Lesson Title: New Traits, New Story (Story Innovation)
Length of time needed: 1 - 1 1/2 hrs.
CCSS ELA Standards Addressed: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Objectives: I can:
Identify character traits
Write a story innovation with descriptive details and clear event sequences
Change the events of the story to reflect the new traits of the character
Materials needed: Book to be read: Thank You, Mr. Falker Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York: Philomel Books.
Hook: Today, we are going to explore character traits through writing story innovations.
Teacher Input/Modeling: A story innovation is when you write your own story based on a story you’ve just read. When writing your story innovation, you choose a specific detail from the original story that you want to change. Then, you write your story along the same lines as the original, but making the necessary changes. To tie this in with what we’re learning about character traits, we are going to read a story together; then we will choose one character, change the character’s traits, and rewrite the story. The events of the story should change slightly because of the character’s new traits. Read Thank You, Mr. Falker. After reading, I will choose the character, and will allow students to tell me what the character’s current traits are. Then, I will change the character’s traits. Students will tell me what events from the story they think would change based on the character’s new traits. I will model the writing of a story innovation.
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING & ENGAGEMENT This will occur as we complete the story innovation together.
Independent Practice: Students will choose a short book from the classroom library and read it independently.
On a fresh page in their reader’s notebooks they will write the character they chose, the original traits of the character, and the new traits of the character. Students will write their own version of the story they read, changing the events as needed to reflect the new character traits. Students should keep the events in an appropriate sequence.
Closure: Today we learned that when a character’s traits and actions change, the events of the story will change. This is important because it helps us understand how our actions have an effect on what happens in our lives.
Introduce Unit Project to students: “Character Creations” This project will consist of a few steps that will be carried out in lessons 7-9. Students are instructed to select a new book when they visit the library. They will read the book over the weekend, and a few more times when completing activities the following week. By next Friday (day 10), students will have identified their book’s main character, character traits, and supporting details. On Friday (day 10), to demonstrate their knowledge, students will create a poster that is descriptive of their character. They will orally share with the class information about their character’s traits, and how the character’s actions contributed to the story.
Lesson Title: New Traits, New Story (Story Innovation)
Length of time needed: 1 - 1 1/2 hrs.
CCSS ELA Standards Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A
Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Objectives:
I can:
Materials needed:
Book to be read: Thank You, Mr. Falker
Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York: Philomel Books.
Hook:
Today, we are going to explore character traits through writing story innovations.
Teacher Input/Modeling:
A story innovation is when you write your own story based on a story you’ve just read. When writing your story innovation, you choose a specific detail from the original story that you want to change. Then, you write your story along the same lines as the original, but making the necessary changes.
To tie this in with what we’re learning about character traits, we are going to read a story together; then we will choose one character, change the character’s traits, and rewrite the story. The events of the story should change slightly because of the character’s new traits.
Read Thank You, Mr. Falker.
After reading, I will choose the character, and will allow students to tell me what the character’s current traits are. Then, I will change the character’s traits. Students will tell me what events from the story they think would change based on the character’s new traits. I will model the writing of a story innovation.
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING & ENGAGEMENT
This will occur as we complete the story innovation together.
Independent Practice:
Students will choose a short book from the classroom library and read it independently.
On a fresh page in their reader’s notebooks they will write the character they chose, the original traits of the character, and the new traits of the character. Students will write their own version of the story they read, changing the events as needed to reflect the new character traits. Students should keep the events in an appropriate sequence.
Closure:
Today we learned that when a character’s traits and actions change, the events of the story will change. This is important because it helps us understand how our actions have an effect on what happens in our lives.
Introduce Unit Project to students:
“Character Creations”
This project will consist of a few steps that will be carried out in lessons 7-9. Students are instructed to select a new book when they visit the library. They will read the book over the weekend, and a few more times when completing activities the following week. By next Friday (day 10), students will have identified their book’s main character, character traits, and supporting details. On Friday (day 10), to demonstrate their knowledge, students will create a poster that is descriptive of their character. They will orally share with the class information about their character’s traits, and how the character’s actions contributed to the story.
Assessment: Checklist:
The student: