A three-stage lesson sequence that used story grammars to teach plot development has been proved successful with a group of eight above average third grade students reading Deborah and James Howe's "Bunnicula." The first stage was a training unit designed to familiarize children with a typical story grammar's parts: a theme and plot consisting of the setting, goal, problem, attempt to solve the problem, solution, and reaction. The novel was introduced in the second stage and a master story grammar chart was constructed as a basis for the review, prediction, and summarization tasks that guided children's reading. In the third stage, children identified which chapters dealt with particular grammar parts on the master story grammar chart. In doing this, they came to recognize the interrelation of the chapters and gained a metacognitive awareness of the novel. Children responded enthusiastically when asked about the story grammar technique, saying that it helped them understand the novel better and gave their reading purpose and organization. In addition, this strategy helps teachers write better study questions, improve the reading comprehension of less advanced readers, and aid students in writing their own stories. (Master story grammar charts are included.) (JD)