Design for Learning

Instructor: Abby Diamond

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: Mrs.
Myrex
Lesson Title: Story Elements with Rufferella
Date: March 12, 2015
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Estimated Time: 30 min
Standards Connection: 3.) Describe characters, settings, and major events in a
story, using key details. [RL.1.3]
Learning Objective(s): Students will correctly identify all of the four elements of a story
characters, setting, problem, and solutionon a worksheet after reading the short story
A Happy Ending.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today boys and girls, we are
going to be learning about the elements in a story and how to identify them in stories!
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
Engagement: The teacher will review what that they have been reading different
versions of the book Cinderella. They will review some of the main parts of the story
Cinderella. The teacher will record these on the board. These may include who is the
story, what happens, etc. She will then read the story Rufferella. Good morning boys and
girls! So I know that you guys have already read a couple of books about Cinderella. Is
that right? Great! Well today we are actually going to read another book that is similar
to the Cinderella story but it is a little bit different. Before we read the book, I want you
to tell me some things about Cinderella that you remember. For example, who were the
people in the book? Yes, you are right! There was Cinderella, the evil step sisters, the
stepmother, the Prince, and the fairy godmother. What else happened in the story that you
can remember? The step sisters and the stepmother are really mean to Cinderella. What
else? Good point. Cinderella got an invitation to the ball. What happened in the end?
Yes, you are right! The prince went everywhere looking Cinderella but he could not find
the girl who fit the shoe. Finally, he found her and they lived happily ever after! Good
memory boys and girls. Now all of those things that you identified in the story are
actually called story elements. Now I am going to read you another book that is similar
to Cinderella but is a little bit different. I want you to listen carefully to the story because
we are going to go over it later. While I am reading, I want you to pay close attention to
everything you notice in the story like the people or animals in it and what happens. Read
the book. Briefly ask a couple of questions about the story. Who were the people and
animals in the book? Wait for student response. Yes! There was the girl, Diamante,
Rufferella, and the Queen. Can anyone tell me something that happened in the book?
Wait for student response. Yes, you are right. Diamante made Rufferella a human and she
become a famous singer. And then what happened? Wait for student response. Yes, then
Rufferella made a mess at the ball and everyone found out she was a dog. Okay now boys
and girls, we are going to learn about each of the story elements.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
Teacher will explain to students what they will be learning about today. She will explain
that they will be learning about the story elements in a story. She will teach about each of
the story elements: character, setting, problem, and solution. She will teach them the
movements to go along with each one. She will then pull up the graphic organizer on the

computer and pass out the graphic organizer for students to write on. They will fill out the
graphic organizer for the book Rufferella. So, like I just mentioned, today we are going to
be learning about the parts of a story and how to identify them in stories. First of all, all
stories have certain parts to them. This is because they are fiction. Who can tell me what
fiction means? Wait for student response. Yes, great job! If a story is fiction, it means that
it is not real and normally tells a story. It does not tell you about real life events. In
addition, there is a clear order to the story. Non-fiction stories do not have this. What is
an example of a non-fiction book? Wait for student response. Yes, great job! A non-fiction
book is about something that is real, like plants or animals or history books. We are
talking about fairy tale stories right now so we are focusing on fiction books. Cinderella
and Rufferella are both examples of fiction books. They are both stories. So every story
has certain parts to it. The main parts in a story are the characters, setting, problem, and
solution. Pass out the clipboards, pencils, and graphic organizers. Pull up the sheet on the
computer. Now, I am going to pass out a sheet that has these four elements of a story on
it. Before I pass that out, I am going to pass out the clipboards and the pencils because
we are going to need them. Then, I will pass out the sheets that we are going to fill out.
Once you get your clipboard, pencil and sheet, I want you to sit quietly without talking.
Now, after I have explained what each of these are, lets think about the story we just
Rufferella story we just read. I want you think of the text and illustrations when we are
trying to fill out our chart. First, lets put the title of the story on the topic. Has anyone
ever heard of the word character before? Can anyone tell me what that is? Wait for
student response. The characters are the people, animals, or things that take part in the
story. They are the who of the story. A way that you can remember this is by putting
your hands by your face by your face like this (show students). So who are the characters
in the story? Remember that characters are the who in the story. Wait for student
response. Good job! The characters in the story are Ruff or Rufferella, Diamante and the
Queen. Write this on the board. Tell students to write in their organizer. Can anyone tell
me what a setting is? Wait for student response. The setting is where and when the story
takes place. A way you can remember the setting is by putting your hands over your head
like a roof (show the students). So what is the setting? Wait for student response. Great
job! The setting is the house and then also the castle. What are some clues in the story
that tell us or show us what the setting is? Wait for student response. Yes, I agree. The
pictures helped us know what the setting was.Now the next story element is the problem.
Every story has a problem. So who can tell me what a problem is? Wait for student
response. Great job, a problem is when something goes wrong. For example, a problem
would be if you lost your pet. So in a story, the problem is something that causes trouble
for the characters. Some questions to help identify the problem is What went wrong?
What needs to be fixed? A way to remember this is to hold up two fists, like you ready to
fight (show students). What is the problem in the story? Remember that a problem is
defined as something that goes wrong. Wait for student response. Very good! The
problem in this story is that Rufferella is found out to be a dog after she jumps onto the
table to eat sausages and ruins the food. Now the last story element we are going to talk
about today is the solution. Who knows what a solution is? Wait for student response.
Yes, a solution is the way to solve a problem or deal with a difficult situation. So if we
used the same example of losing a pet, then the solution would be what? Wait for student
response. Yes! It would be finding your pet. In a story, the solution is how the problem in
the story is solved. It is the answer to the problem. A way to show the solution is to
pretend to whisper to your neighbor with your hand on their shoulder (show students).
What about the solution? Wait for student response. Yes, the solution is that Diamante
gets back her much-missed pet, Ruff instead of some super star who is famous. Rufferella
goes back to being a dog. Have students put their clipboards and pencils back and hand in
the sheet. Now boys and girls, I want you to come put away your clipboards and pencils
and come bring your sheet to me.

II. Opportunity for Practice:

Teacher will tell students that now they are going to play a matching game to practice the
story elements that they just talked about. The teacher will explain that they are going to
play the game all together as a class but that she is going to call on individual students to
help her. Put the words characters setting problem and solution on the board or
chart paper. Tape these to the board. Okay boys and girls, now we are going to play a
game together to help us review the story elements. It is called Story Element Match and
we are going to match the story elements into the right categories. The categories are the
four parts of a story that we have been talking about. These categories are characters,
setting, problem, and solution. First, I am going to do a couple with your help to show
you how to do it. Then, I will let you guys come up to the board and put it where you
think it should. Lay out all the cards on the table. Have them divided up into their
separate stories. First, for the example, use Dora the Explorer. Show students all the card
in the set and read each one aloud. Now, students what is Dora in this story? Is this a
character, problem, solution, or setting? Wait for student response. Very good! It is a
character. Can someone tell me why is it a character? Yes, you are right. Dora is the who
of the story, the person in the story. Now what about this one? Hold up the forest card.
What category would this go under? Yes, this is the setting. Continue doing this for each
card that goes with Doras story. Next, do this together will students with Buzz Lightyear,
Justin Bieber, Minnie Mouse, and Mario. Have individual students come up to the board
and put the card where they think it should go for each element in the story. Let students
decide what elements fits under each categoy.
III. Assessment: Teacher will explain that students are now going to complete a
worksheet on their own where they must identify the four elements of a story that they
just learned about. Students will have to identify the four elements in a storycharacter,
setting, problem and solutionon a worksheet. She will explain that she is going to read
the story aloud and the students have to fill in the elements on the sheet. The teacher will
pass out the two types of assessments and instruct students to be quiet as they work.
There will be two different types of worksheets, depending on the level of the student. On
one worksheet, students will be required to write a sentence about the character, setting,
problem and solution. On the other worksheet, student will just have to match each of the
elements to the correct word. She will also provide the students with their own copy of
the story to follow along with while the teacher is reading or to look back over after she is
done reading. Okay boys and girls, now I am going to give you a chance to show me what
you learned about the story elements today. I am looking to see whether you understand
what characters, setting, problem, and solution mean and if you are able to pick these out
in a story. Remember the hand motions we learned to help us remember these. First, I am
going to read aloud a short story. It is called A Happy Ending. Before I read you the
story, I am going to pass out a sheet for you to fill out about the story. On the sheet, you
will have to tell me what each of the story elements are in the story. These include
character, setting, problem, and solution. So remember, we have learned what each of
these mean and we went over how to find these in a story using the book Rufferella. You
can fill the sheet out while I read or after I finish reading. Pass out the two types of
assessment sheets. Read the short story A Happy Ending aloud. Now, as I read, I want
complete silence. There should be absolutely no talking. After I read, I want you to record
each of the story elements on your sheet. Remember this is a time for you to work on your
own. Once you are finished, I want you to bring your sheet to me. After students finish,
collect the assessment.
IV. Closure: After the teacher collects all the assessments, the teacher will have students
stay seated in their seats. They will briefly go over what they learned that day. So boys
and girls, who can tell me what we learned today? Wait for student response. Yes, great
job! We learned about the parts of a story. We read the book Ruferella and used it to help

pull out the parts of a story. So lets do a little review. Who can tell me what the
characters were in Rufferella? Wait for student response. Great job! What about the
setting? Wait for student response. Yes, good job as well. The setting was the house and
the castle. What about the problem? Wait for student response. Yes, the problem was that
Rufferella went to the ball and made a mess and everyone learned she was a dog. What
about the solution? Wait for student response. Rufferella went back to being a dog and
Rufferella got her dog back.
Materials and Resources:
Rufferella
Story Elements Graphic Organizer for each student
Clipboards
Pencils
Story Match Game pieces
Story Match Game poster
Assessment for Lower Level students (matching words to pictures)
Assessment for Higher-level students (write sentences)
A Happy Ending short story for each student
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
Data Analysis:
For this lesson, I was not able to get the assessment from all students due to time
constraints. I only had 7 students that were able to complete the actual assessment in a
small group setting. The students that completed the assessment all correctly identified all
four story elements. However, some of them needed help and promoting. The story for
assessment A Happy Ending was slightly too hard for the students. They couldnt read
it so they had to ask me what the names of the boys were in the story. In addition, since
the students are lower end first grade, they couldnt write many words that they wanted
to. They kept asking me how to spell words like scared. In short, the students could
easily identify the story elements in the story but they struggled because the assessment
was too hard for them. However, the students could verbally tell me what each of them
were when I pulled them each aside individually.
Reflection:
Overall, this lesson did not go as well as I hoped. It did not exactly go as I planned. For one, I
was not as prepared as I should have been. In addition, the story that I choose Rufferella was not
the best story to use for teaching story elements. I should have used an easier story that was more
explicit in terms of the story elements. The problem and solution are not as clear as in other
stories so this book was not a good example to use. In addition, I should have stopped while
reading the book and asked student questions about the people and what was happening in the
story. To help them identify the story elements, I could point out the pictures and the text to help
teach students how to identify the elements in the story. This would have been helpful for them so
that they could use this strategy in our stories they read. The students liked the story, however,
and they did enjoy learning the hand motions to go along with it, although I should have done a
better job explicitly teaching them. The matching game went really well. The students really
enjoyed playing this game because they were actively involved and the game had content that
was applicable and fun for them, like Mario and Disney. These are subjects they enjoy so they
wanted to pay attention. For the ELL learners, they struggled writing in the graphic organizer. The
graphic organizer had a small picture by each story element, but I could have given the ELLs a
bigger picture to go with each element to help them with the visual aspect. For the assessment, I

learned that it was too hard for most of the students in the class. Most of them struggle with
writing so they were not able to write the story elements. In addition, they couldnt read the story.

Samford University
Design for Learning