Carley Marion and April Collins are teaching 4th grade at Meredith Elementary.

The students in our class have been learning the plot development of a story, and how to write a complete and accurate summary of a story. We will be working with small groups to refine and improve their skills in this area. The students will learn to analyze the plot development of a fictional story and be able to provide details and a summary of the story. Our learning goals are for the students to have a complete comprehension of plot development and how to write an accurate summary of a fictional story. We will teach them to be able to identify the exposition, rising action, climax and resolution of a story and give specific examples of each element from the passage. We will also review with the students how to write a complete and sequential summary of the story using plot development as guideposts in their writing. We will teach the students by reviewing the plot development and their definitions in an interactive way. We believe in employing different types of learning styles. Our lesson will employ both visual and kinesthetic learning (by providing definitions on card stock and the giving students the opportunity to color them in) as well as auditory learning (by verbally defining the plot development). Our underlying method of teaching is to engage the students by having them actively participate. We will have them provide their prior knowledge on plot development. We will have them give examples during the reading. Finally, we will have them work independently on writing exit slips. We will have the students create a graphic organizer during the lesson which will, once completed, provide them with concrete examples of the plot development and which they will use as a tool to organize their thoughts as they are reading along with the teacher (who will be reading the story aloud).

The students recently completed a unit on summarization and plot development. Some of the students struggled with the concepts and require further review (based on assessments done in class). We have planned this lesson in order to reinforce what was taught in class and give more personal attention to the students who struggled with the original lesson. Being able to identify and analyze plot development, as well as provide a summary is a standard in Pennsylvania for the fourth grade. Students are required to write accurate constructed responses for the PSSA in fourth grade, and this lesson gave us an opportunity to review those skills as well as skills in the Pennsylvania Curriculum Standards. We discussed different stories with our classroom mentor, who suggested the Encyclopedia Brown series. We decided it was accessible for the students who struggled with the original lesson, and because it was on reading level P and this is an appropriate level for almost all of the students who need extra assistance with this topic.

Goals / Objectives: Students will be able to summarize a passage of fiction and be able to analyze elements of the story including plot development (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution) characters and setting. Standards and Assessment Anchors: Assessment Anchor: Understand fiction appropriate to grade level. Standards: o R4.A.1.4.1: Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from text. Note: Items may target specific paragraphs. Items might ask about information in the text that is most important or helpful for understanding a particular fact or idea. Items may require recalling key information stated in text. o R4.A.1.5.1: Summarize the key details and events of a fictional text as a whole. Materials and preparation List the materials you will need to prepare for the lesson. Child scissors Colored pencils Encyclopedia Brown Carries On by Donald J. Sobol (one copy per student) Worksheets with plot development and definitions for students to manipulate Graphic organizer for summary Pencils Exit slip Ziploc bags Classroom arrangement and management issues Students will be seated at rectangular tables in the library at a time when the library is unoccupied Students will bring their materials to the library (pencils and colored pencils); all other materials will be provided by the teacher in the library Expecting students may be boisterous; teachers will set expectations about behavior in the library. o Teachers have arranged to give the lessons during times when the library is available and there wont be additional distractions from other students

Lesson Plan (45 minutes) 1) The hook (8-10 minutes): The teacher will explain the lesson objective for students to be able to summarize a fictional story and identify appropriate plot development. The teacher will connect Encyclopedia Brown to a story previously read in class, A Clue in the Sand which is also falls under the genre of mystery. Access prior knowledge: o Ask students to define each of the five stages of plot development: Exposition character, setting Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution Teachers will then provide students with card stock printouts of the plot development and definitions that are not in a particular order. Students will cut out each definition and number them in the correct order from exposition to resolution. Students will be invited to illustrate each term and/or create symbols or a diagram of what these elements look like in a story, so that they will be more inclined to keep them and use them in the future. Ziploc bags will be provided to store them for future use. 2) The Body of the Lesson (22-25 minutes): Introduce Encyclopedia Brown Carries On by Donald J. Sobol and the passage the teacher will be reading aloud The Case of the Giant Mousetrap while students follow along in their copy of the book. (8 pages) The teacher will pause at the end of each stage of plot development in the story and ask students to analyze that section and provide an example or evidence supporting their reasoning why the passage corresponds with that stage o During each break of the passage, the students will utilize the graphic organizer to take notes for their summaries of the passage 3) Closure (10-12 minutes): Students will be given an exit slip to complete as an assessment tool o Exit slip: Where would the following quote fit into your summary of the story? In the beginning, middle or end? Explain your answer. Only his parents and his teachers called him by his real name, Leroy. Everyone else called him Encyclopedia. Questions will be interspersed sequentially as the teacher reads the story. The teacher will ask for volunteers to answer the questions. If the students answer incorrectly, the teacher will ask another student to answer and if two answers to the same question are incorrect, the teacher will guide students to the right answer and provide substantial evidence from the passage to support it.

Questions for discussion: 1.Who is Encyclopedia Brown? Who is his father? 2. Can you describe the exposition for me? 3. Give me two examples of rising action. 4. When was the climax? How do you know that? 5.Describe the resolution of the story. Assessment of the goals/objectives listed above: Exit slips will be used to assess student comprehension of the lesson and gather information about the extent of their understanding Exit slips will also be used to gauge if the lesson was effective Students will be graded using a scale of 0, 1, 2, 3: o 0: The response provides insufficient material and is inaccurate o 1: The response is incomplete and inappropriate details or examples have a major effect on accuracy o 2: The response provides a partial answer, which may contain minor inaccuracies o 3: The response provides a complete answer with specific, appropriate, and accurate details Anticipating students responses and your possible responses High expectations of student behavior and involvement will be set prior to the beginning of the lesson If students show marked difficulty with plot development, the teacher will provide concrete examples and evidence from the passage The teacher will also provide one-on-one assistance, while other students are independently completing exit slips Accommodations The teacher will also provide one-on-one assistance, while other students are independently completing exit slips Accommodations for students who may need greater challenge and/or finish early? Students can draw a picture on the back of their graphic organizer to support their summary of the story.