Correct Response: A. Teaching children the elements of a story provides them with essential background knowledge needed for comprehension of narrative texts. Children with little experience hearing stories read aloud or participating in academic discussions of stories may lack familiarity with the conventions that govern story narratives (e.g., the events in a plot are generally all related to a central challenge or problem introduced at the beginning of the story; the events relate directly to the main character; the events frequently unfold as a sequence of actions and reversals until the challenge that set the story in motion is resolved). Evidence indicates that explicit instruction in these elements improves comprehension of literary texts. Option B is incorrect because, while this approach might increase children's interest and engagement in stories, it would not build the background knowledge needed to recognize the causal links between events in a story's plot. Option C is incorrect because, while this exercise may provide children with practice recalling major events in a story, it would not promote insight into the causal relationships between character and plot that create a unified story. Option D is incorrect because, while this approach may provide an effective assessment of children's recall of story events, it neither measures nor promotes their understanding of the causal relationships underlying the story's plot.
