Beyond Plot Summary Part 2: Critical Thinking and Writing About Plot Development

Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

9, 10

Overview

Using the plot development toolkit, students will identify and explain plot development of a class text, including generating their own reflections, original ideas, and discussion regarding how events interact and shape character, mood, tone, and conflict.

This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.R2

Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts to develop a literal and figurative understanding as appropriate to the type of text, purpose, and situation.

UP:ELA21.9.R2

Vocabulary

  • Literary texts
  • Literal understanding
  • Figurative understanding
  • Text
  • Purpose
  • Situation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Necessary skills to read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Strategies to analyze literary text to develop a literal and figurative understanding.
  • Literary texts have different intended meanings depending on the genre, purpose, and situation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Develop literal and figurative understanding of literary texts appropriate to the text, purpose, and situation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary texts can be understood on both a literal and figurative level.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.R3

Utilize active listening skills in formal and informal conversations, following predetermined norms.

UP:ELA21.9.R3

Vocabulary

  • Active listening
  • Formal conversations
  • Informal conversations
  • Predetermined norms

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • Strategies to identify formal and informal settings.
  • Engage in formal and informal conversations.
  • Predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during formal and informal discussions.
  • Practice predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow predetermined norms which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.4

Analyze how authors use characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view to create and convey meaning in a variety of texts.

UP:ELA21.9.4

Vocabulary

  • Characterization
  • Connotation
  • Denotation
  • Figurative language
  • Literary elements
  • Point of view

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Authors choose to write from a particular point of view and use specific literary elements and vocabulary words to convey their intended meaning.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view in a variety of texts.
  • Analyze how characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view creates and conveys meaning in a variety of texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Authors select particular literary elements and devices to create and convey meaning within their written work.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.9

Compose both short and extended narrative, informative/explanatory, and argumentative writings that are clear and coherent, use an appropriate command of language, and demonstrate development, organization, style, and tone that are relevant to task, purpose, and audience.

UP:ELA21.9.9

Vocabulary

  • Short writings
  • Extended writings
  • Narrative writing
  • Argumentative writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Writing pieces can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compose short and extended clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.R2

Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts to develop a literal and figurative understanding as appropriate to the type of text, purpose, and situation.

UP:ELA21.10.R2

Vocabulary

  • Literary texts
  • Literal understanding
  • Figurative understanding
  • Text
  • Purpose
  • Situation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Necessary skills to read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Strategies to analyze literary text to develop a literal and figurative understanding.
  • Literary texts have different intended meanings depending on the genre, purpose, and situation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Read and comprehend a variety of literary texts.
  • Develop literal and figurative understanding of literary texts appropriate to the text, purpose, and situation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary texts can be understood on both a literal and figurative level.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.R3

Utilize active listening skills in formal and informal conversations, following predetermined norms.

UP:ELA21.10.R3

Vocabulary

  • Active listening
  • Formal conversations
  • Informal conversations
  • Predetermined norms

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • Strategies to identify formal and informal settings.
  • Engage in formal and informal conversations.
  • Predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during formal and informal discussions.
  • Practice predetermined norms for formal and informal discussions.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow predetermined norms which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.4

Interpret an author’s use of characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view to create and convey meaning in a variety of texts.

UP:ELA21.10.4

Vocabulary

  • Characterization
  • Connotation
  • Denotation
  • Figurative language
  • Literary elements
  • Point of view

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Authors choose to write from a particular point of view and use specific literary elements and vocabulary words to convey their intended meaning.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view in a variety of texts.
  • Interpret how characterization, connotation, denotation, figurative language, literary elements, and point of view creates and conveys meaning in a variety of texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Authors select particular literary elements and devices to create and convey meaning within their written work.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.9

Compose both short and extended narrative, informative/explanatory, and argumentative writings that are clear and coherent, use an appropriate command of language, and demonstrate development, organization, style, and tone that are relevant to task, purpose, and audience.

UP:ELA21.10.9

Vocabulary

  • Short writings
  • Extended writings
  • Narrative writing
  • Argumentative writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Writing pieces can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compose short and extended clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will compose an effective response addressing development of plot of a major text/in class reading.

Students will identify and label elements of an effective response within their own writing. 

Procedures/Activities

At the conclusion of Beyond Plot Summary Part 1: Critical Thinking and Writing About Plot Development, students analyzed a sample response for effective discussion of plot development, highlighting and/or labeling each element of an effective response according to the plot development toolkit and sharing it with the class.

Next, assign students a reading selection from a major text or other in-class reading. For this lesson's purposes, a shorter selection, such as a chapter out of a novel, or a short story, would be optimal. 

Directions to the class:

1. Before reading, please draw the plot development graphic organizer (triple T-chart shown in lecture notes) on your own paper.

2. While you read, briefly list major plot events in chronological order on the left side of the organizer.

3. After reading, go back to the second column and tell how that plot event affects the character. Remember to go beyond "emotions" such as sad, angry, scared, etc., and tell "how" it influences their thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

3. Next, go to the third column and tell what this event "does for the story." Be sure to address a specific literary device or element of the plot such as conflict, tone, theme, etc. 

4. Then, take all three columns and fashion your response in paragraph format, imitating the model paragraphs you have seen in class and have in your notes. It is okay this time to "imitate" the model, although you should not copy it. Feel free to use your toolkit, and if you like, your evidence anchor chart to introduce your textual evidence (these are readily accessible and easily available on sites such as Pinterest should you choose to include this portion of the resources; see link below).

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364580532305074058/

5. Lastly, take your highlighters/markers and label each element of your plot development response with a different color/label. 

Directions to teacher: To conclude class, have students pair and share their responses, then choose a few responses to be modeled for the class. Alternatively, you could have them pair and share with a classmate and label/highlight their partners' papers instead of their own.

Assessment Strategies

Teacher should conduct informal observations and questioning while circulating around room as students work.

Teacher might choose to score the annotated/highlighted and labeled responses for correct answers, since there are five parts to each effective response which students should identify. Alternately, the teacher might prefer to have students assess each others' papers and provide feedback using the plot development toolkit.

Acceleration

The elements in the plot development toolkit can also be applied to theme, character, and setting development.

Intervention

Anchor charts for introducing textual evidence may be easily found online on sites such as Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364580532305074058/

The teacher might also choose to scaffold the lesson through the use of a frame paragraph created for a specific text, allowing students to "flesh out" the frame using their own reflections and example with the teacher's introductions and transitions.

Total Duration

31 to 60 Minutes

Background/Preparation

Students must be able to identify, explain, and support elements of plot including exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, and falling action. Students must also be aware of the Essential Question for the unit or series of lessons, as well as possible themes for the text. In the previous lesson, (Beyond Plot Development: Part 1) students analyzed a sample response on plot development, identifying and categorizing elements of an effective response. 

Materials and Resources

Materials for Both Teacher and Students:

  • major text/in-class reading
  • plot development toolkit
  • model responses/exemplars
  • highlighters/markers/colored pencils
  • graphic organizer/triple T-chart

Technology Resources Needed

For teachers:  Technology is not required; however, an interactive whiteboard and document camera would be optimal.

For students:  If technology is available, having students digitally annotate and label and/or highlight model responses would be optimal, from a computer, tablet, or slate using a stylus and sharing online. Additionally, popplet.com is a great app/ website that is easily accessible to students.

 

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