Rational: We are teaching this lesson because identifying the elements of story grammar is the key to comprehension (Hill). The student will learn the general story structure such as main characters, time, place, problem, goal, and outcome. It is important for a student to accomplish this goal in order to “facilitate comprehension and memory of stories” (Pressley).
Materials: Story reading worksheet, story element cards, PowerPoint (computer), The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System By: Joanna Cole, and Young John Quincy By: Cheryl Harness.
Procedures:
We will start by doing our PowerPoint. We will go over
what to look for. They are the main character, time, place, problem,
goal, and outcome. Then we will model to the students what is expected
of them. Our next activity will be a practice activity, which the
students will read from The Magic School Bus. The students are to
get into groups and choose their story element, and then discuss as a whole
class. We will then do an individual assessment. The students
will finish reading The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System.
Then they will be given a story map to fill out. The story map includes
questions about the book. For example, describe the main characters.
It also ask you to name the characters, list some facts, and state the
time it took place.
References/Publications:
Hill, Tonya (2002). Class Lecture Notes. Unpublished manuscript, Auburn
University,
Auburn, AL.
Pressley, M. Johnson, C.J., Symons, S., McGoldrick, J.A., & Kurity,
J.A. (1989).
Strategies that improve children’s memory
and comprehension of text. The
Elementary School Journal, 90, 30-32.
Cole, Joanna (1990). The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System.
New York, NY:
Scholastic Inc.
Harness, Cheryl (1994). Young John Quincy. New York, NY: Bradbury Press.
My Story Map
Name: ______________________________
Describe the Main Characters
Describe the time period that the story took place
List 5 facts about the place in which the story occurred.
Describe the problems encountered
What was the main goal of the text?
Describe the outcome of the text. (Be sure to include important facts
that led to the outcome.)