The 5Ws
Who, What, Where, When, Why. Sometimes how is added to this list.
Who:
- The people in the story. This includes individuals, groups, cultures, languages and outside actors.
- How to identify Who is involved – A worksheet
What:
- What occurs in the story. The actions taken be people, events that happen.
- Identifying What happens – and also who did it or caused it – A worksheet
Where:
Where involves the physical location of the story. While this may seem straight forward it can be important to really understand the location and it’s significance (historically, physically, spiritually, politically and culturally) .
For example, hearing Jesus is in Galilee lets us know he is near his home town, but knowing he is currently in the middle of the lake, on a fishing boat, in the middle of the storm brings a different understanding to the narrative than knowing he is in a friends house having a meal on a sunny day.
Where is the location of the story – A worksheet
What is the location of the story. What country are they in, what part of the country are they in? What are the physical characteristics of the part of the country they are in. what is around them, both in close proximity but also further away that may affect this story.