cause and effect which happened in the story. Story mapping contains two major components, those are, setting and episodic event.
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It means story mapping not only tells about where is the place happened, who is main character, who are
minor characters, and when the story begins, but also the story mapping tells about the whole events in the story in good sequence. Story mapping technique is
very helpful for the students in comprehending a narrative text since the technique provides the structure awareness.
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Structure awareness here means story mapping elements which providing characters, setting, problems, and solution based on the
story that will make students be more aware about the story which they read. In using story mapping technique, the teacher could ask students to locate the
story elements of narrative.
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It means when the students use story mapping technique, the teacher as a guide gives the directions to students what should they
do to the story mapping. Story mapping could improve students’ reading
comprehension by asking them to organize the story mapping elements, to sequence story information, and to make connections between story
components.
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Story mapping could help students to improve their reading comprehension by showing them the story elements, then they fill it into those
elements. Students also will be more familiar with most story elements by using the story mapping.
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Hence, when the teacher asks the students to fill the story mapping elements and to make connection from one element to another element,
it will make the students be familiar with the story organization. The story mapping elements are defined as: main character tells about who or what the story
is about, setting tells about where the story happens, problem tells about what the main character must solve or do, main events tells about what are the important
59
Narkon and Wells, loc. cit.
60
Dymock, op. cit., p. 162.
61
Matthias Grunke, et al., Analyzing the Effects of Story Mapping on the Reading Comprehension of Children with Low Intellectual Abilities, Learning Disabilities: A
Contemporary, 2013, p. 52.
62
Boulineau, et al., op. cit. p. 106.
63
Felber, loc. cit.
things that happen in the story, and story outcome how is problem resolved.
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Below is the graphic of story mapping:
Picture 2.1 Graphic of Story Mapping
2. Purposes of Story Mapping Technique
There are some purposes of story mapping technnique. Farris stated that there are at least seven purposes of story mapping technique.
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The first is to allow the readers to create mental images from words in the text. It means that when the
students are reading the text, they could imagine what the story is telling in the text. The second is to enhance meaning with mental imagery. While using the
story mapping technique, the students visualize the story into their own imagination and it improved their mental imagery ability. The third is link past
experience to the words and ideas in the text. The forth is strengthen a reader’s
relationship to the text. The next is heightens the engagement with the text. When the students become more interested in reading, automatically it will make them
be familiar with the text. The last is to bring joy to reading. The story mapping technique supplies the story elements that can be drawn by the students. They
could use their imaginary and creativity to draw the story mapping elements and it will make teaching reading narrative text be more fun.
64
Julie Bowen, et al., School-Based Interventions for Students with Behavior Problems, New York: Kluwer AcademicPlenum Publishers, 2004, p. 141.
65
Pamela J. Farris, et al., op.cit., p. 512.
Setting Characters
Title
Problems Solution
Boulineau, et al., also mentioned several purposes of story mapping.
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The first is story mapping provides the elements of story that make students be easier
to read the story. In story mapping, there are elements of story such as title, characters, setting, problem, and solution that make students know the
cronological sequence of the story. The second is story mapping can be a guide for students to remember the important information after they read since in the
story mapping there are elements of story which must be comprehended ny the students. Then, story mapping assists the students to organize, interpret, and
comprehend what they read before and after reading. It means that while using using story mapping, the students try to organize the story elements, such as, try
to know where the story take place is, who the main craracters, what the problem is, why the problem occcurs, how to solve the problems. After filling the story
elements of story mapping, the students try to interpret and comprehend the story based on their own thought. The last is s
tory mapping could improve students’ reading comprehension by asking them to identify the story mapping elements.
From those purposes which mentioned above, the writer could take conclusion that the story mapping is a technique that has many purposes, such as,
it can stimulate students’ reading interest and also bring the joy to reading that make reading be more fun.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Story Mapping Technique
Story mapping has both advantages and disadvantages. For advantages and disadvantages can be both for the students and the teacher. According to Farris,
there are some advantages of story mapping that can be very beneficial for the students.
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The first is students will be more aware of the story elements since the story mapping contains setting, characters, sequence of events, conflict and
resolution that make students be more comprehend about the story, The second advantage is students will be easy to see the story pieces. It is because story
mapping has elements with good chronological order which make students be
66
Boulineau, et al., loc. cit.
67
Farris, op. cit., p. 512.
easier to arrange the story pieces mesh. The third is story mapping provides students’ knowledge in guessing what the story is going to tell after another. It
means when the students read the story using the story mapping elements, they could guess what happened in the next by looking at the element of story
mapping. The next advantage is students be facilitated to use their personal schema to recall the story elements. It means when the when the students apply
story mapping, they could engage their prior knowledge to the knowledge after they read.
Felber also mentioned some advantages of story mapping.
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The first is story mapping is an effective way to teach reading with the basic story elements. It is
because story mapping has story elements that very appropriate to be applied in reading story text such as in a narrative text, so that it will be effective to teach
reading. The second is story mapping could make students be familiar with common elements in many stories since story mapping is elements of story.
Hence, when the students use story mapping, they will know the structure of the story commonly. The next is story mapping can make students understand the role
of main character since everything which is told is based on the main character of the story. Lastly is story mapping also cou
ld increase students’ motivation in reading. Because when the students are asked to use story mapping, they could
make their own story elements based on their creativity and imaginary. Those things that make them be more motivated and fun in learning reading
comprehension. On the other side, the story mapping certainly also has the disadvantages,
such as it can be applied only for the certain texts and the map can be applied to story.
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Since story mapping consists of story element hence it can only applied to the text which tell about story such as narrative text. After knowing the
advantages and disadvantages of story mapping, the writer believes that story
68
Felber, loc. cit.
69
Farris, et al., op. cit., p. 346.
mapping technique could help the students to comprehend the text, especially in narrative text.
4. Teaching Narrative Text by Using Story Mapping
There are some steps of using story mapping to teach narrative text compiled from Farris, those are:
a. Step 1: Introduce the concept of a story mapping together with what the benefits for students are. Tell them that story mapping would be helpful to
develop their reading comprehension of a story. b. Step 2: Explain the major components of story mapping through identifying a
story first concerning to figure out the title, the theme of the story, the important characters and personality traits of specific participants of a story,
then identifying the orientation or significant plot developments. It leads to s
equence of action to note characters’ attempts in overcoming problems, then evoke, to get the solution. A teacher needs to give the interactive instruction
for each story component claerly. Build questioning to students before or after reading to the story to construct their motivation or check their
comprehension. After students read a story, let them fill out section of the story map worksheet.
c. Step 3: Direct them when students commit errors to reread the story using guidance question even modeling to help them come up with an appropriate
response.
d. Step 4: Have students read independently. Encourage them to write the
answers just using key words while the teacher is still questioning such as „who is the main character? What is he like? What does the story take place?
etc.’ Then give specific praise to students’ responses and conference
individually with those students for appropriately identifying story mapping elements.
