Describe the main character(s), setting, and important events in a story.
: In describing the main character, students can describe appearance, actions, feelings, and thoughts of the character. Students will explain what in the text their description is based on.
: For setting, students will discuss where the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting should only be addressed in texts where it is explicitly indicated.
: Descriptions can be oral, either in response to a question or through discussion.
| Name |
Description |
| Monkey Business: A Problem | In this close reading lesson, the teacher will read aloud Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. Students will answer text-dependent questions and explain the meaning of new vocabulary. They will identify sight words and choral read repetitive parts of the text. Students will identify the setting, characters, and important events (including the problem and solution) and record these on a story map. They will retell the story and create a tri-fold book with illustrations and sentences explaining the beginning, middle, and end of the story. After analyzing the text, students will draw and dictate or write to explain the problem and solution in the text. |
| The Kissing Hand and A Pocket Full of Kisses: Compare and Contrast | In this close reading lesson, students will compare and contrast the actions of the characters in two of Audrey Penn's beloved books, The Kissing Hand and A Pocket Full of Kisses. They will answer text-dependent questions, and they will describe and sequence story elements as they analyze the two books. Students will truly enjoy interacting with these two delightful stories! |
| Around the World with Cinderella | It really is amazing that a familiar story such as Cinderella can be found in so many different places around the world. Each story adheres to very similar story elements, but also includes its own culture and traditions. In this lesson, students will identify story elements from two Cinderella stories, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters which takes place in Zimbabwe and the French version of Cinderella by Marica Brown. Students will compare and contrast these stories using a Venn diagram. Additional versions can also be shared, culminating in students choosing their favorite version to write an opinion writing piece about. |
| Five Little Monkeys: Comparing and Contrasting | In this close reading lesson, students will compare and contrast the actions of the characters in two of Eileen Christelow's beloved books, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree. They will answer text-dependent questions and describe story elements as they analyze the two books. Students will truly enjoy interacting with these two delightful stories! |
| If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Take Him to School: Comparing and Contrasting | In this close reading lesson, students will compare and contrast the actions of the characters in two of Laura Numeroff's beloved books, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Take a Mouse to School. They will answer text-dependent questions, and they will describe and sequence story elements as they analyze the two books. Students will truly enjoy interacting with these two delightful stories! |
| I Don't Want to Take a Bath: Story Elements with Harry the Dirty Dog | In this lesson, students will read the beloved children’s book, Harry the Dirty Dog. They will use this book to explore the elements of a story including a focus on the main character. Students will create a “Lost Dog” poster for Harry that includes his description, picture, and what to do if he is found. |
| Speechless for Breakfast | In this lesson, students will work together to "read" Pancakes for Breakfast, a wordless picture book by Tomie dePaola which shows the sequence of events the main character follows in preparing her own breakfast. Students will identify the story elements in the book based on its illustrations and retell the story by sequencing the important events. They will then create their own wordless picture book depicting their breakfast routine, presenting their routine and illustrations orally using complete sentences. |
| Sequential Story Tellers | In this lesson, students will become story sequencers as they participate in whole group, partner, and independent activities. Students will recall important events from the story The Little Red Hen and help generate a class story to demonstrate their understanding of beginning, middle, and end before completing their summative assessment. At the end of the lesson students will become authors of their own narrative when they write a sequential story of a special event. They will use suggestions and revisions from their peers and teacher to create a final draft of their narrative that will be shared with the class. |
| The Grouchy Ladybug and The Mixed-Up Chameleon | In this multi-day lesson, students will engage in a variety of literacy activities while reading The Grouchy Ladybug and The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Students will answer text-dependent questions as they describe the characters, setting, and important events in the story. They will complete a story map and story sequence organizer and use them to retell what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of each story. Finally, they will use the two graphic organizers to plan their own narrative about what happens next to one of the characters. |
| Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham? | In this 5-day lesson, students will engage in a variety of activities using the beloved Dr. Seuss books, Green Eggs and Ham and Wacky Wednesday. Students will explain the roles of the author and illustrator of a story. They will identify rhyming words in the stories and produce additional words that rhyme. Students will answer text-dependent questions to complete a story map and sequencing graphic organizer about each story. Using the graphic organizers, students will retell the stories. Finally, students will choose their favorite Dr. Seuss book and write an opinion statement telling why the book is their favorite. |
| What’s So Great About Kevin Henkes? | In this lesson, students will serve as researchers of the beloved author, Kevin Henkes. After reading three of Henkes’s most popular books, students will complete a chart of story elements, record their opinion about each book, and create an opinion writing piece to inform others of their favorite Kevin Henkes book and why they like it best. |
| Distinguishing Between Main and Secondary Characters | In this resource, students will practice distinguishing between main and secondary characters. Teachers will model using these skills with Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes, and students will conduct guided practice using Jamaica's Find by Juanita Havill. Students will then select a picture book from their class library to draw a picture of the main character doing something from the story, and they will write to explain why this person is the main character. They will also draw a picture of someone who is not the main character. This is the third lesson in a unit about characters. The other lessons are attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Having Fun with Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola | In this lesson students will “read” the wordless book Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola and complete several activities. Students will create a graph of their favorite breakfast items, discuss the story elements of the text, and help Tomie DePaola out by adding their own words to his story by creating a new class book. |
| Identifying the Actions of a Character | In this lesson, teachers will use the text Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes to help students practice identifying the actions of a character in a story. After modeling and guided practice activities, students will draw and write about one of Louise's actions in the story. This resource is the second of three lessons in a unit about characters. The other lessons are attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Identifying the Physical Attributes of a Character | In this resource, teachers will use the text Lost! by David McPhail to help students practice identifying the physical attributes of a character. After modeling and guided practice activities, students will draw a picture of a character from the book and label the picture with specific physical descriptions. This is the first resource in a unit about character; the other lessons in the unit are attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Plot: Identifying the Problem in a Story | This is the second lesson in a kindergarten unit on plot. Students will identify and describe the problem in a story. The teacher will use My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting in the teacher modeling phase, and Olivia...and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer in the guided and independent practice activities. Other lessons in this unit have been attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Plot: Identifying the Solution in a Story | In this lesson students will identify and describe the solution in a story. The teacher modeling phase uses the story My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting, and the guided and independent practice activities use the story Olivia...and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer. This lesson is part of a unit on plot; other lessons in the unit have been attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Retelling a Story | This lesson is part of a kindergarten unit on plot. In this lesson, students will listen to the story My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting and then practice retelling the story using important details from the text. Other lessons in this unit are attached as related CPALMS resources. |
| Wild about Authors and Illustrators | In this lesson, students learn about the roles of authors and illustrators through read-alouds, charades, and book-writing. Students will have an opportunity to act out the roles of illustrators and authors. They will learn how to describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in a story. Students will also identify the beginning, middle, and end in popular picture books and will write and illustrate a simple narrative with a partner. |
