Lesson Plan:
Tell Me More: Characters, Settings, and Events
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to select and describe characters, settings, and events in detail, using specific examples.
Introduction
(5 minutes)- Gather the students together.
- Write character, setting, and events on the board.
- Talk through each, asking students to explain what they are and why they are important for reading.
- Remind your students that a character is an actor, such as a person or animal in a story. Tell your students that a setting is where and when the story happens, and an event is something that happens in the story.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling
(20 minutes)- Tell your students that the focus of today's lesson is on choosing one character, one setting, and one event to describe in detail from the stories they are reading.
- Read aloud a book of your choice, preferably one with a strong character, setting, and event to pull out.
- Once you are finished reading, show the three anchor charts from the worksheets.
- Model completing each one, sharing your thinking aloud.
Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling
(25 minutes)- If your students need more practice before working independently, have them work in groups or pairs to read a short story together and verbally fill in the Tell Me More worksheet together.
- Have students share out their work with other groups or pairs.
Independent Working Time
(25 minutes)- Pass out the Tell Me More charts.
- Instruct your students to use the books that they are reading.
- As students work, provide support as needed.
Differentiation
- Enrichment: Have your students come up with their own stories, and instruct them to exchange these stories with partners. Direct the partners to identify the major characters, settings, and events from the story.
- Support: Instruct your students to choose a scene from the story to illustrate. In this drawing, have them circle the items that depict the setting and character.
Assessment
(10 minutes)- Listen to your students as they participate in answering questions. Make sure that they are identifying major characters and events from the story.
- Collect the charts to grade.
Review and Closing
(5 minutes)- Ask your students to share why they think it is important to think about characters, settings, and events. Make sure they understand that it helps improve their overall comprehension.
