Story Elements Alive!

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (Scholastic, 2005)
  
  
• What If? By A.H. Benjamin (Little Tiger Press, 1997)
  
  
• A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon (Scholastic, 2004)
  
  
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister (North-South, 1992)
  
  
• Computer lab or computers in the classroom
  
  
• Sticky notes
  
  
• Chart paper, writing paper, and white construction paper
  
  
• Markers and crayons
  
  
• Pictures of various settings
  
  
• Scissors

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Organizing & Summarizing

Story Map

The Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in prewriting and postreading activities by focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Problem and Solution handout
  
  
• Conference Guide Form

• Self Evaluation Rubric for Story

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WEBSITES

• Character Map from Education Oasis: Character and Story Graphic Organizers
• Storyline Online

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PREPARATION

1.	Make enough copies of the following handouts for your entire class: Character Map from Education Oasis: Character and Story Graphic Organizers Problem and Solution handout Story Map (To print the handouts from this tool, click the Print tab on the first page, check off all four maps, click Next, and then click Print. It will print four pages.) Self Evaluation Rubric for Story Conference Guide Form You will also need extra copies for about a fifth of your students of the Character Map, Problem and Solution handout, and the Story Map (see the end of Sessions 1, 3, and 5).
2.	Selecting appropriate books is critical to the success of the lesson. If you elect to read books other than the ones suggested in this lesson (see Books in the Resources section), the story element you are focusing on should be obvious in each book you read aloud.
3.	Cut pictures from magazines that show settings. Examples may include: forest, farm, ocean, snow, sunny, rain, daytime, and nighttime. You can also print pictures from the Internet.
4.	Familiarize yourself with the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Generate questions and thoughts to share aloud relating to Chrysanthemum's character to model your thinking during the reading. Place sticky notes on the pages where you will stop and think aloud. Examples may include comments such as "This reminds me of..." "Wow! I am surprised by..." and "I understand how she feels because..."
5.	Familiarize yourself with the book What If? by A.H. Benjamin. Generate questions and thoughts to think aloud relating to the setting of the book. Place sticky notes on the pages where you will stop and think aloud.
6.	Familiarize yourself with the book A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. Generate questions and thoughts to think aloud relating to the problem and solution of the book. Examples may include, "I am wondering what will happen when Camilla returns to school..." and "I wonder why Camilla won't just ask her dad for lima beans?" Place sticky notes on the pages where you will stop and think aloud.
7.	Familiarize yourself with the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Place sticky notes on the pages where you will stop and think aloud as follows: After "...so he was sent to bed without eating anything." After "...so he gave up being king of where the wild things are." At the end
8.	Create an example flip book. Fold a piece of white construction paper in half lengthwise. Cut the top part into thirds, up to the fold of the paper. Write beginning on the first flap, middle on the second flap, and end on the third flap. The drawings will go under the flaps. You will need enough construction paper so the entire class can create one of these books.
9.	Familiarize yourself with the book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Generate questions and thoughts to think aloud relating to all four story elements-characters; setting; problem/solution; and beginning, middle, and end. Place sticky notes on the pages where you will stop and think aloud.

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