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Reading Unit of Study:

Enchanted with the Magic of a Spellbinding Story

A Genre Study of Traditional Literature Grade 4

LESSONS INCLUDED IN THE UNIT OF STUDY:The following is a list of lessons that are included in the Traditional Literature Unit. Each lesson has been assigned a number that correlates to a number found in the upper right corner of each lesson, which signifies a suggested sequence or progression of the lessons. After analyzing the grade level expectations, district curriculum, and student needs, teachers should customize the mini‐lessons for their students. The mini‐lessons are based upon the grade‐ level expectations found in the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS objectives.

Minilesson Titles:Traditional Literature Lessons

Lesson Title Purpose TEKSTL 1 Characteristics of

Traditional LiteratureThoughtful readers identify the characteristics of traditional literature to deepen their comprehension.

4.3, 4.6. Fig 19D

TL 2 Envisioning to Understand Setting and Characters*

Thoughtful readers pay attention to details about the setting and character while using personal knowledge to create a mind movie of the setting.

4.3, 4.6, 4.6 B,

Fig 19DTL 3 Getting “Hooked In” to

the Story’s Problem and Resolution

Thoughtful readers identify and relate to the conflict/problem in a story and its resolution.

4.6, 4.6A, Fig

19DTL 4 Using the Problem to

identify the Lesson in a Fable

Thoughtful readers think about what the animal(s) can teach us to understand the lesson in a fable.

4.3, 4.3A,

TL 5 Who is the Trickster? Friend or Foe?

Thoughtful readers identify the trickster in fables and what we can learn from them.

4.6, Fig 19D

TL 6 Comparing the Exploits of the Trickster

Thoughtful readers compare and contrast the exploits of characters in a traditional tale.

4.3B, 4.6, Fig

19DTL 7 Determining the

Important Events in a Story

Thoughtful readers sift out the important events in the story by thinking about how they connect to the title and the story elements.

4.6, Fig 19D

TL 8 Every Story is Like a Rollercoaster Ride

Thoughtful readers determine the most important details from the story and can identify the rising action, climax, and falling action.

4.6, 4.6A, Fig

19DTL 9 Sequencing Important

Events to Investigating the Parts of a Summary – CPR*

Thoughtful readers use plot structure to determine the sequence of events to aid in understanding the parts of a summary.

4.6, 4.6A, Fig

19E,

TL 10

Constructing a Well-Crafted Summary with CPR

Thoughtful readers use CPR to construct a well-crafted summary.

4.6, 4.6A, Fig

19E,

2Curriculum DepartmentCypress Fairbanks I.S.D. – Draft – June 2015

Enchanted with the Magic of a Spellbinding Story – Traditional Literature Unit of Study Grade 4

Show What You Know: Test TalkLesson Title Purpose TEKS

TL 15

Show What You Know: Traditional Literature Test Talk

Thoughtful readers interpret the unique language of formal assessments and use the knowledge of the language to respond to multiple‐choice and short‐ answer questions.

4.6, 4.6A, 4.6 B Fig 19D

TL 17

Show What You Know: Test Talk‐ Summary

Thoughtful readers interpret the unique language of formal assessments and use the knowledge of the language to respond to multiple‐choice and short‐ answer questions

4.6, 4.6A, Fig

19E,D

Essential Understandings and Guiding Questions:



Understanding Structure and Elements of Traditional Literature:Students will understand that…

Traditional literature is written to entertain and/or teach a lesson. Students will be able to… Recognize the identifiable characteristics of traditional literature. Identify the narrative structure. Compare and contrast the different genres in traditional literature. Compare and contrast the adventures or exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster

in traditional literature)

Guiding Questions: What are the distinguishing features of traditional literature genres? How is traditional literature organized? How is traditional literature similar/different than other genres?

Story Elements/ Plot:Students will understand that…

A problem is a struggle that a character has with him/herself, other people (man), a group or community (society), or nature.

Problems create a conflict that a character(s) must work to overcome or resolve. Problems have solutions. Problems affect the outcome of the story and characters’ thoughts, feelings,

actions, and decisions. Important events in a story affect the story outcome and/or decisions, behavior,

and feelings of characters. Stories have a constant structure that includes characters, setting(s), problem,

and outcome.

Students will be able to… Identify the characters, setting, and main story problem. Identify the resolution to the problem. Determine how the problem changed or impacted the characters, events,

circumstances, and/or outcome of the story. Determine important details of a text selection. Determine important story events that affect the plot. Determine the rising action, climax, and falling action of a narrative text. Compare and contrast the adventures or exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster

in traditional literature)

Guiding Questions: What details does the author give you about the setting that helps you create the

movie in your mind? What lesson did the character(s) learn in the fable? How does the lesson learned apply to our daily life? How do authors use story structure to create entertaining tales? What is the main problem in the story? How does the story problem affect a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions and

decisions? 4

Curriculum DepartmentCypress Fairbanks I.S.D. – Draft – June 2015


How does the story problem impact other story events or circumstances? How do character’s work to overcome story problems? What strategies do good readers use to determine the importance of an event? Why does traditional literature have to have a sequence? How do events affect the story outcome and characters’ thoughts, feelings,

actions, and decisions? Compare or contrast the character’s exploits with another traditional story.

Sequence:Students will understand that…

A narrative text usually moves in chronological order; however, literary techniques such as flashback or foreshadowing may be present.

While some events are more important than others, the sequence of events helps readers visualize, recall, and determine the importance of events.

A narrative text has a sequence of events. Events are connected and affect other elements (character, conflict, resolution,

etc.) Events are sequentially placed in the story to push the plot forward.

Students will be able to… Use the text’s structure, sequence, and progression of ideas to locate and recall

information. Identify the order of key events that affect the plot. Identify the relationship between events in a narrative text.

Guiding Questions: How does the sequence of events affect the story outcome and characters’

thoughts, feelings, actions, and decisions? Which event happened before or after-? Which event happen first or last according to the story?

Summary:Students will understand that…

A summary helps a reader monitor his or her own comprehension by recalling the important ideas in a text.

A summary focuses on the reading selection as a whole. A summary is a concise account of a text written as a short paragraph. A summary is a paraphrased statement or gist of the story told in the readers own

words. A summary in traditional literature will include a lesson or moral implied in the

story.

Students will be able to… Summarize a written text. Identify the best summary of a narrative text selection. Write a summary of a narrative text and include the theme, lesson, or moral.

Guiding Questions: Why do good readers need to know how to summarize ideas in text?



What is a summary? What are the essential parts of a summary? What process do good readers use to determine the important ideas and details

found in a narrative text? What process do good readers use to determine the major events (what, how) and

details (who, where, when, why) found in a narrative text? What is the moral/lesson/theme of the story?

Genre and Comprehension Vocabulary:

Beast Tale – A folktale featuring animals that talk. Character – A person in a novel, play, or movie. Climax – A decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning

point in a plot. Conflict- In literature, the opposition of persons or forces that brings about

dramatic action central to the plot of a story. Cumulative Tale – A folktale in which story events are repeated with each new

episode, giving them a rhythmic quality. Determining Importance –Is a strategy that readers use to distinguish between

what information in a text is most important versus what information is interesting but not necessary for understanding.

Elements of fiction – Narrative elements including setting, characters, plot, and theme.



Fable – A folktale that demonstrates a useful truth and teaches a lesson. Usually including personified animals or natural elements such as the sun, fables appear to be simple but often convey abstract ideas.

Fairy Tale –A folktale about real problems but also involving magical creatures (as fairies, wizards, and goblins) —called also fairy story or wonder tales; a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending; a made-up story usually designed to mislead. Fairy tales have been handed down through oral language over the years.

Falling Action - The part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.

Folktale / Legend- A traditional fiction text about a people or “folk,” originally handed down orally from generation to generation. Folktales are usually simple tales and often involve talking animals. Fables, fairy tales, beast tales, trickster tales, realistic tales, cumulative tales, noodlehead tales, and pourquoi tales are some types of folktales.

Genre- The type or class of a work, usually categorized by form, technique, or content.

Internal response of a character- A response demonstrated through inner thoughts and feelings.

Magic helper – A stylistic element used by the author in the genre of fantasy to introduce magic into the story

Moral / Lesson – A lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience.

Noodlehead Story – A humorous folktale featuring one or more foolish characters who often behave in surprising ways, often making mistake after mistake but coming out on top in the end.

Literary Device – A specific convention or structure that is employed by the author to produce a given effect, such as imagery, irony, or foreshadowing. Literary devices are important aspects of an author’s style.

Plot- the basic sequence of events in a story. Point of View- The perspective from which the events in the story are told. Pourquoi Tale – A folktale intended to explain why things are the way they are,

usually having to do with natural phenonmena. Problem-and-Solution- an organizational structure in which the author

introduces the situation or conflict and then proceeds to explain how to correct the situation or resolve the conflict.

Rising Action- A series of related incidents builds toward the point of greatest interest. The rising action of a story is the series of events that begin immediately after the exposition (introduction) of the story and builds up to the climax.

Setting - The time and place in which a narrative occurs. Elements of setting may include the physical, psychological, cultural, or historical background against which the story takes place.

Sequence - A particular order in which related events, movements, or things follow each other.

Summarize- To reduce large sections of text to their essential points and main ideas.

Theme – The central or universal idea of a piece of fiction or the main idea of a nonfiction essay. A universal theme transcends social and cultural boundaries and speaks to a common human experience. A theme may be explicit or implicit.



In a work with an explicit theme, the author overly states the theme somewhere within the work. Implicit theme refers to the author’s ability to construct a piece in such a way that through inference the reader understands the theme.

Traditional literature- Stories that were originally oral and later became written text.

Trickster - one who tricks; dishonest person who defrauds others by trickery; a person (as a stage magician) skilled in the use of tricks and illusion; a cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures.

Visualizing – A strategy where readers create images in their minds that reflect or represent the ideas in the text. These images may include any of the five senses and serve to enhance understanding of the text.



Mentor Text for Traditional Literature:Fairy tales:Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (1989)Lon Po Po is a Red-Riding Hood story from China. Three young sisters; Shang, Tao and Paotze are left alone while their mother ventures off to visit their grandmother on her birthday. While the mother is away, a wolf, disguised as the grandmother tries to convince the sisters to let him into the house.

The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin (1998)In a village by the shores of Lake Ontario lived an invisible being. All the young women wanted to marry him because he was rich, powerful, and supposedly very handsome. But to marry the invisible being the women had to prove to his sister that they had seen him. And none had been able to get past the sister's stern, all-knowing gaze. Then came the Rough-Face girl, scarred from working by the fire. Could she succeed where her beautiful, cruel sisters had failed?

Cinderella by Marcia Brown (1997)In her haste to flee the palace before the fairy godmother's magic loses effect, Cinderella leaves behind a glass slipper.

The Magic Fish by Freya Littledale (1992)A greedy fisherman's wife is granted every wish but can't find happiness.

The Bremen Town Musicians by the Brothers Grimm (2007)Here is the classic Grimm's tale of a run-away donkey, a down-and-out dog, a cast-off cat, and a rooster ... about to be cooked. They set off together to Bremen to become the town musicians.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson (1993)A picture-book retelling of the Grimm fairy-tale about the king who locked his 12 daughters in their bedroom every night. Every morning 12 pairs of dancing shoes were found worn through, as though they had been dancing all night long.

Fables:http://www.read.gov/aesop/index.htm - Interactive Fables

Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric Kimmel (2002)It's a fine bright day, and all the animals are working--all except Anansi, that is! He's sleeping, as usual. Warthog, Lion, and Zebra laugh so hard at his messy house that they wake him up. Anansi stomps off in a huff--right into an amazing secret! Hyena has a magic stick that follows his orders. If Anansi steals the stick, he'll never have to work again, and his home will be the neatest one in town. Is the magic stick his secret for success? Or the beginning of disasters he can't even imagine?

Grasshopper & Ants by Jerry Pikney (2015)A playful grasshopper wonders why the busy ants around him won't join in his merrymaking as the seasons pass by. But when winter arrives, he soon sees the value of his friends' hard work--just as the ants learn the value of sharing what they've worked for. Featuring a striking, surprise gatefold page, this third book in Jerry Pinkney's gorgeous trilogy of picture book fables subtly suggests a resonant moral: Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.

The Crow and the Pitcher by Stephanie Gwyn Brown (2003)



http://www.read.gov/aesop/index.htm

A hot, dry desert. A tired, thirsty crow. A tall pitcher of water. Think you know the story? Think again! In her reinterpretation of Aesop's classic fable of perseverance, the author guides readers through all six steps of the scientific method—from question to communication—with Crow as the model scientist. But it takes a strong work ethic and a series of comic attempts before he invents a way to bring the water to a life-saving drinking level. Readers are ultimately invited into Crow's laboratory where they learn much more than just a moral to the story. A hip and funny treatment of the perseverance fable. Adapted to highlight the Scientific Method!

Iktomi and the Boulder by Paul Goble (1991)Iktomi, a Plains Indian trickster, attempts to defeat a boulder with the assistance of some bats, in this story which explains why the Great Plains are covered with small stones.

Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric Kimmel (1993)Anansi the spider plans to trick Turtle into catching a fish for his dinner, but Turtle proves to be smarter and ends up with a free meal. Explains the origin of spider webs.

Folktales /Legends:The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie de Paola (1996)When a killing drought threatens the existence of the tribe, a courageous little Comanche girl sacrifices her most beloved possession--and the Great Spirit's answer results not only in much needed rain but a very special gift in return.

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton (1993)"The well-known author retells 24 black American folk tales in sure storytelling voice: animal tales, supernatural tales, fanciful and cautionary tales, and slave tales of freedom. All are beautifully readable. With the added attraction of 40 wonderfully expressive paintings by the Dillons, this collection should be snapped up."

Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs (2000)Swamp Angel can lasso a tornado, and drink an entire lake dry. She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake.

Who Was Davy Crockett? by Gail Herman (2013)Davy Crockett, the King of the Wild Frontier, is a man of legend. He is said to have killed his first bear when he was three years old. His smile alone killed another, and he skinned a bear by forcing him to run between two trees. Fact or fiction? Find out the real story of this folk hero, who did love to hunt bears, served as a congressman for Tennessee, and fought and died at the Alamo.

Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch by (1992)When Allashua disobeys her parents and goes fishing on the sea ice, she has to use her wits to escape and to further trick the Qallupilluit when she promises to bring her brothers and sister back to them.

The Girl Who Loved Horses by Paul Goble (1993)There was a girl in the village who loved horses... She led the horses to drink at the river. She spoke softly and they followed. People noticed that she understood horses in a special way." And so begins the story of a young Native American girl devoted to the care of her tribe's horses. With simple text and brilliant illustrations. Paul Goble tells how she eventually becomes one of them to forever run free.



Fractured Fairy Tales: Who doesn’t love fractured fairy tales? But they are not traditional literature because they have not been passed down or retold orally. They follow the same structure as traditional literature with a simplistic plot. Even though they are not traditional literature, it is still a good idea to bring them in, but only after you have taught the classic tale first. Students can compare and contrast the original with the new tale that has been composed. It can demonstrate how stories can be transformed and synthesized.

Prince Cinders by Babette Cole (1997)All Prince Cinders ever does is clean, scrub and tidy up after his three big, hairy brothers. Until one Saturday night, when a small, dirty fairy falls down a chimney, and promises that all his wishes will come true. A zany twist to the traditional Cinderella story.

Seriously, Cinderella Is SO Annoying! The Story of Cinderella as Told by the Wicked Stepmother (The Other Side of the Story) by Trisha Speed Shaskan (2011)OF COURSE you think Cinderella was the sweetest belle of the ball. You don't know the other side of the story. Well, let me tell you...

True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John ScieszkaIn this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.”

Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!: The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf (The Other Side of the Story) by Trisha Speed Shaskan (2011)OF COURSE you think I did a horrible thing by eating Little Red Riding Hood and her granny. You don't know the other side of the story. Well, let me tell you...

The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka (1994)After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince and they lived happily ever after... or "did they?" The Princess can't stand the Prince's froggy habits - the way he hops around on the furniture, or sneaks off to the lily pond. The Prince is unhappy, too, and decides that it would be best if he were changed back to a frog. But finding a witch who will do the job is harder than he expects. They all seem to have other spells in mind...

The Silly Billies by Margie Palatini (2005)"Hold your horsepower," said the little man with a stamp, a stomp, and a snort. "This is a troll bridge. I'm the Troll. Now, start passing the buck." Bill Bob, Billy Bo, and Just Plain Billy don't have enough money to cross the troll bridge. But by pooling their pennies with the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack, the Three SIlly Billies are able to pay the toll and cross the deep river in jolly good style. And there's a whopping surprise in store for the Troll!



Minilesson: Characteristics of Traditional Literature TL 1

Objective(s): Readers identify the characteristics of traditional literature to deepen their comprehension using a characteristic chart.

TEKS: 4.3

Fig 19 D

Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: This lesson should be a review. Students begin studying Traditional Literature in Kindergarten starting with fairy tales and scaffolding from those.Teachers are encouraged to read a variety of mentor texts that reflect the different genres categorized as traditional literature. The TEKS assessed on STAAR for 4th grade level include the following genres/examples:4th grade: as above and trickster talesIt would be suggested to look at the 3rd grade TEK and 5th grade TEKAlso use this first study to practice Reading Workshop procedures –

Assign spots on the carpet (keep struggling readers near you or any discipline problems)

Create carper partnerships – elbow or shoulder partners Practice coming to the carpet quickly – use a timer (should only

take a minute once spots have been assigned)This lesson may be different than most as it is the first where students are discovering the characteristics of traditional literature. Bring them back to the carpet at the end of the lesson 10 minutes earlier to discuss what they noticed and finish the characteristics chart.

Materials: • Familiar fictional texts (traditional literature Genre Tubs) shorter text so students can read multiple – this genre is not about length or difficulty but about connecting characters and theme’s

• Traditional Literature Genre Comparison anchor chart • Teacher and student notebooks• Chart paper and markers

Connect: connect today’s work

with ongoing work state teaching point

Readers, Today we are going to start a new unit. This will give us an opportunity to apply what we have learned in Launching our Reading Workshop. It will also give us the opportunity to practice those procedures we are learning. Our first genre we will be studying is Traditional Literature. Just like all genre’s Traditional Literature has specific characteristics that make it different from other fiction text. Characteristics means what it looks like, what features it has, or what it sounds like. What makes Traditional Literature different from other types of fiction?

Teach: restate teaching point tell story related to

teaching point model & think aloud point out things

students should notice

Hold up familiar traditional text or name a few examples here: Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Anansi the Spider, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.) Remind them that they may remember these stories from 3rd grade. Tell them that Traditional Literature are stories that were passed down orally or told over and over again for entertainment or to teach an important lesson. The stories were finally written down. In contrast to modern stories, traditional literature does not have an identifiable author because they were written down many years later.

There are many types of traditional literature. Some of them include folktales, tall tales, fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales. Use a familiar

text to begin explaining and pointing out some of the characteristics of traditional literature. Do not point out all of the characteristics. Students should discover some as they read today during independent time.

Characteristics of Traditional Literature Passed down from generation to generation (orally) Purpose to entertain or to teach a valuable lesson to children Narrative structure – sequential order

Plot: Must Have:

Easy Plot with setting, characters, conflict and resolution.*Record at the end of the workshop:

Conflict that is quickly evident Good vs. Evil or Right vs. Wrong Settings without much detail Moral / Lessons learned at the end of a story Happy endings Resolutions that wrap up the tale

Could Have: Once upon a time…. And they all lived happily ever after A quest

Characters: Must Have:

Characters that are easily identified as good or bad Some are animals that act like people to teach a lesson

Could Have: trickster small and powerless characters who triumph Animals that talk Relationships among the gods

Read aloud from the familiar text. Model for students by thinking aloud when you notice a characteristic that tells you this is traditional literature. As you encounter a characteristic of traditional literature you may add it to an anchor chart, similar to the one that follows. Do not discuss all of the characteristics of traditional literature. Allow students the opportunity to try to add some ideas to the chart during their active engagement and independent time. It is suggested that teachers create a chart to compare the different genres found in traditional literature.

Active Engagement: ask partners to turn &

talk listen, observe, & coach share example of what

you heard or observed

Give the partnerships a reproduced version of, or display with a projector, a familiar traditional literature text that you have already read in class or other easily readable examples of stories that fall within this genre category. Invite them to look through the text searching for any characteristics they have noticed that have not yet been added to the Characteristics of Traditional Literature anchor chart. Listen to students’ conversations with each other, so that you are able to discuss and record their thoughts about additional genre characteristics to the anchor chart.



Link: restate teaching point tell how learning can

be used in future

Readers, today and every day, when you are reading your books be thinking of the characteristics that you see. You may have to read more than one book to discover the characteristics that are in both. You may remember some from last year and see if you can locate them and record the characteristics in your notebook. Make sure you back it up with proof from the text. Reading and noticing a book’s characteristics is a valuable skill that you will be able to use this year.

Independent Reading: students practice

strategy in genre specific text

teacher pulls groups or confers with students and notes progress

Option 1: Students may reread some of the traditional literature books for which they have already been exposed and try to find more features that could be added to the anchor chart.

Reader’s Notebook Option:

Title:Page no.

Traditional Fiction genre features I have noticed:

Option 2: Students may read their independent reading books to determine whether their books have characteristics of traditional literature and whether they may be categorized within that genre.

Sticky Note Option:I know this is traditional literature because . . .

Prompts: What are you noticing as a reader today? What features in your story tell you that this is Traditional Literature?

Share: a chance for students

to discuss their learning

teacher highlights exemplar work

Pull students back to the carpet with their reader’s notebook. Discuss the characteristics that they noticed while reading. Have the students share and fill in the chart together.Once the students are back to their seats have them share with their partners something they discovered or call on specific students to share.

Minilesson: Envisioning to Understand Setting and Characters TL 2

Objective(s): Readers pay attention to details about the setting and character while



using personal knowledge to create a mind movie of the setting by using a sketch in their reader’s notebook.

TEKS: 4.6

4.6 A

Fig 19 C

Fig 19 D

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Students are expected to describe the interactions of characters including their relationships and the changes they undergo.Monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge, creating sensory images, rereading a portion aloud, and generating questions).Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: Because the students are visualizing, it would be a great idea to type out or find traditional literature passages so the students can practice using only the words to visualize and sketch out what they are visualizing. You would need different levels to accommodate all your readers.Remember that this is another opportunity to rehearse proper Reader Workshop procedures. Students should come to the carpet prepared and quietly ready to learn. They may need several tries. Practice makes perfect – do not give into poor routines and behaviors. Coming to the carpet quickly – use timer – (1-2 minutes) Assigned seats on the carpet Turn and talk with their shoulder partners Going back to their seats Using randomness when calling on students (sticks, name charts, or

phone app with students name) During independent time students are working quietly – use this time to

set routines and expectations. Compliment and reward what you expect.

Materials: • Familiar traditional literature/ Typed up table copies of traditional literature stories without pictures (remember student’s reading levels – accommodate all readers)

• Teacher and student notebooks• Drawing materials• Chart paper and markers• http://www.read.gov/aesop/index.htm - Interactive Fables



Readers, today, we are going to practice visualizing. When we visualize we picture what we are reading in our minds. We make a movie. When I read a book, I can see everything just like I’m watching TV. It is so vivid and colorful, like I am there. It starts the moment I open the book. We all know what the setting is – the time and place. That’s easy to picture. We just look for key phrases in the text to help us turn on the movie and make it come alive! We can use our five senses – think about what would you see, feel, touch, smell, and hear. Become the character and let the small details bring the story alive.


teaching point

Instruct students to create a vivid mind movie that will help them better understand their stories and make the reading much more interesting. Before they practice in books, have them create a mind movie from their




model & think aloud point out things students

should notice

own personal experience. Model thinking of a place that matters to you (your house, park, store, neighborhood, etc.). Think aloud about all the details you recall about that place. Recall in your mind to students as you draw it on paper – the sights, sounds, emotions attached. Really focus on making the moment come alive for students.Share with students that animals are typically the characters in fables, but they have been given human-like qualities. This is called personification. Inform students that thoughtful readers imagine the characters as “people” that talk, move, and behave in certain ways as they read fables. Tell students that they need to use what they know about human behavior to help them imagine and understand the characters in fables. Read aloud a section from a familiar fable to students. It is important to choose a portion of text that offers enough character behavior for you to visualize.Explain to students that as they read, thoughtful readers need to “paint” and mental picture just like they would paint it on paper. However, readers MUST also use the details the author provides. Inform them that thoughtful readers first use the author’s details and then fill in with their own personal experience when needed. Read aloud a section from a familiar fable to students, pausing to think aloud about the details the author gives and how that helps you imagine the setting and character. Explain what you can tell about the character based on how it behaves. You may want to make the Character Trait Words available to students who are having difficulty expressing a character’s traits or feelings. If needed, explain how you can add in some details from your own experience to help make the movie in your mind clearer. Remember to include more than just what you see in your description. Summarize what you did for students. You may say something like, “Did you see how I paused frequently while I was reading to put myself in the character’s shoes and imagine the setting?”

Active Engagement: ask partners to turn & talk listen, observe, & coach share example of what you

heard or observed

Tell students that it is now their turn to try it out! Read another portion of the fable, or text from a different familiar fable. Again, it needs to lend itself toward strong visualizing. Pause throughout your reading to prompt students to create mind movies. You may ask them to first think about how the character looks, what it is doing, what it sounds like, etc. Then to think about what the setting in the story is like, ask them to describe that place in detail. Remind them to use details about sights, sounds, smells, emotions to help the other person feel like they are there. Invite students to turn and talk with their partner about what they are envisioning in their minds. Listen in on conversations and coach students that need help with describing in detail. After a couple of minutes, call the class back to attention and let them know they are going to try it again with another story. You may assign partners to be Partner A and Partner B. Each partner takes on a different character and describes and acts out what they envision. After a minute, call the class back to attention. You may choose to have a couple of students share what they envisioned or recap what you noticed yourself. To push the level of independence, you may choose to read the same portion of text again, asking students to stop and jot (or sketch) what



they picture when you are done into their reader’s notebooks. This is helpful in getting them ready for the work they will do in their independent reading.

Link: restate teaching point tell how learning can be

used in future

Readers, today and every day we can use the strategy of envisioning to help us understand the story. By bringing in your five senses it assist us as readers to better connect with what we are reading and understand our characters. By stopping and sketching we are training our brains to visualize what we are reading. We can add this strategy to our “toolkits” and it will helps us gain a better understanding of what we are reading.

Independent Reading: students practice strategy

in genre specific text teacher pulls groups or

confers with students and notes progress

Have the students read traditional literature text (preferable without pictures) and draw the setting and characters based on what they read in their reading journals and use three words to describe the main character.

Setting: (Draw)

Text Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Characters: (Draw)

Text Evidence: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prompts: How’s it going? What are you working on as a reader today? What details does the author give you about the setting? What ideas/experiences do you have that are helping you create a

movie in your mind? Can you describe to me what you are envisioning as you read?

What do you envision the character looking like/sounding like/behaving like?

What does that show you about the character? Describe what you are picturing to me.

Share: Students will share what they saw when they were reading with a partner or teacher may call on individuals to share their pictures.

Minilesson: Getting “Hooked In” to the Story’s Problem and Resolution TL 3

Objective(s): Readers identify and relate to the conflict/problem in a story and its resolution by using a graphic organizer in our reader’s notebook.



TEKS: 4.6

Fig 19 D

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: If conducting a multi-day study of story elements, you may want to return to the same story and the same partially-filled-out graphic organizer that you began on a previous day.*Remember you are also reinforcing routines and procedures of Reading Workshop. Inspect what you Expect.

Materials: • Familiar fictional texts (look at suggested books)• Story Elements & Plot PowerPoint• Optional: Teacher-made anchor chart for Understanding Traditional

Literature• Story Map Graphic Organizer (see Story Elements Graphic Organizers

file).• Teacher and student notebooks• Chart paper and markers• http://www.read.gov/aesop/index.htm - Interactive Fables



Readers, we have been exploring Traditional Literature. We know that all fiction stories have the same elements. These elements are setting, characters, conflict or problem, important events, and resolution. (Create cards and hold them up or have an anchor chart that students can refer to- ask students to explain each) We have identified and visualized the characters and the setting to assist us in understanding the story. Now we are going to take a closer look at the conflict or problem in Traditional Literature and how it’s resolved or solved.


teaching point model & think aloud point out things students

should notice

Display the Story Elements & Plot PowerPoint. Inform the students that conflicts are the difficulties or challenges characters face and work to solve in a story. Conflicts or problems are introduced towards the beginning of a story, in the beginning, because this is what grabs the readers’ attention and makes them want to continue reading the story. The problem (or conflict) hooks the reader and keeps them reading until the problem is resolved. Refer to the example from The Three Little Pigs to illustrate the concept of “hooking” the reader. Explain to students that the problem in Traditional Literature is not always obvious. For example, in The Lion and the Mouse, the lion gets trapped and needs help. Students would be quick to state that is the problem in the story because in the end, he gets free. However, the true problem in the fable is connected to the lesson learned and the flaws in the characters. The problem in the story is sometimes connected to the lesson or moral in the story and the character that learns the lesson. Revisit one of the familiar texts and read aloud the portion where the problem/conflict is first introduced. Pause and think aloud about the problem, what makes it interesting, and how it hooks you as a reader. Model writing your thoughts into your reader’s notebook. Model for students how you use the guiding questions listed below to determine the problem. You may choose to add these questions to your Understanding Traditional Literature anchor chart, similar to the one that follows, to provide a visual for students.




Understanding Traditional Literature:What is the lesson in the story?Who learns the lesson?What was the character like at the beginning of the story? The end?What changed in the character?The problem was…The problem was solved by ….How…

When thinking about your response to the last question, point out to students that the change in the character is usually associated with a flaw. For example, in the beginning of The Lion and the Mouse, the lion was arrogant/ overconfident (explain arrogant or use synonym). Being helped by a little mouse helped him to be more humble (explain humble with a synonym). The problem in the story was that the lion was arrogant.Recap the thinking you did to determine the problem in Traditional Literature. “Did you see how I…?”

Active Engagement: ask partners to turn & talk listen, observe, & coach share example of what you

heard or observed

Tell the students that they are going to have a turn trying this on their own. Invite the students to listen for the problem/conflict as you read aloud from another familiar text. After you read aloud from the section that identifies the problem, pause and ask the students to think about the problem/conflict in the story and write it into their reader’s notebook. After a minute or two, invite them to think how this problem is interesting and hooks them as a reader. Ask them to also write these thoughts into their reader’s notebook. After a few minutes, ask them to turn to a partner and share what makes it an interesting conflict and how it hooks them as a reader and encourages them to continue on. Listen in on students’ conversations so you are able to record their thoughts about the problem/conflict on the Story Map graphic organizer.


used in future

Readers, today and every day, we know that fictional stories all have conflicts that get resolved or solved. It’s this conflict that “hooks” me as a reader. Just like the character, I usually learn something from what I am reading. Today, identify the main conflict in the story and who or what is causing that conflict and record that information in your reader’s notebook. Then identify how that conflict gets resolved. Think about who solved it and how did they solve it. And remember that with Traditional Literature our characters usually learn a lesson from how the problem is solved and are changed from the problem. Just like when you learn lesson you are changed.

Independent Reading: a chance for students to

discuss their learning teacher highlights

exemplar work

Students should continue reading Traditional Literature Text and writing in their reader’s notebook. They can either use sticky notes, a graphic organizer, or create their own chart in their notebooks.




Title:_____________________________________________ (character) has a problem because _____________________. This problem hooks me as a reader because it makes me ____________. It gets solved by_________ when _______________________________.


Prompts: How’s it going? What are you working on as a reader today? What have you noticed about the conflict/problem in the story? How does keeping track of the conflict/problem help you as a

reader? What are you noticing about the fables you have been reading? What do you think is the problem in this story? What makes you

think that?Share:Share: a chance for students to

discuss their learning teacher highlights

exemplar work

Have students share what they have learned or noticed in their reading. You can either have them share with their tablemates, partnerships, or individually.

Minilesson: Using the Problem to Identify the Lesson in a Fable TL 4Objective(s): Readers think about what the animal(s) can teach us to understand the lesson in a

fable.TEKS: 4.6 Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and

elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.



Title:Page

#: Conflict/Problem: Resolution: What: Who solved it:

How:What I learned:

Notes: You will need to print off some fables for the students to read. Most fables have the moral stated at the bottom of the story. You will need to remove this for students to practice identifying what they have learned or what their character learned from their trials.Again this is still the opportunity to practice your reading workshop routines and procedures. You should be reviewing the expectations daily.

Materials: • Familiar fables previously shared with students (see suggest book list)• Teacher and student notebooks• Understanding Fables Anchor Chart (optional – however I would post moral up

in the room)• Chart paper and markers• http://www.read.gov/aesop/index.htm - Interactive Fables

Connect: connect

today’s work with ongoing work

state teaching point

Readers, you have been doing such a great job at using the new strategies that you are learning. Yesterday, we discussed how the story’s problem or conflict hooks us into reading. You all identified the conflict and how it was resolved. We talked briefly about how in most Traditional Literature there is a lesson or moral, especially when we are reading fables. Today we are only going to be looking at Fables and zooming into the lesson or moral we learn from them.

Teach: restate

teaching point

tell story related to teaching point

model & think aloud

point out things students should notice

Remind students that the animals play an important role in the overall message of a fable. Their actions and experiences are used to teach a lesson or moral. We already know how to visualize the characters and ask ourselves this question – What does this show me about the character? Today we are going to focus on what problem the character had and what they learned from solving it.Read aloud a short, familiar fable to the class. Before you start, inform students that you will be thinking about what problem the animal/character had by asking the Understanding Fables Questions. After reading, pause and focus on thinking about one character in the story. Model this for students by thinking aloud about your answers to the following questions:

What was the lesson learned in story? Which character learned the lesson? What did that animal teach me?

Afterwards, review and discuss with the students the steps you completed: 1) Read the story as you think about what the animal’s problem is.

2) When you finish reading, think about your answers to the above questions.

Active Engagement: ask partners to

turn & talk listen, observe,

& coach share example

of what you heard or observed

Inform students that they are now going to have the opportunity to use this strategy. Remind students, as they listen to the story, to think about what is the problem the animal is having. Depending on the level of experience of your students, you may choose to tell them which character you want them to focus on. Reread another short, familiar fable to the class. After reading the text, give students a moment to think about their answers to the questions you used in the “teach” portion of the lesson. Direct them to write their thoughts and ideas onto sticky notes or into their reader’s notebooks. After a few minutes, invite the students to turn and share their answers with their partner. While they are talking, you should be moving around the group to assess understanding. Bring the class




back to attention and share a couple of students’ responses with the class.Link: restate

teaching point tell how

learning can be used in future

Readers, fables are short stories usually with animals acting like people to teach us a valuable lesson. We learn the lesson or moral by examining the conflict in the story and identifying how it was resolved. We ask ourselves questions to figure out what lesson the character learned and us, the reader. Today you are going to continue your work with Traditional Literature but we will only be reading Fables and examining the lessons we learn from them.

Independent Reading: students

practice strategy in genre specific text


Students should be reading fables and figuring out the lesson or moral and writing in their reader’s notebook.

Sticky Note or Reader’s Notebook Option:

Prompts: How’s it going? What are you working on as a reader today? What do you think is the lesson in the story? Which animal learned that lesson? What can the characters in your story teach you?

Share: a chance for

students to discuss their learning


Have students write a lesson they learned from their fable on a sticky note and have them place them on a poster as their exit ticket.

Minilesson: Who is the Trickster: Friend or Foe TL 5Objective(s): Readers identify characteristics of a trickster in fables and folktales by using

the details in the text and their reader’s notebook.TEKS: 4.3 Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme

and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.



Title:

Character: ______________________________________Moral / lesson of the Fable: ________________________Why do we need to learn this? _____________________

4.3 B

Fig 19 D

Compare and contrast the adventures of exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster) in traditional and classical literature.Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: This is a two-part lesson. Today students will determine who the trickster is. In the next lesson they will read another trickster tale and compare and contrast the two characters adventures. Choose two short trickster tales to read from or a familiar one from earlier in the unit to reread for a different purpose. Students will need trickster tales. I would recommend students working independently on this lesson and in groups on the next lesson. They can be reading the same tale based on levels and tomorrow group students reading the same tale together to compare and contrast. For example, assign an Anansi tale to work on independently. Tomorrow pull all the Anansi readers together and give them an Iktomi story for them to read and compare.

Materials: Familiar Traditional Literature Books ( Trickster Tale – Anansi, Coyote, and Iktomi will work)

Anchor Chart – Trickster Tales Teacher and student notebooks Chart paper and markers



Reader’s yesterday we identified that Fables and Folktales teach us lessons. Once we identify the problem we realized that our characters learned lesson once they resolve the problem. I also mentioned that usually our character had a flaw or something wrong with him and that is why there was a lesson to be learned. Today, we are going to look closer at a particular character called the “trickster.” Many of our Fables and Folktales are trickster tales.

Teach: restate teaching

point tell story related to



Explain that a trickster tale is a short story in which animals or other creatures talk, and act like people. One character, the trickster, uses clever pranks or traps to fool another character. Often the trickster is much smaller than the character he fools. Sometimes the trickster wants to help others, but other times the trickster only want to help himself. These trickster tales often teach a lesson. The tales show when people make bad choices. When we read the tale, we have to pay attention to the title. The title usually identifies the trickster. Each character stands for the ways humans behave. Tell the students to pay attention to each character. Ask them to try to pick up human traits or qualities or any action that reminds them of people. Read students a trickster tale stopping, thinking and pointing out the characteristics of the trickster and recording it on the trickster anchor chart. Focus on:

Characteristics - key traits (ex; lazy, boastful etc. ;) How can you tell that the animal is the trickster? What actions stand out as the trickster? Which animals did he fool? Why did he fool the animals?




Have the students turn and talk about how the animals act like people. Ask the students to share with their partner what they felt the lesson was of the story? Listen in and then have certain groups share out. Add their comments to the chart.




be used in future

Readers, today and every day when reading Fables and Folktales we examine how these animals act like people. We identify the trickster in these tales because we know the problem and the lesson will be centered around them and their flaws. The tale shows when people make bad choices. Being able to define the characteristics of the trickster will help us better understand trickster tales.




Students will read a trickster tale and sketch the trickster surrounding the sketch with characteristics from the story. Have students use text evidence with describing the actions and characteristics of the trickster. Trickster tales are usually short so students should have time to draw out their character.

Prompts: Who were the characters in the tale? Which character was the trickster? How do you? Which animals did the trickster fool? Why did he fool these animals? What was the lesson? Do you think the trickster learned his lesson?

Share: a chance for



Have students share their sketch of their trickster and a key characteristic that stood out about the character.

Minilesson: Comparing the Exploits of the Trickster TL 6

Objective(s): Readers sift compare and contrast the exploits of the trickster in traditional tales using a Venn Diagram or other comparison chart.

TEKS: 4.3

4.3 B

Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.Compare and contrast the adventures of exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster) in traditional and classical literature.



Fig 19 D

Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: Choose a graphic organizer to use for comparison. Most students are familiar with a Venn Diagram. I would recommend students working in groups for this lesson since this is the first time for them to compare and make connections across text. Choose groups based on trickster tales read. Have students complete the diagram together. You can have them work on an enlarged chart or one for each student. Monitor each group and use prompts to keep on task. End workshop earlier to allow groups to share responses. Have students read second story together (passages or 6 pack of books). Tumblebooks has some trickster tales and you can create a playlist. Some of your struggling students may benefit from this feature. The purpose of this lesson is for the students to compare different trickster, however, some students may compare stories with the same trickster. This forces the students to look at their adventure and lesson. I would suggest this for your struggling students who read below level.

Materials: • Familiar Trickster Tales• Teacher and student notebooks• Chart paper and markers• Trickster Anchor Chart• Picture cards of tricksters you have been reading about• Venn Diagram or other comparison chart (enlarged for group or 1 per

student)Connect: connect today’s

work with ongoing work


Readers, Yesterday we discussed the “trickster” in some traditional tales and how they have certain characteristics and usually we learn a lesson through their actions. Well, today we are going to compare and contrast the tricksters from some of our tales. By finding connections between characters it helps us make predictions in other similar text.


point tell story related

to teaching point

model & think aloud

point out things students should notice

Using a Venn Diagram or other comparison chart and explain that when we compare with find like qualities. We use words like both, alike, same as, or similar. When we contrast we find different qualities. We use words like but, different, unlike, however, or opposite of. (Create an anchor chart or word wall to add to later as the year continues) Hold up to similar items. (pencil vs. pen or two different books) Have the students tell how they are similar and different orally.Compliment them using comparing and contrasting words. Hold up the pictures of your tricksters and refer back to your trickster anchor chart. Review with the students their stories. Talk out what you notice is the same (only a couple) about your tricksters. Show students that on the Venn Diagram the same items go in the middle. Talk out what is the opposite with the tricksters in these stories. Show them how the opposites go on each side of the Venn Diagram and are opposite. For example if one was tall then the other would be short on the other side of the Venn Diagram. Students tend to only focus on what they can see – remind them to look at the purpose and exploits or adventures of the trickster. Leave at least one difference and one similarity for the students to discuss. May need more depending on your groups.

Active Engagement: ask partners to

Have students turn and talk about the similarities and differences of the tricksters. Listen in compliment students thinking and if they are using



turn & talk listen, observe, &

coach share example of

what you heard or observed

comparing and contrasting words. Have students share all their findings. Call on multiple groups. Add their findings to the Venn Diagram. Clarify any confusing statements or questions.

Link: restate teaching

point tell how learning

can be used in future

Readers, Today and every day we make connections across text by finding similarities and differences in our characters and stories. Today we compared and contrasted a couple of our tricksters in our traditional tales. This will helps us make predictions as we read other similar stories. Working in groups you are going to complete a Venn Diagram or other comparison chart comparing your tricksters. One story, you have read, today you will read another and compare and contrast or discover how your tricksters are alike and different with your group.

Independent Reading: students

practice strategy in genre specific text


Students should be working in groups comparing and contrasting their tricksters and recording the details on the chart. Listen in as students are reading. Use prompts to keep them on target. Remind students of the purpose of the trickster’s exploits. Also draw student’s attention to the lesson of the fable. Students can complete individual charts or a group chart. If grading, develop a rubric for the group project.

Optional: Have students choose which trickster they like the best and to use details to explain why that trickster stood out.

Prompts: How are the tricksters alike…? How are they different…? What was the trickster trying to accomplish in this tale…? What lesson did the trickster learn or the other animals…? This trickster is … But this trickster is … The things they have in common are … The things that are different…

Share:

Close lesson early to allow time for groups to share. Have the groups explain their comparison charts and what they noticed about their tricksters. Hang the charts up. Call on students to share their favorite trickster with one reason why they like them.

Minilesson: Determining the Important Events in the Story TL 7

Objective(s): Readers sift out the important events in the story by thinking about how they connect to the problem and resolution.

TEKS: 4.6

Fig 19 D

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: You will want to choose a story that you can use over two days. Today you will



Important Events

demonstrate important vs unimportant events. Keep your t-chart so you can use it on the next lesson.

Materials: • Familiar Traditional Literature Books• Teacher and student notebooks• Chart paper and markers



Readers, we have been looking at the trickster in our traditional tales and how we can learn from them. Today, we will go back to looking at the whole story. When we look at the whole story, we have to look at all the events in the story. Today, we will learn why and how it’s critical to pull out the necessary events that connect to the problem in a story. We will analyze important details vs. unimportant details as they relate to the story.





Tell a story about when you met with your friends to share about a favorite book you recently read or a movie you saw. Explain that you don’t tell every event from the book or movie. You summarize which means you tell the most important events and leave out the unimportant events.

Revisit a familiar fable with students. It would be most effective if you use a text presented during the Understanding the Lesson in a Fable lesson. Explain to students that you are going to model how to determine if the story events relate to solving the problem. Are these story events important or unimportant?

Be sure to emphasize to students that the main events at the beginning of a story affects what happens later. While reading, if students get confused about what’s happening, ask them to return to reread the beginning of the story to find the event that caused this to happen.




As you revisit a familiar fable with students, be sure to highlight the problem that the main character must solve. Reiterate that the main character’s problem leads to the story conflict or struggle. Share with the class that you will use a t-chart to sift through details of the text.

Remember, beforehand, to select 4-6 events/details. Remind students to refer back to the story problem to determine if the event is important or unimportant. You will model the first for them and write the event/detail under the correct column. Then, you will share another event and take a poll stating for students to use thumbs up/thumbs down to determine if the event is important or unimportant to the story problem.Next, give the students 2 more events/details and ask them to turn and talk with their partner. They should justify with their partner which detail/event should go under the correct side of the t-chart. Listen in on conversations so you can assess understanding and coach students.Bring the class back to focus. You may choose to have a couple of students



Unimportant Events

Important Eventsshare their discussion, or you may share what you heard in conversations. Link: restate teaching point tell how learning can

be used in future

Today and every day, readers sift out the important events in the story by thinking about how they connect to the problem/resolution. Remind students that they can use the t-chart strategy every time they read to help determine if the event is important or unimportant. Invite students to use the same fable they read yesterday. Ask them to create a t-chart in their reading notebooks to justify their placement of events as important or unimportant.





Prompts: How’s it going? What are you working on in your reading today? Tell me about the events in your story? Which events do you thing are important? Why? Which events do you thing are unimportant? Why? How are the events connected to the problem and/or resolution?

Share: a chance for


Teacher highlights exemplar work

Students will share important event in their story and one that is not important and explain.

Minilesson: A Story is Like a Rollercoaster Ride TL 8Objective(s): Readers identify the rising action, climax, and falling action of a story using a

graphic organizer.TEKS: 4.6

4.6 A

Fig 19 D

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Students are expected to sequence and summarize the plot’s main events and explain their influence on future events.Make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.

Notes: Yesterday students spent time choosing the most important events. They



Unimportant Events

will now decide where those events fall on the story rollercoaster. Use the same story you used yesterday. You will walk students through the details and place them on the chart thinking aloud.

Materials: Familiar fictional text (traditional literature) Plot Line Graphic Organizer - Rollercoaster (see Story Elements Graphic

Organizers file) Teacher and student notebooks Chart paper and markers Anchor chart – rising action, climax, falling action



Readers, we have been studying Traditional Literature. And just like all fiction stories Traditional Literature contains a setting, characters, conflict and a resolution. Yesterday, we sifted through details to determine the most important parts and placed them on this chart. Today, we are going to look at those details again, but this time we are going to see how they are connected to tell us a complete story by knowing the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.




Tell the students that reading a story is like riding a rollercoaster. We start with the set-up. This is when the ride begins and we start reading the book. The author sets us up by telling us who’s in the story, where the story takes place, and we are quickly introduced to the problem. ( place those details on your rollercoaster chart) Then we have the “Rising Action.” This is the longest part of the story. We get to know the characters and their relationships. This part has many events as we are climbing toward the most exciting part of the story, the climax. (Walk through the rising action of the story you have been demonstrating with by putting those events on the chart) “The Climax” is the highest point in the story or the very top of the rollercoaster, right before you drop. It doesn’t last long, maybe a few paragraphs. Just enough to make the readers hold their breath in suspense and ask “What’s going to happen next?” It’s where the main character knows what to do to solve the problem. It’s the turning point. (Identify the climax of your story and place on the chart) Then comes the “Falling Action.” This is fast paced. You are finally speeding down the tracks with your hands in the air! “Does the bad guy get caught? Or Does my main character get what she wants?” It’s all leading up to the resolution. ( Walk the students through the falling action of your story and place it on the chart) “The Resolution” is how things worked out in the end after the character gets or doesn’t get what they wanted. This is where your character changes. Your character must change over the course of the book. (Walk the students through the resolution of the story and place it on the chart.)

Active Engagement:

ask partners to turn & talk

listen, observe, & coach share example of what


Have the students turn and share what they know about the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Have them use the chart to tell their partners. Then have the students turn and discuss how the character changed through the story.


used in future

Readers, today and every day we can think of reading like riding a rollercoaster. Looking for how the book sets us up by giving us the setting, the characters, and the problem. Then how it moves to the rising action,



climax, and falling action to finally the resolution. As you continue to read and analyze your details think about where your details fit in on the chart. Once you complete your chart, use it to tell the story and make sure you know how your character changed. All this helps us deepen our comprehension of the stories we are reading.

Independent Reading:

students practice strategy in genre specific text


Students are completing the story rollercoaster graphic organizer or drawing one in their notebooks using their details from yesterday. Make sure they are including how the character was changed at the end. You may have to assist with the rising and falling action. Remind students that events are placed in a story for a reason. Good questions to keep them thinking: How are the events contributing to the story? If I took it out would I still have a story?

Prompts: Possible Prompts: How’s it going? What are you noticing as a reader today? Tell me about this detail, how does it support the problem? How do you know this detail goes in the rising action? What helped the character solve the problem? What have you noticed about the climax in the story? What events lead to the resolution? How does keeping track of the problem and the climax help you as a

reader? How did the character change? What did the character learn?




Have students share their story rollercoaster with a partner. Listen in.

Minilesson: Sequencing Important Events to Investigate the Parts of a Summary - CPR TL 9

Objective(s): Thoughtful readers use plot structure to determine the sequence of events to aid in understanding the parts of a summary (character, problem, resolution).

TEKS: 4.6

4.6 A4.3 A

Fig 19 E

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Sequence and Summarize plot’s main eventsSummarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme.Summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order.

Notes: If conducting a multi-day study of story elements, you may want to return to



the same story and the same partially-filled-out graphic organizer that you began on a previous day.

Materials: Familiar fictional text (traditional literature) Summary Strategy – CPR ( you will add other strategies to summery) Story Map Graphic Organizer Story Events Flow Chart (see Story Elements Graphic Organizers) Teacher and student notebooks Chart paper and markers



Readers, authors of fiction organize the story by putting the events in sequential order meaning that one action has to happen before another can take place. The events depend on each other. Today, we will use that sequence to tell a summary of the story using the character, problem, and resolution or CPR, the heart of a story. Yesterday, we determined which events were most important to the story and how they fit on our rollercoaster story chart. You have already identified the character, problem, and the resolution. Now you just have to put it together to tell us a summary.




Using the same traditional literature book. Tell students that a summary is a short statement in the readers own words that retells the main points of the book. (Fill in the anchor chart as you demonstrate.) Remind student that a summary is in their own words. When someone ask you tell them a summary, you don’t retell the whole book. You only give them the most important part. A good strategy to use is CPR. CPR stands for character, problem, and resolution. By focusing on those three elements, you’re retelling the most important parts of the story. They also are in order. We find out the character first, the problem, usually is second and the resolution is last. By knowing the order of the events in the story this helps us determine the CPR. You just have to remember that in Fables and Folktales part of the resolution is what lesson the character learned. Have the students watch as you demonstrate, think aloud, and fill in the graphic organizer using a familiar story. Pull out the character, Problem, and resolution.

Active Engagement:




Have students practice this strategy with another story you all have read. Hold up a familiar book or passage and have the students turn and talk about the character, problem, and resolution. Listen in and compliment students who are able use the strategy. Assist other students by using questions or prompts.


used in future

Readers, today and every day we can use the strategy of CPR or the character, the problem and the resolution to help us retell a summary of the story. While you are reading and working independently, identify the character, problem and the resolution from your story. Jot your ideas in your reader’s notebook. Remember, in traditional literature the lesson has to be included within the resolution.



teacher pulls groups or confers with students and notes

Have students read a traditional literature book during independent reading. Students should take notes as shown below to determine CPR within Fiction plot structure (see reading response journal option below). Have student use complete sentences as it will help them when constructing a summary statement.




progress C (1) -P (2) - R (3) - Lesson learned-

Sticky Note Option:

Prompts: How’s it going? What are you noticing as a reader today? What have you noticed about the order of events as it relates to CPR? How does keeping track of the story sequence help you summarize the

story? Who is the main character? What did he want? How did he get it?




Have the students share their CPR statements with their table mates or call on students individually to share.

Minilesson: Constructing a Well- Crafted Summary with CPR TL 10

Objective(s): Readers use the plot structure to aid in writing an effective summary.TEKS: 4.3 A

4.6

4.6 A

Fig 19 E

Summarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme.Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Students are expected to sequence and summarize the plot’s main events and explain their influence on future events.Summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order.

Notes: Students will construct a well written summary using their notes from yesterday. Makes sure student write in a complete sentence. You are looking



for a quality summary statement. Materials: Teacher and student notebooks

Chart paper and markers Summary Anchor Chart Traditional Literature Books and



Remind students that knowing the structure, or the way that a story is constructed, helps thoughtful readers better remember and understand what they have read. Remind students that, in previous lessons, you showed them how to identify the basic elements of stories: characters, setting, and plot. Explain that today you will show them how thoughtful readers summarize the most important ideas in a text by writing down those ideas on paper. Explain that thoughtful readers summarize as a way to help monitor how well they comprehend what they have read.




Remind students that a summary is a short statement that retells the most important ideas about the characters, problem, and resolution from the story. Tell students that when thoughtful readers summarize, they pick out the most important information about characters, problem, and resolution and put the information into their own words, all while keeping the summary brief. Explain that an effective summary does not have a set number of sentences. Rather, an effective summary concisely captures the most important details in the entire story about the characters, the problem, and the resolution.Remind the students that previously you used this type of graphic organizer to help keep track of the most important ideas within the story. Discuss the narrative elements on the chart. Explain that you will use the plot Diagram to help write a summary. Begin with a main idea or gist statement for the story. If time permits, you may wish to discuss the role of a main idea statement using Main Idea and Summary Word Card Definitions (see Summary Additional Resources file). Think-aloud as you use character information from the plot Diagram to write the first part of the summary. Record your sentence(s) on chart paper. Remember to be concise.

Active Engagement:




Involve students by asking them to turn and talk. Listen, observe, and coach active involvement. Share an example of what you heard or observedInvite the students to participate in summarizing the remainder of the piece by providing sentences that capture details about the problem and resolution of the story. Encourage the students to use the information recorded on the plot Diagram to construct the summary. As students synthesize the events, remind them to include sentences that capture only the most important information about the problem. Record the students' sentences. Tell the students that the end of the story starts with the climax and includes the falling action and the resolution. Have the students work as partners to turn and talk about the remainder of the story and/or stop and jot sentences representing the resolution on sticky notes. Listen to the conversations, and recap with the entire class.


be used in future

Readers, today and every day…Remind students that being able to summarize what they have read helps them monitor how well they understood a text. Tell students that they will continue to use a Summary graphic organizer to record the most important events as they are reading. Encourage them to use their completed graphic organizers to write an effective summary of their reading.






Have students write or compose a summary. They should use complete sentences based on their graphic organizer or post its. I would encourage short statements similar to a gist (who, what, and how + lesson since this is traditional literature.)Sticky Note Option:

Prompts: How’s it going? What are you noticing as a reader today? What have you noticed about the story elements? How does keeping track of your thinking on a graphic organizer help

you as a reader? Retell what you remember… What was the most important part? What happened first …? And then




(Choose summaries ahead of time to have students share) Students read their summaries aloud. Have other students comment on the strengths of the summary. Use prompts to assist. (Did he or she mention the character, the problem, and how it was resolved?)



Minilesson: Test Talk: Story Elements TL 15Objective(s): Thoughtful readers use the plot structure to aid choosing an effective summary on

an assessment.TEKS: 4.6

4.6 A

Fig 19 E

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Students are expected to sequence and summarize the plot’s main events and explain their influence on future events.Summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order.

Notes: You will need your DPMs or checkpoints to pull examples from. The purpose of this lesson is to reveal what questions over the story elements on an assessment would look like and how they answer it using testing strategies. This is the opportunity to teach students to chunk and sum and how the title reveals the main idea of a story. Only pull out a couple of questions. Focus on character traits, conflict-resolution, and questions about events. You will demonstrate how you go back in a story to find the answer. You will not need a whole passage, just a short chunk for demonstrating. Not too many questions, enough for students to understand how they are asked. Students could work in partners or groups to work through a passage. (Traditional Literature)

Materials: Chart paper and markers DPM, checkpoint, or passage (traditional literature would be preferred

since we have been reading this genre) with questions Story element multiple choice questions Traditional text or similar passage Testing strategy poster for close reading Cut passage apart and run copies of a small chunk for students to practice

Connect: connect today’s



Readers, yesterday, we….. Today… we will…Remind students that knowing the structure, or the way that a story is constructed, helps thoughtful readers better remember and understand what they have read. Remind students that, in previous lessons, you showed them how to identify the basic elements of stories: characters, setting, and plot and that stories are in sequential order with events depending on other events. This is true of stories and passages. Tell students that today we will look at how our reading changes when we are taking a test. Explain that today you will show them how thoughtful readers examine the title of a selection or passage to generate ideas, also that we identify the genre to assist with the purpose for reading the passage, and how we summarize the most important ideas in a text by writing down those ideas on paper. Explain that thoughtful readers summarize small chunks of text and note what those chunks are about on the side of the passage. This makes us a better test taker.



teaching point model & think

aloud point out things


Pull out the passage (a selection from the DPM will work since they are all familiar with it) Read the title and think aloud how you know the genre. (fiction – entertainment – sequence of events with CPR) Students should do this each time. Then read the title and show how it generates ideas about what you know. Remind students that a summary is a short statement about the text. When chunking the passage, explain that you want to chunk 2 – 3 paragraphs. Demonstrate how you draw stop and jot lines. These lines tell us to stop, think and write. Tell students that when we take a test we read it differently because the purpose of the test is to check our understanding and to assess what we know. These lines remind me to stop. Express that when we read a book on our own, we don’t need lines because we are usually reading for fun. Before you start to read and demonstrate, remind students that in fiction, the setting, the character, and the problem are revealed early. Underlining those when we first see them is a good strategy. Begin reading and demonstrate by reading a chunk aloud. Stop and Jot by the line. It can either be a word or a phrase. Demonstrate close reading coding. We can use a star * by important ideas or we can just underline those. We do not need to write it on the side. The side is for notes, a word, and/or a phrase to tell me what this chunk is mostly about. (you want to leave the rest for the students to think through) Move onto the questions. Look at questions that refer to characters traits, conflict-resolution, and questions about

Minilesson: Test Talk: Fiction Summary (CPR Strategy) TL 17Objective(s): Thoughtful readers interpret the unique language of formal assessments

and use the knowledge of the language to respond to multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

TEKS: 4.6

4.6 A

4.3A

Fig 19 E

Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.Students are expected to sequence and summarize the plot’s main events and explain their influence on future events.Summarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme.Summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order.

Notes: You will refer students back to their DPM and look at the summary question. Students will need to read short passages and practice choosing the best summary. You could also use the passage for the previous lesson. You can create a summaries for them to solve as a group, partner, or individually. The purpose is to expose them to how summary is assessed and what strategy to use.

Materials: DPM or checkpoint Sample multiple-choice or short answer questions from Released

STAAR Summary Practice selections – short passages with a summary

questions. Create a summary anchor chart using a definition of the word, key

words and strategies to use on the test. Summary questions from STAAR – examples and non-examples

Connect: connect today’s



Readers, yesterday… Today…Praise students for engaging in deep thinking while summarizing, and tell them that soon they will be asked to show what they know about the summarizing and that being able to choose a well written summary is different than writing a summary. Explain that soon you will be testing their understanding of summaries by giving them a checkpoint or test. Remind students that tests are sometimes written in language that is different from the way that we speak to one another. Introduce the language that tests use as "test talk", and reassure students by explaining that this language is a special language that takes some getting used to. Tell them that in today's lesson you will demonstrate how good readers and good test takers think about the language of tests to answer questions.



teaching point model & think

aloud point out things


Display a summary question from the DPM or checkpoint. One representing an example of a summary question and one representing a non-example. Explain that good readers and good test takers must first recognize what the question is asking. Think aloud and point to key words and clues that help you recognize when a question is asking you to recognize the best summary. Create a summary test talk anchor chart with the definition, key words, sample questions stems, and strategies to solve the problem. (At this point students have only learned CPR. You can add other strategies as you introduce them) Explain that good readers and good test takers have smart ways of thinking about questions that relate to summary. Display a passage from the DPM with a summary question or your own from one of the stories read during the study. Look at the question stem and think aloud about the question. Circle key words and clues and discuss how these clues help you know what the test writers want you to think about. Model how you might write the name of the strategy being tested to help you remember what to do. Look over the answer choices and discuss the language of

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