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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Narrowing the Focus: What's the Main Event?

In this lesson, students will learn how to narrow the focus of their personal narrative down to one main event by selecting a more specific title. Good stories are focused on one topic or main event. The reader should be able to tell the most important thing that the story is about. Instead of writing a story about a whole vacation that describes many events, it is a good strategy to write a story about one thing that happened on the vacation-one main event.

A lesson plan for grades 2–5 English Language Arts

By DPI Writing Strategies

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • identify the one main topic of a story
  • learn how to strengthen their narratives by focusing on one main topic
  • write a short narrative centered around one main topic

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 Hours

Materials/resources

  • Blank transparency
  • Overhead markers
  • Transparency “What’s the Main Event” pdf | rtf
  • Handout “A Special Day at the State Fair” pdf | rtf

Technology resources

Overhead Projector

Pre-activities

None.

Activities

Modeling/Minilesson

  1. Display the top portion of the transparency. For each numbered choice, let students select which choice would be the best one for a story with one main event. Students may indicate their choices with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down signal as the teacher reads each choice. Correct responses include:

    #1-The Scary Roller Coaster Ride
    #2-Getting Lost at the Fair
    #3-Winning the Sack Race
    #4-A Surprise Bike for Christmas.
    Discuss the reasons for the selections.

Guided Practice

  1. Display the bottom section of the transparency and read each topic. Ask the students, either independently or with a partner, to create a better topic for a story, one that will focus on one main event. For example, instead of “A Trip to the Beach,” the topic could be “The Worst Sunburn Ever” or “Building the Ultimate Sand Castle.” Share out some of the responses.
  2. Distribute the handout “A Special Day at the State Fair.” Read the story aloud to the students, and then work with the students to identify several ideas or events that are included in this story. (Ideas might include the trip to the fair, standing in line at the state fair, the roller coaster ride, the log ride, riding the vortex, or bored at the exhibits.)

Independent Practice

  1. Have students select one of these main events. On their handout, they may cross out all the other events and details. Then, at the bottom of the handout, lead them to create a well-elaborated main event, adding thoughts, actions, and feelings as appropriate.
  2. When most students are finished, ask student pairs who chose the same main event to compare their stories. Share responses.

Closure
Remind students that choosing one main event as the focus of the story will most likely result in a well-elaborated, interesting story.

Assessment

Can the class:

  • correctly distinguish the narrower topics from the broader topics on the “What’s the Main Event” transparency.
  • identify main events in the narrative “A Special Day at the State Fair.”

Can pairs of students:

  • generate a single main event from a broader topic provided on the “What’s the Main Event” transparency.

Can individual students:

  • identify a single main event in a previously written personal narrative from their writing folder and expand that main event into a focused personal narrative.

Supplemental information

Attachments:

  • What’s the Main Event pdf | rtf
  • Special Day at the State Fair: pdf | rtf

Related websites

N/A

Comments

None.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 2

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products (e.g., narratives of personal experiences, creative stories, skits based on familiar stories and/or experiences).

Grade 3

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that conveys major ideas and maintains focus on the topic by using preliminary plans.

Grade 4

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that conveys major ideas and maintains focus on the topic with specific, relevant, supporting details by using preliminary plans.

Grade 5

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that elaborates on major ideas and adheres to the topic by using an appropriate organizational pattern that accomplishes the purpose of the writing task and effectively communicates its content.