Understanding the Elements of a Story
Students will read a story, understand the elements of the story, analyze characters, and complete research about good and evil.
A lesson plan for grades 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development
About the authors
Dr. Abha Bhatnagar: I am working as a Chemistry Teacher in Garinger High School, Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC. I have completed my Ph.D. in Chemistry with Master degrees in Education, Chemistry and Business Management. I have published my research papers in various national and international journals. I also have experience teaching Science at various levels in India, New Zealand, England and USA.
Mrs. Meera Madan: I teach ESL English and ESL Reading and writing at Garinger High School in Charlotte, NC. However I have taught English for twenty-one years in junior high, high school and community college. I have an advanced degree in English, graduate certification in reading, counseling and ESL.
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Related topics
- Learn more about English language arts and English language development.
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Learning outcomes
Students will:
- learn the elements of a story setting, plot, theme, conflict, mood, and resolution.
- analyze characters in a story.
- deepen their understanding of good and evil.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
3 days
Materials/resources
Story and a spiral notebook for each student.
Technology resources
Computer Lab with access to internet. Each student should have one computer.
Pre-activities
1st day: Write a journal entry in which you express sadness because of a death of a family member. Share your journal with a partner.
2nd day: Think of a movie or a story in which there was a very good character and an evil (bad) character. Write all that you remember about their conflict. Share your journal with your partner.
3rd Day: Write about how the conflict was resolved. Share with your partner.
Activities
After the students share their journal, the teacher reads the first part of the story and explains the setting and the events in the beginning of the story. After reading each section of the story, students write a double-entry journal or a reading response journal, in which they record all that they understand about the story as well as their pertinent questions. See the attached file “journal.rtf” at the bottom of this page, which gives an example of a double-entry journal entry.
Second Day: Students read the middle section of the story, and write about the story in their journal.
Third Day: Students will read the last section of the story.
Assessment
Teacher will ask short answer questions about the setting, events, characters, mood, and check response journal.
Supplemental information
Journal attachment
Related websites
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/tdentry.htm
Modifications
Use of langage dictionary to write meanings
of critical vocabulary. Use vocablary words in sentences, Example: Use “torment” in a sentence.
Students write short sentences and phrases about events, characters, opinions, questions about the story. After reading each section of the story, students write a double-entry journal or a reading response journal in which they record all that they understand about the story as well as their pertinent questions and opinions. A spiral notebook can be used for their journal.
Alternative assessments
Teacher assigns a grade to their responses by assigning numbers as follows: 5: excellent; 4: very good; 3: good; 2: fair; 1: poor Teacher continues to have a dialogue with the students and write assignments in their journals to clarify the understanding of their story. Then assign a grade of A, B, C or D accordingly. How- ever, it’s the quality of comments that is important in encouraging the students, to improve their understanding of the story .
Critical vocabulary
setting, mood, plot, conflict, resolution, torment.
Comments
This lesson plan will help teacher in imparting knowledge about how to write a story and also will be helpful Limited English Proficient students.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 9 — English I
- Goal 2: The learner will explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions to inform an audience.
- Objective 2.01: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print informational texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
- selecting, monitoring, and modifying as necessary reading strategies appropriate to readers' purpose.
- identifying and analyzing text components (such as organizational structures, story elements, organizational features) and evaluating their impact on the text.
- providing textual evidence to support understanding of and reader's response to text.
- demonstrating comprehension of main idea and supporting details.
- summarizing key events and/or points from text.
- making inferences, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on text.
- identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical or cultural influences, contexts, or biases.
- making connections between works, self and related topics.
- analyzing and evaluating the effects of author's craft and style.
- analyzing and evaluating the connections or relationships between and among ideas, concepts, characters and/or experiences.
- identifying and analyzing elements of informational environment found in text in light of purpose, audience, and context.
- Objective 2.01: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print informational texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
English Language Development (2005)
Grades 9–12
- Goal 1. Listening: The learner will explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions to inform an audience.
- Objective IH 1.07: Respond, with occasional difficulty, when participating in group discourse by adapting language and communication behaviors to the situation to accomplish a specific purpose.
- Goal 3. Reading: The learner will explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions to inform an audience.
- Objective IH 3.04: Demonstrate an increased knowledge of academic content vocabulary.
- Objective IH 3.12: Identify literary elements (e.g., plot, setting, theme, mood).
- Goal 4. Writing: The learner will explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions to inform an audience.
- Objective IH 4.04: Produce written expressions of opinion and reactions to information from a variety of media.
