1. Understanding How Stories Work
GHGR Unit 4
Understanding How Stories Work

2. Week 1 Understanding Story Elements

3. Focus Lesson 1 Previewing a Text
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook.
Essential Question: How can previewing a story help better prepare me to read?
Previewing a story allows readers to activate their background knowledge and make predictions about the story. This will help them understand the story and adjust their thinking as they read.

4. Focus Lesson 1 Previewing a Text
My Observations
My Predictions
Kids shooting basketballs
Chapter 2 title
This story is about a basketball game between students and teachers.

5. Apply the Strategy Open up the Volume 2 Student Reader to page 6.
Independently preview the cover and contents page (pp. 6-9) of Leonardo’s Wings.
Use your background knowledge to make predictions.
Use a T-chart to organize your observations and predictions.
Discuss your previews with a partner.

6. Focus Lesson 2 Identifying Story Elements
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook.
Essential Question: What elements in a story do I need to recognize in order to better understand the story?
Keeping track of story elements helps readers understand what motivates the characters and follow how their actions fit into the plot.

7. Characters: Danny, Brian, Lorena, Hoops, Chris, J. D
Characters: Danny, Brian, Lorena, Hoops, Chris, J.D. Setting: Brian’s apartment, Central (a park), in modern times Possible Plot: Danny and Brian are going to play basketball against teachers. Plot:

8. Apply the Strategy Read pages 11-16 of Leonardo’s Wings.
Keep track of the story elements on a story map like the one we just used.
Discuss your map with your table.

9. Focus Lesson 3 Identifying Point of View
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook. Essential Question: How can I tell whose perspective a story is reflecting? How does point of view impact me as a reader? By identifying the point of view, readers will understand whose “voice” tells the story and know from what perspective they will learn about the story setting, characters, and events.

10. Character
Point of View
Words the Author Uses for POV
How POV Helps Me Understand the Plot
Brian
First person
I, me, we, us
I follow events through his eyes and see the story as he sees it.

11. Apply the strategy
Skim pages of Leonardo’s Wings and continue to read pages 17-20
Record story information in a four column chart like the one we used.
Discuss with a partner.

12. Understanding
and
Analyzing Characters

13. Focus Lesson 1 Understanding a character’s purpose
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook. Essential Question: Why is it important to identify a character’s purpose in a story? It is important to figure out why the author included each character in a story, the importance of the character, and how the character influences the plot and the theme. This will help you understand the story.

14. Character’s role and purpose
Brian
Main – tells story; poor player
Danny
Main – reason Brian is on the team; good player
Lorena
Main – reason Brian is captain of the team; good player

15. Apply the strategy Skim pages 13 – 20 of Leonardo’s Wings
Identify three main characters and their purposes
Complete a T-Chart like the one we just used

16. Focus Lesson 2 Analyzing a Character’s Dialogue and Actions
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook. Essential Question: Why is it important to analyze characters in a story? Analyzing characters helps readers understand how the characters feel about each other and what motivates them to behave as they do.

17. Character’s Words or Actions
Character analysis
Character
Character’s Words or Actions
What I Learned
Mr. Chang
“huge smile swept across his face;”
“slapped hand on table”
He’s very happy.
He’s excited
Brian
“shrugged”
He’s unhappy.

18. Apply the strategy Read pages 25-33 of Leonardo’s Wings.
Use a three-column chart to analyze Donny.

19. Focus Lesson 3 Understanding how characters develop
Do Now – Please respond to the essential question in your reading notebook. Essential Question: Why is it important to understand why characters change in a story? Understanding character development leads you to make predictions and set purposes for reading.

20. Character Development
Change: Brian is starting to like being the captain.
Why Change Happens: He has to organize the team.
Evidence: Brian asks Jeff to teach the team the cross-over move.

21. Apply the strategy Read pages 34-40 of Leonardo’s Wings
Record how Donny as changed on a chart similar to the one we just used.