Learning Activity

Introduction to Plot: Sort It Out (Part 1)

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

5

Overview

Students will watch a short video about the elements of plot and identify character, setting, problem, and solution. Then, students will be given cards with text. Students will sort the text cards into the four categories of character, setting, problem, solution. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.17

Demonstrate comprehension of text by asking and responding to questions about literary elements used in the text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.17

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Comprehension
  • Literary elements

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Literary elements within a story include the theme, plot, and point of view.
  • Comprehension can be demonstrated by asking and answering questions about a text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Ask questions about literary elements used in the text to demonstrate comprehension.
  • Respond to questions about literary elements used in the text to demonstrate comprehension.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can show they understood a story they read by asking and answering questions about specific literary elements.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.34

Write personal or fictional narratives incorporating literary elements (characters, plot, setting, conflict), dialogue, strong voice, and clear event sequences.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.34

Vocabulary

  • Personal narratives
  • Fictional narratives
  • Literary elements
  • Characters
  • Plot
  • Setting
  • Conflict
  • Dialogue
  • Voice
  • Event sequences

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made-up story.
  • A narrative story describes a sequence of plot events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end).
  • Narrative writing includes text elements, like characters, setting, and conflict.
  • Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story.
  • Write a narrative with a logical sequence of plot events.
  • Incorporate literary elements into their narrative writing, like characters, setting, and conflict.
  • Include dialogue in narrative writing.
  • Use a strong voice in writing by developing a personal writing style.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and characters, setting, and conflict.
  • Incorporating dialogue between the characters can add details to their narrative writing.
  • Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.

Phase

Before/Engage
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to: 

  • identify parts of plot (character, setting, problem, solution).
  • demonstrate comprehension of text by reading and sorting text cards to determine which category they belong to (character, setting, problem, solution).

Students will use the text cards to sort the text into 4 categories (character, setting, problem, solution).

Students will collaborate and create a short fictional narrative incorporating parts of plot (character, setting, problem, and solution).

Activity Details

1. Teacher will show the YouTube video about plot. After watching the video, the teacher will recap the parts of plot and write them on the board/butcher paper. Under each part of plot, the teacher and students will write a brief description of each part (character, setting, problem, rising action, climax, falling action, solution).

2. Teacher will put students in groups of two to three and give each group a set of the "Sort It Out" cards. Students will work together to sort the cards into 4 categories (character, setting, problem, solution).

3. When each group is finished, the teacher will check their stacks. 

4. Each group will then choose 1 character card, 1 setting card, 1 problem card, and 1 solution card.

5. Students will collaborate to create a short fictional narrative storyboard encompassing the cards they chose (character, setting, problem, solution).

6. Students must include the action(s) taken that helped solve the problem in the story.

7. Remind students to refer to the board/butcher paper if they become stuck. 

8. Students will complete the narrative storyboard template attached. Students' answers must contain a beginning/middle/end.

 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will read through the narrative storyboard to be sure all parts of plot are identifiable and make sense together (character, setting, problem, and solution).

Students must include the following in their fictional narrative: 

  • Character(s), setting, problem, and solution.
  • Action/actions that were taken to solve the problem.

All components of plot should flow and make sense together.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

1. Review the YouTube Plot Mountain Video/Song.

2. Make copies of the Sort It Out cards. One set per partner/group. 

3. Create groups of 2 or 3. 

4. Copies of Sort It Out storyboard template or upload a digital copy to the learning platform used by your district.

Digital Tools / Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWHZJZQDSE

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

lwilson15
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