Small Group Lesson Plan 1

Grade Level: 5 Number of Students: 4-5 Instructional Location: Lincoln Trail Das: 4
!aterials: "Spotli#$t %n Plot& boo's for eac$ c$ild( copies of )or's$eets from "Spotli#$t on Literac& boo' in t$e plot
section
Standard*s+ ,ddressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story,
drama, or poem.
-ontent %b.ectives Lan#ua#e %b.ectives
Students will be able to define the meaning of plot,
introduction, complications, climax, and resolution
Students will be able to summarize the story they have read
including plot elements and significant events that occurred
in the story
Students should be beginning to use the terms plot, introduction,
complications, climax, and resolution at a basic level
Prere/uisite S'ills:
Students s$ould be able to read t$e te0t )it$ some fluenc( and students s$ould be some)$at familiar )it$ t$e term
"summari1e2&
3ndurin# 4nderstandin#s: Summarizing is an essential tool in order to better appreciate literary works, and an integral part of
summarizing a story is being familiar with plot structures and conventions.
3ssential 5uestions: How can understanding plot help us appreciate literary works !hy is summarizing literary works important in
appreciating them
Title: !orst "riends
,ut$or: #gnes
$ardener
Genre: Short Story
T$eme*s+:
%he theme of getting to
know people before
&udging them is
discussed in the story.
6ocus:
Summarizing,
recognizing plot
elements.
7ocabular:
'lot, introduction, resolution, complications, climax.
8efore:
( will have the students tell me what they know about plot. ( will then write down what they tell me on a list and have the students check
over the list to make sure that there isn)t anything else they are missing.
*ext, ( will tell the students that we are going to read a short story, and while we are reading, ( want them to pay specific attention to the
plot. ( will give the students the option of writing down their observations, but ( will not re+uire it.
Durin#:
( will read the first paragraph or so of the story, and then ( will go around the rest of the group and have them read sections of the story as
well. ,nce done with the reading, ( will ask the students to tell me the important details of the plot that they recall from the reading or
wrote down. ( will make sure to write down the elements the students tell me on a list.
,nce students have given me a list of the ma&or plot points of the story, ( will ask if there is any way that we could categorize the elements
that they have told me. ( will first start off by categorizing the climax, as this would most likely be the most difficult for them to place. (f
necessary, ( could also model placing an element into each of the four categories. ( would then have the students proceed to tell me how
they would categorize the rest of the elements that they have listed. (f the students are able to come up with the categories -introduction,
complications, climax, and resolution. by themselves, then ( will further probe into how they came up with these categories. (f students
cannot come up with the categories themselves, ( will give them the names of the categories, and ask what they think is the definition of
each category.
,nce students are done with the categorization of the plot elements, ( will then ask them to give me an abbreviated telling of the story
based on what they have written on their list. (nform the students that the brief story they &ust shared with you is a summary of the whole
story they have &ust read.
,fter:
#sk the students how understanding the plot of the story helped allow them to give a summary of the story they read. #sk them again if
they think this would be useful in helping understand other stories besides this one. Students should indicate that they believe this can be
used in other stories. %he students should then receive a worksheet that has the students look at another book that they are already familiar
with, and has them write out the plot elements of this book as a basic summary of the story.
,ssessment:
/efore students are done with the activity for the day, ( will have them fill out an exit slip and ask them to define what a plot is in their
own words. ( will also ask them to fill out what the four parts of a plot are, as well as the definition of each part. (nformal assessment will
also take place based on class discussion, and how well students contributed to the conversation. %he worksheet will also serve as a form
of assessment.
30tension:
I could extend the lesson by having the students read the poem in the back of the book as well. This could be more challenging as the plot
elements are not as readily apparent as in the original story, but students could try to categorize the elements in the poem as well, and
therefore see that this skill is useful in more than one genre of text.
Differentiated Instruction:
0ifferentiation is noted in the lesson for the level of ease students have developing the categories of plot elements. (f students can
categorize the plot elements themselves, then they are asked how they came up with these elements. (f students have trouble, the elements
are instead given to them, and students are then asked the possible definitions of these elements. "urthermore, ( also differentiate in my
modeling depending on the level of ease the students demonstrate in categorizing the plot elements as well.
Small Group Lesson Plan 9
Grade Level: 5 Number of Students: 4-5 Instructional Location: Lincoln Trail Das: 4
!aterials: "Spotli#$t %n Plot& boo's for eac$ c$ild( copies of )or's$eets from "Spotli#$t on Literac& boo' in t$e plot
section
Standard*s+ ,ddressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story,
drama, or poem.
-ontent %b.ectives Lan#ua#e %b.ectives
Students will be able to accurately determine the different
elements of plot from a given story
Students will be able to summarize the story they have read
including plot elements and significant events that occurred
in the story
Students should be beginning to use the terms plot, introduction,
complications, climax, and resolution in order to categorize
elements of a story they are reading.
Prere/uisite S'ills:
Students s$ould be able to read t$e te0t )it$ some fluenc( and students s$ould be some)$at familiar )it$ t$e term
"summari1e2&
3ndurin# 4nderstandin#s: Summarizing is an essential tool in order to better appreciate literary works, and an integral part of
summarizing a story is being familiar with plot structures and conventions.
3ssential 5uestions: How can understanding plot help us appreciate literary works !hy is summarizing literary works important in
appreciating them
Title: 1amb with the
$olden "leece
,ut$or: Hungarian
"olk %ale
Genre: "olklore
T$eme*s+:
%he theme of the story is
that happy people end up
getting rewarded over
unhappy people.
6ocus:
Summarizing,
recognizing plot
elements.
7ocabular:
'lot, introduction, resolution, complications, climax.
8efore:
2ontinuing on from the assignment done the night before, the teacher should collect the worksheets from the students and talk about what
they found regarding plot elements in their stories. !hile this is a sharing time, this should also be used to gauge how well students
understood the assignment, and should be used to correct any misconceptions the students had.
/efore proceeding to reading the next story, the teacher should ask the students to refresh themselves on the definitions of plot,
introduction, resolution, complications, and climax. %he students should also give characteristics of where3how these elements appear in
the story.
Durin#:
(nform the students that they are going to be reading another story today, this one being slightly longer than the first one they read. Have
the students turn to 4%he 1amb !ith the $olden "leece5 in their books. (nform the students that while the story is being read, they should
be paying attention to the plot elements, as once the story is done, they will be asked some +uestions about the different plot elements.
%he teacher should start out reading a chunk of the story, and then proceed to have the students read aloud to small chunks as well. (f
students don)t volunteer to read, they should &ust go around in a circle for reading. (f the students find it helpful to &ot down notes as
others read, they should feel free to do so.
,nce the students are done reading the story, the teacher should have a graphic organizer with the four different plot elements listed. %he
teacher should go around and ask students at random to identify the particular plot elements from the story. ,ne child should be
responsible for listing one plot element. ,nce the graphic organizer has been completed, have the students take out a sheet of paper and
write down a summary of the plot based on what is written on the graphic organizer. ,nce the students are done writing the plot, have
them compare with a partner to see if they wrote down similar summaries. ,nce the students have compared summaries, ask the students
if they had the same summaries, and if not what was different. How did they end up getting the summaries that they did based on the
graphic organizer (s anyone wrong about their summary
,fter:
,nce the students have finished their discussion, the teacher should begin to recap what the students talked about during their discussion,
and students should share relevant points that they gleaned from their discussion as well. 'ass out the 4'lease 0o 6avesdrop5 worksheet,
and inform the students that they are going to be making up their own story with their own specific plot elements. 7eview the definitions
of the plot elements once more so students are aware of what to include in their stories. (nform the students that this is homework, and
should be completed when the next class meets.
,ssessment:
%he assessment will take place at the beginning of the lesson in order to gauge how well the students did on their homework, and
therefore how well they understood the concepts of the plot elements. "urther assessment will take place during the class discussion, as
the teacher should listen in on the partner discussion in order to determine proficiency with using the correct terminology in the correct
context. %he teacher should also pay attention to how well the students summarize their story, particularly paying attention to the level of
detail with which they summarize.
30tension:
In addition to handing out the assignment, I could give students time in class to work on the assignment and get advice from either me or
their peers regarding their ideas regarding their potential storyline. I could also have the students work backwards and give me a summary
of their potential story, and then glean the plot elements based off of the summary.
Differentiated Instruction:
Students will be placed in partners based on their performance on the exit slip from the prior class. Students will be grouped based on how
well they did, so if someone did not do particularly well, they will be placed with someone who did better in the areas in which they had
trouble. (f students also have trouble with the plot starters listed on the sheet, the teacher could also provide them with an easier prompt
for them to use.
Small Group Lesson Plan :
Grade Level: 5 Number of Students: 4-5 Instructional Location: Lincoln Trail Das: 4
!aterials: "Spotli#$t %n Plot& boo's for eac$ c$ild( copies of )or's$eets from "Spotli#$t on Literac& boo' in t$e plot
section( summar of "T$e !ster in t$e 8ac'ard&
Standard*s+ ,ddressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story,
drama, or poem.
-ontent %b.ectives Lan#ua#e %b.ectives
Students will be able to accurately determine the different
elements of plot from a given story
Students will be able to use a summary of a story and glean
elements of plot from the summary
Students should be beginning to use the terms plot, introduction,
complications, climax, and resolution in order to categorize
elements of a story they are reading.
Prere/uisite S'ills:
Students s$ould be able to read t$e te0t )it$ some fluenc( and students s$ould be some)$at familiar )it$ t$e term
"summari1e2&
3ndurin# 4nderstandin#s: Summarizing is an essential tool in order to better appreciate literary works, and an integral part of
summarizing a story is being familiar with plot structures and conventions.
3ssential 5uestions: How can understanding plot help us appreciate literary works !hat are benefits and drawbacks of getting plot
from a summary, or a summary from a plot
Title: %he 8ystery in
the /ackyard
,ut$or: %om
2onklin
Genre: Short
Story38ystery
T$eme*s+:
9ou shouldn)t &udge
people based on past
perceptions, and you
should get to know
others before passing
&udgment.
6ocus:
Summarizing,
recognizing plot
elements.
7ocabular:
'lot, introduction, resolution, complications, climax.
8efore:
%he teacher should have the students take out their 4'lease 0o 6avesdrop5 sheets that should have been completed for homework. %he
teacher should have the students partner up and share the outline of their prospective stories thus far. ,nce the discussion has completed,
have the students put their sheets away. %ell the students that since they have thus far focused on gleaning a summary based on a plot, we
are instead going to see if we can instead get plot elements of a story from a summary.
Durin#:
Hand out to each student a summary of the story 4%he 8ystery in the /ackward5 that has been written by the teacher. 7ead the summary
aloud to the students, and have them follow along. %hen on the bottom of the summary sheet, have the students hypothesize about what
the ma&or plot elements of the story might be given the summary. ,nce the students have a preliminary list, have them get with a partner
to compare and contrast what they have listed for possible plot elements.
,nce the students) discussion is completed, have the students open their books to 4%he 8ystery in the /ackyard.5 $ive students the
option to read the story aloud, read in pairs, or read individually. ,nce the students are done reading the story, have them make another
list of the plot elements they got from the story itself. Have the students compare and contrast their list of plot elements gathered from the
summary of the story, and the story itself. Have the students share their observations with a partner. *ext, pose the +uestion to the
students regarding which way they found more comfortable, and why it felt more comfortable to them.
,fter:
,nce the students have finished their discussion, inform them that they have several options. (f they are happy with the outline of the story
they have created so far, then they can write a summary of how the story will look, and then write a rough draft of the story for the next
class. (f the students would prefer to write a new story instead writing a summary first, and then deriving plot elements, then they can pick
a new prompt and write their story using this process. Have the students write down what they believe are the pros and cons of using both
methods to be turned in. #ny remaining time in class can be used to allow students to begin writing their story.
,ssessment:
%he exit slip at the end of the class will be used for assessment, and should be assessed for accuracy of terminology, as well as the depth
of their reflection. (nformal assessment will also be conducted by how students participate in discussion, including the ideas they bring up,
and the accuracy of what the students say during their discussion.
30tension:
In addition to handing out the assignment, I could give students time in class to work on the assignment and get advice from either me or
their peers regarding their ideas regarding their potential storyline. I could also have the students work backwards and give me a summary
of their potential story, and then glean the plot elements based off of the summary.
Differentiated Instruction:
Students who are having a harder time with coming up with plot details with the given prompts can be assigned a different prompt that is
more suitable to their comprehension level. Students can also read with partners if they have issues with fluency with the assigned
readings.
Small Group Lesson Plan 4
Grade Level: 5 Number of Students: 4-5 Instructional Location: Lincoln Trail Das: 4
!aterials: "Spotli#$t %n Plot& boo's for eac$ c$ild( copies of )or's$eets from "Spotli#$t on Literac& boo' in t$e plot
section
Standard*s+ ,ddressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama
respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story,
drama, or poem.
-ontent %b.ectives Lan#ua#e %b.ectives
Students will be able to accurately determine the different
elements of plot from a given story
Students will be able to detect changes in summary by
altering plot elements
Students should be beginning to use the terms plot, introduction,
complications, climax, and resolution in order to categorize
elements of a story they are reading.
Prere/uisite S'ills:
Students s$ould be able to read t$e te0t )it$ some fluenc( and students s$ould be some)$at familiar )it$ t$e term
"summari1e2&
3ndurin# 4nderstandin#s: Summarizing is an essential tool in order to better appreciate literary works, and an integral part of
summarizing a story is being familiar with plot structures and conventions.
3ssential 5uestions: How can understanding plot help us appreciate literary works How are plots of poems and plots of stories
similar and different
Title: %he %wins
,ut$or: Henry S.
1eigh
Genre: 'oem
T$eme:
(t)s important to be
yourself so you leave
your mark on the world.
6ocus:
Summarizing,
recognizing plot
elements.
7ocabular:
'lot, introduction, resolution, complications, climax.
8efore:
#sk the students to remind you of the four plot elements that we have discussed so far, and what each of them means, and where they
generally occur in a story. #sk the students if they believe that these plot elements can be transferred to all stories. *ext, ask the students
if they believe that these plot elements are also present in poetry #sk the students what they know about poetry, and if they believe this
can match up with what they have learned about plot elements.
Durin#:
7ead the poem 4%he %wins5 to the students, modeling the appropriate inflection of reading a poem. ,nce done reading aloud, have the
students read it again to themselves or with a partner. ,nce they have completed this, ask the students if they think the poem has a plot. (f
they think it does, have them categorize the plot elements on a sheet of paper. (f they do not believe it has a plot, ask them why they think
this. *ext, ask the students to give a summary of the poem. (f the students did not believe there was a plot to the story, ask them to gather
possible plot points based on the summary they gave. (f they did believe there was a plot, have the students gather plot points from their
summary and compare and contrast them to what they have listed as their plot elements.
Have the students use the data they)ve gathered to determine if it)s easier to discern a plot from a poem after summarizing it, or before
summarizing it. #sk if the plot elements are the same in a poem as they are in a story. #sk if they believe that all poems have these
elements. $ive them an example of one that does not -i.e. 47oses are 7ed5.
,fter:
Have the students write an exit slip describing the differences between plots in poetry and plots in stories. (f there is time at the end of the
class, have the students work on their stories that are due at a later date.
,ssessment:
%he exit slip at the end of the class will be used for assessment, and should be assessed for accuracy of terminology, as well as the depth
of their reflection. (nformal assessment will also be conducted by how students participate in discussion, including the ideas they bring up,
and the accuracy of what the students say during their discussion.
30tension:
I could find another example of a poem where it is harder to discern a plot, and challenge the students to try and identify a plot in the story
and come up with a summary. Another possibility would be to have the students write a poem that has a plot.
Differentiated Instruction:
0epending on students) prior exposure to poetry, students might need more help in trying to figure out a plot within a poem. ,ne:on:one
assistance can be offered if multiple students are struggling, or pairing students up with a peer who understands the material better would
also be an effective strategy. ( could also give a poem that is easier to discern a plot from, if students are having trouble with this.