Identifying the Elements of a Narrative (Characters, setting, plot, problem, solution) 4th Grade ...
1. Characters
1.1. Students will be able to identify characters and character traits.
1.1.1. Modelling: Teacher and other students model appropriate sentence structure when describing characters. Students helping to create the sentences are developing and students watching the process of building the sentences are learning skills as well.
1.2. Students will be able to recognize and describe characters and traits
1.2.1. Tiered groups: groups are divided by level and provided with appropriate content. The objective is not about understanding complex material, rather students must understand the what each component is. This allows them to use any story that will help them understand and challenge them where they are at.
1.3. Students will be able to create their own characters with specific traits.
1.3.1. Prompts: students are given the choice to create their own poster of a character using descriptive language OR use a poster provided that includes appropriate sentence starters and structure.
2. Plot
2.1. Students will be able to identify plots within short stories.
2.1.1. Check points (relating it to racing): Pause and review content during the lesson period. Ask questions and check for understanding as students are given information about plots not just after the lesson period. A game style questioning system can be used to make this system more engaging. Students will be more focused on the content if given short breaks and time to interact with the material prior to moving on to new ideas.
2.2. Students will be able to describe plots using descriptive language.
2.2.1. Think and share: students can turn to their partner to describe and share ideas about plots. This may also involve modelling as one student may model the appropriate sentence structure and the other can follow. This would involve the teacher being mindful and purposeful when creating the pairs. A student can really master a subject if they are able to teach it or explain it to someone else.
2.2.2. Pre-teach and break down vocabulary: students can be taught to summarize terms. For instance a plot is"the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence:. Together, students can work to simplify this to"the big events". Teaching skills like this to ELL students is essential. Underlining important words, summarizing text or definitions and breaking down complex ideas will help them understand the big picture.
2.3. Students will be able to create their own plot utilizing descriptive language.
2.3.1. Graphic organizers: students can use graphic organizers to present the information or sequence of a plot (main ideas/events within a story). This will help students sort and better understand the sequence of events in a story.
3. Solution
3.1. Students will be able to identify the solution to problems in narratives.
3.1.1. Class reading: instead of independent reading, the class can read together, repeat after the teacher, or say the words the teacher intentionally pauses for. This will help students hear appropriate sentence structure/pronunciation and follow along during the lesson.
3.2. Students will be able to connect this solution to other parts of a narrative (effect of characters and settings)
3.2.1. Tiered groups: stories with various levels of complexity will be given to students. The students will be given the choice to present the connection between the problem and the solution in a graphic organizer, storyboard, or written description (basic lined paper or sentence prompts).
3.3. Students will be able to create a solution to their problem utilizing descriptive language.
3.3.1. Demonstration "think alouds" : model and demonstrate how to solve problems (this is a wonderful life skill to teach as well). Use problems that the students shared during the previous lesson to tap into prior knowledge and go step by step through the problem-solving process and how this connects to the character.
4. Setting
4.1. Students will be able to identify settings and setting themes.
4.1.1. Tap into prior knowledge (this is important for all lessons): show a picture or read aloud (as a class) a description of a familiar setting. For instance, this could be a setting from a movie or story they read OR a place at the school, like the playground. Students would be encouraged to discuss this setting and then draw conclusions as to what a setting is. By using something familiar, all students can participate in the discussion or process the content.
4.2. Sudents will be able to recognize and describe settings and themes.
4.2.1. Pre-teach vocabulary and connect it to familiar content. For instance, pre-teach and provide graphic organizers for settings and themes. Themes can be connected to other lessons about adjectives. The theme changes the "feeling" of a setting. Spooky house vs magical house. This could be displayed visually and described orally for students. Technology, such as the use of pictures and editing software, can be used to show how a setting theme can change (i.e. making the photo darker and adding a bat makes the theme spooky).
4.3. Students will be able to create their own setting and theme.
4.3.1. Choices: students can demonstrate their understanding by writing descriptive sentences or using descriptive words along with drawings.
5. Problem
5.1. Students will be able to identify the problem within narratives.
5.1.1. Tap into prior knowledge: What is a problem they have face? How did this change them or the day? Why was is important? This connects the content to the students' lives. At the same time, all students have likely faced problems before and they can feel as if they have a grasp of the main content before even starting the lesson.
5.2. Students will be able to connect the problem to other parts of the narrative (i.e. the effect on characters, setting)
5.2.1. Visual Organizers to demonstrate cause and effect. Cause and effect can be hard for ELL as the expression of these events is often different in their native language (for instance, in Korean they have subject marking particles that change the entire meaning of a sentence). Graphic organizers can help students understand the main ideas without having to have mastery over the language. Using these organizers and plugging them into appropriate sentence structure can help the students build speaking skills as well.
5.2.1.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhYI3w5I0EA Video about teaching learning skills to ESL students.
5.3. Students will be able to create their own problem using descriptive language.
5.3.1. First language: using a flipped classroom technique, students can be asked to talk to their parents, siblings, or friends at home about problems they faced. They could watch T.v. in Korean and observe the problems being presented on their favourite program or within a book they are reading. This information can be tapped into when the are creating their own realistic or imaginary problem for their portfolio.
6. End Goal
6.1. Students will be able to recognize the connection between the elements of a narrative.
6.1.1. Give time to talk: allow students to share the raw copies of the activities from the previous lessons within pairs or small groups. Let them discuss how they may present this and practice talking about their personal narratives. Post suggested questions for students to ask each other and examples of answers to those questions (sentence starters).
6.2. Students will be able to demonstrate the connection between the elements of narrative that they created.
6.2.1. Show how it is done: create the end product step by step and present this both visually and verbally to students. Talk about why certain choices were made in the project (i.e. I picked a desert setting because I travelled in Africa). Model the thought process, show mistakes and how to fix these mistakes, and what is expected of the end product.
6.3. Students will be able to present and explain the connection between the elements of a narrative that they created.
6.3.1. Give choices: the students MUST present all the elements of the narrative and connect them in some form but they can choose how that is done. Writing, guided writing, a poster, a poem, or a video. Give a balance of guided activities as well as open ended activities. Individual conferencing: When giving an activity that has many possibilities, students need some guidance to ensure they are not straying from the intended end result. This also gives the teacher a chance to check in and give individual attention to each student. Discussing the plans with a student is important. Providing a check-list of what MUST be included and going over that checklist with each student will allow them freedom to choose their own direction but also meet the objective goals.
7. About the student...
7.1. Readiness: all students are ELL with varying levels of English abilities. Some have been in this immersion program since the first grade and attend after school English programs to develop their learning. Other students are newer to the school and have has less exposure to English. This unit requires reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Students excelling in one area may not be excelling in all areas and it is important to scaffold and differentiate for all students within class.
7.1.1. Learning profiles: Like any classroom, there is a mix of learning styles. Scaffolding can be used to allow students to utilize their learning strengths and make choices about how they will reach the end goal.
7.1.1.1. I chose strategies that really targeted the students English comprehension as that would be the English teachers main goal in this unit. I focused on what I felt the highest level students may achieve and how to get all of the students to achieve something similar. Additionally, I focused on modelling and giving prompts as English grammar can be very confusing, especially as a young learner. Sentence starters are important in an ESL class, especially a class that is facilitating students to think creatively. The goal is not to have students creating perfect sentences but teaching them use descriptive language to express what a story means to them.