Examining plot conflict through a comparison/contrast essay
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=802
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts
In these sessions, students explore picture books to identify the characteristics of four types of conflict: character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, and character vs. society. In the initial activity, students write what they know about plot conflict. After viewing a plot conflict PowerPoint presentation, students revise their initial thoughts, the class creates a working definition, and students participate in a series of activities to demonstrate their understanding and application of the definition. Once students have made connections with plot conflict by explaining conflicts they have faced, they work in groups to make a list of examples of conflict in literature. Students share their lists with the class and they all categorize their list by discussing the nature of their conflict and completing a conflict-type chart. Then, after students make a list of conflicts in their lives, they will use one of these for a comparison/contrast paper that focuses on a conflict they have gone through and one that a character has gone through in a story they’ve read. Using a Venn diagram and an online interactive comparison and contrast guide, the teacher demonstrates how students can organize their information and write an essay accordingly. When students have completed the first draft of their essay, they peer edit using the assessment rubric and then complete their final drafts. This lesson plan also suggests extension activities and provides links to helpful web resources. Readwritethink provides links to helpful online interactive tools, assignment handout, and rubrics for assessment.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by:
- setting a purpose.
- previewing the text.
- making predictions.
- asking questions.
- locating information for specific purposes.
- making connections.
- using story structure and text organization to comprehend.
- Objective 2.04: Identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
- author's purpose.
- plot.
- conflict.
- sequence.
- resolution.
- lesson and/or message.
- main idea and supporting details.
- cause and effect.
- fact and opinion.
- point of view (author and character).
- author's use of figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, imagery).
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing by:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.04: Use planning strategies (with assistance) to generate topics and to organize ideas (e.g., drawing, mapping, discussing, listing).
- Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama selections using self-selected topics and forms (e.g., poems, simple narratives, short reports, learning logs, letters, notes, directions, instructions).
Grade 4
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- setting a purpose using prior knowledge and text information.
- making predictions.
- formulating questions.
- locating relevant information.
- making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
- Objective 2.04: Identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
- plot.
- theme.
- main idea and supporting details.
- author's choice of words.
- mood.
- author's use of figurative language.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use planning strategies to generate topics and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping, webbing, reading, discussion).
- Objective 4.07: Compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected and assigned topics and forms (e.g., personal and imaginative narratives, research reports, diaries, journals, logs, rules, instructions).
Grade 5
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- making predictions.
- formulating questions.
- supporting answers from textual information, previous experience, and/or other sources.
- drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
- seeking additional information.
- making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
- Objective 2.04: Identify elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
- plot development.
- author's choice of words.
- effectiveness of figurative language (e.g., personification, flashback).
- tone.
- Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use a variety of preliminary strategies to plan and organize the writing and speaking task considering purpose, audience, and timeline.
- Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected topic and format (e.g., poetry, research reports, news articles, letters to the editor, business letters).
