Lesson Plan - Audrey Flanery

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Theme and Structure of Essay

Audrey Flanery

6th Grade: Language Arts

Common Core Standards:

● RL.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
● RL.6.2. Analyze literacy text development.
a. Determine a theme of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.
b. Incorporate a theme and story details into an objective summary of the text.
● RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as
how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Lesson Summary:

- Students will learn how to identify the theme, main idea, and plot of a story. To be more enjoyable
we’ll identify them using Disney and Pixar movie clips. Students will also learn how to begin writing
an essay. Students will use online google slides to take notes and create a poster board online through
Canva showing the structure of an essay. Learning more about the exposition, rising action, climax,
conflict, falling action, resolution. Students by day five will begin brainstorming outlines for an essay.
They will be given a variety of choices to choose from and begin writing the essays afterwards.
Students will write their essay based on books that they’ll be able to choose from the teachers list.

Estimated Duration:

- This lesson will only take a week for the span of five days. Five 50 minute class periods.

Commentary:

- We will be using Disney and Pixar clips to identify the theme. And read short stories to establish what
the main idea and plot is. To get my students hooked they’ll participate in group work with their peers
to be active in the discussion. We’ll do small group activities where we write what the theme, main
idea, and plot to the given stories are on a sticky note. Then I’ll divide the class into small groups to
discuss which movie the theme, main idea, and plot belong to. There will be no tests but only an essay
to write at the end of the week. Students may have a difficult time identifying themes but we will
heavily review going over it.

Instructional Procedures:

Day 1 Monday: Introduce theme, main idea and plot. Begin identifying it from the movie clips.
- First 15 minutes of class: When class starts, the teacher will begin asking the class who knows what
theme, main idea and plot are and what they mean. After students answer, the teacher will introduce
the students to the online google slide notes. Which should only take about 5 minutes to set up on
students' chromebooks as the layout will be complete already. Teacher will go over what each word
means as a refresher (theme, main idea and plot). Students will ask any necessary questions and the
teacher will answer. The teacher will tell the class that they’ll be watching three movie clips and
coming up with what they personally believe the theme is. Students will write their answers on the
google slide notes.
- Next 25 minutes of class: Teacher will play three clips, the first clip is The Lion King-Remember Who
You Are Scene. Students will begin brainstorming what the theme is and write it down on their google
slide notes. If students need help the teacher will come around and give tips but not give the answer.
The teacher wants the students to be able to come up with the theme by themselves. We’ll go over the
answer and introduce how the theme can be more than one answer. There is no one set answer.
Teacher will begin playing the second clip Pocahontas Saves John Smith - Pocahontas Scene, students
will repeat the same steps. Finally, the teacher will show the final clip Zootopia- Police Academy
Scene, after students finish up with their theme notes. We’ll review as a class what the potential
answers could’ve been.
- Last 10 minutes of class: Teacher will discuss what the homework will be and how it’ll be used
tomorrow in class. Students will have the choice to choose from three short stories and will be asked
to write down what the theme, main idea and plot is. Main idea and plot will be reviewed more
tomorrow. The three short stories will be THE LADY, OR THE TIGER? by Frank R. Stockton, "The
Story of an Hour", and The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian Andersen. After explaining what the
homework is if there is any remaining time students will be able to begin working on the short stories.

Day 2 Tuesday: Identifying themes in short stories and doing group activities.
- First 45 minutes of class: Students will bring in their completed homework on the short stories. The
teacher will explain to the students to write on a post-it note what the theme, main idea and plot was.
The post-it notes will be placed on the board. Then the students will be divided into three different
groups. These groups will be based on who read the same short story for homework. They will then
read the other two short stories and brainstorm what the theme, main idea and plot is for them.
Students will figure out which sticky notes associate to the short stories. Teacher will go over answers
as a class and ask for class discussions. If students are active in discussion, the teacher will take it as a
sign they’re understanding the lesson.
- Last 5 minutes of class: Teacher will explain what tomorrow's class will be like. Students will learn
what Canva is and how it’ll be used. And teachers will be helping the students create free accounts
tomorrow.
Day 3 Wednesday: Introduce Canva, help students sign up, and introduce online poster board assignment.
- First 10 minutes: Help students set up canva accounts. Canva is a free website, make sure to write
down the students logins. The teacher will go over that Canva will be used to create an online poster.
The poster will show what the theme, main idea, exposition, rising action, climax, conflict, falling
action and resolution is of the short stories from Tuesday.
- Next 35 minutes: Students will review and learn what the main idea, exposition, rising action, climax,
conflict, falling action and resolution is. Then learn how to correctly assemble them onto a plot
diagram.
- Last 5 minutes: Students will go home with additional help that will go over plot diagrams more. They
should but it’s not required to watch some youtube clips on how to assemble plot diagrams.

Day 4 Thursday: Give students work time to start plot diagrams. At the end of class, start explaining what
their final project will be (the essay).
- First 40 minutes: Students will choose from the short stories from Tuesday. They will assemble a plot
diagram through Canva and ask any questions they may have. This is setting up the students on how
to assemble an essay. These will be individual assignments.
- Last 10 minutes: If students weren’t able to finish up their plot diagrams they’ll be asked to finish it
for homework. The teacher will explain what the final project will be. The teacher will tell the
students they shouldn’t be worried as they have prepared over the week to write an essay.

Day 5 Friday: Introducing the final project, the essay.


- First 10 minutes: Introduce that the essay will be based off of books that the student will have the
choice to select. Explain the three different books and provide a short summary for each one (“When
You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead, “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio, and “Small Spaces” by Katherine
Arden.) These books will be provided by the teacher. The due date will be a while, and should take
about a month.
- Last 40 minutes: Give students time to begin choosing and reading their books. In the future the
teacher will make sure to constantly check in. Later on students will write out their plot diagram based
on the book. This will be a way for the teacher to make sure students are on task and understand what
they’re identifying.

Pre-Assessment:
- Students during the week are filling out notes through google slides. I will be able to monitor and
ensure each student is understanding the lesson. On day one students are assigned homework to take
home and identify the theme, main idea and plot of the short story of their choice (there will be three
options.) They will essentially read all three of the short stories during class on day two and will turn
in their originally assigned homework. During class on day two I will make sure students are
understanding the lesson while they actively participate in group work with their peers. By day three
and so forth I will monitor that students are correctly setting up their poster boards and ask questions
to check in.

Scoring Guidelines:
- I will be grading the students' google slide notes which will contain all of their ideas of theme from
day one and any other notes they’ve jotted down. From day two, I will grade their assigned homework
based on the short stories which will also contain finding the main idea and plot of a story. During the
week, I’ll periodically make sure no one is copying off one another during group work. By day 4 and
5 students will be more independent in work. During class discussions if students aren’t participating
I’ll believe they aren’t getting the topic. But given access to their google slides I’ll be able to monitor
and assume some students are shy. Providing group work and activities may bring students out of their
shells.

Post-Assessment:
- Students will complete a poster board online with Canva which will contain the theme, main idea,
exposition, rising action, climax, conflict, falling action and resolution. The poster board will be based
on the short story they had to analyze from homework. Students will be doing the poster boards
individually.
- Students will write an essay at the end of the week based on a book. I will have a set list of books
from which they can choose from. In their essays they’ll be bringing up the theme, main idea and plot
of the book.

Scoring Guidelines:
- The poster board will be 40 points. As a small assignment to boost grades each topic will be worth 5
points. If they correctly identify the short story with the correct associations they’ll be granted the
points.
- The essay will be graded based on 50 points. 5 points on grammar and 5 points on structure. 10 points
on correctly identifying the theme because this is heavily taught during the week. 5 points on main
idea, 5 points on exposition, 5 points on rising action, 5 points on climax, 5 points on conflict, 5 points
on falling action and 5 points on resolution. A 40/50 would be an 80% which will be considered
mastering the topic.

Differentiated Instructional Support


- For gifted and accelerated students the essay will be a great chance for them to have the room to work.
And they’ll need to read a book prior to starting the essay. Students who excel during the group
activities will work with students who may be struggling. This shouldn’t be used as an excuse for the
accelerated student to do all the work but instead guide his/her peers ideas and help out.
- Students who are struggling with the material will be working with me. I'll try not to send too much
homework home in hopes they will focus more in-class discussions. And during group activities I’ll
walk around to ensure everyone is participating. I’ll make sure to not tell the students the answer as
they need to have the opportunity to figure it out on their own.
Extension
Theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VsHtx3hZ3A (The video will identify what the meaning of theme is and
provide examples to the students.)
Main Idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkZo2zVKJR4 (The video will explain what a main idea is and also give
examples of it in stories.)
Plot Diagram:
Structure of an Essay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tim9oNx1clU (The video will briefly explain the structure of an essay.)

Homework Options and Home Connections


- The google slide notes won’t necessarily be homework but may be helpful to use. Students will be
assigned to read short stories and identify the meaning of the story. And the poster will be done using
Canva which will be assigned in class but may also be completed outside the classroom.

Interdisciplinary Connections
- We can incorporate history into this assignment. We could introduce timelines but instead of dates
we’d use key events in the story.
- We could also incorporate history by reading historical novels.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers ● Powerpoint (Made by me).


● Example of online posters through Canva.
● Copies of the three different short stories,
● Answer key to themes, main idea and plot from the short stories.
● Answer key to themes from movie clips on day one.
● The books which will be used for the essay. Such as, “When You Reach Me”
by Rebecca Stead, “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio, and “Small Spaces” by
Katherine Arden.

Links-
- THE LADY, OR THE TIGER? by Frank R. Stockton
- "The Story of an Hour"
- The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian Andersen

For students ● A chromebook


● Google slide notes
● A canva account (for online poster).
● A choice of a short story.
● A choice of the book.

Key Vocabulary
- Theme
- Main Idea
- Exposition
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Conflict
- Falling Action
- Resolution

Additional Notes

- I didn’t want to do tests. I always hated doing tests during school. Although they are necessary I didn’t want
to incorporate it in my lesson plan.

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