Story Plotting and Character Development Lesson Plan
Subject: Story plotting and character development
Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate their comprehension of story plotting by correctly identifying the story elements and by placing those story elements in an accurate plot pyramid. Students will be able to identify the main protagonist(s) and the main antagonist(s). Students will be able to state the goal(s) of the protagonist(s) and the antagonist(s). Students will be able to demonstrate awareness of how characters are changed by events in the story. Students will be able to demonstrate greater fluency in reading the story or stories at the conclusion of the unit.
Materials:
Basal readers
Workbooks
Overhead projector
Transparencies
Plot point handout sheets (30 copies)
Procedures:
The instructor shall read the story, “Maxine’s Mud Pie Mystery” aloud to the students, modeling fluency.
The instructor will guide students through the workbook assignment on plotting.
The instructor will then lead an echoed reading of the story, in which each student will participate.
The class will then discuss the story and attempt to identify the protagonist, the antagonist, their goals and the major plot points.
The instructor will guide students through the workbook assignment on character development.
The class will participate in a choral reading of the story.
The class will discuss the story and attempt to identify the ways in which characters grow, change and develop during the story, and will seek to explain how the protagonist’s goals change as a result of events in the story.
The instructor will conduct guided readings of additional stories, both echoed and choral, for smaller groups at a reading level appropriate to the group. The rest of the class will read silently.
The instructor will ask questions of the smaller groups, checking for comprehension, identifying problem areas for students and guiding them through workbook exercises on plotting and character development.
Students in each of the smaller groups will read aloud a passage they find challenging in a timed reading. The miscues in their reading and an evaluation of their fluency will be recorded for later comparison.
The class will then conduct a choral reading of “Addie in Charge.”
The class will take a written test on the story.
The instructor will meet with the smaller groups again, going over the test results and aiding students in problem areas as identified by the test. Additional timed reading evaluations will be conducted.
Assessment:
Students will demonstrate their comprehension of the unit by accurately identifying the protagonist(s), antagonist(s), their goals, the manner in which events in the story change the characters, and the major plot points of “Addie in Charge” in a written test, consisting of multiple choice and essay questions.
Additionally, fluency will be tested by having students conduct a comparative timed reading, with the instructor again checking for miscues. Students will also be asked to read another passage of equivalent or greater reading difficulty to evaluate fluency. The instructor will look specifically for identical words in additional stories to evaluate whether students can accurately identify and fluently read those words aloud in a different context.
