is to teach story elements explicitly as part of the daily read-aloud. This method allows educators to integrate direct instruction on crucial components of narrative structure, such as setting, characters, problem, and resolution, while simultaneously engaging students with a compelling story.

Incorporating story elements during read-aloud sessions fosters a deeper comprehension of how stories are crafted and allows children to make connections between the elements and their own experiences. By explicitly naming and discussing these elements, children become more aware of the framework of storytelling, which can significantly enhance their ability to retell stories, predict outcomes, and create their own narratives.

While rereading favorite stories and allowing children to dress up as characters can encourage engagement and foster a love for reading, it may not as effectively teach the specific structural components of stories. Similarly, practicing ordering pictures from storybooks aids in comprehension and sequencing but lacks the depth of direct instruction in story structure. Asking text-dependent questions is valuable for critical thinking and understanding specific events, yet it does not provide the same framework for recognizing and understanding the overarching structure of narratives as explicit teaching does.