ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 20 :

20. Establish a purpose before reading literary and informational texts to enhance comprehension, including identifying background knowledge and generating questions about the topic or characters.

Examples: reading for pleasure, application, or information; to identify a theme or an author's purpose

[ELA2021] (5) 26 :

26. Analyze how two or more texts address similar topics in diverse media and formats, including graphics, live and/or recorded performances, and written works.

a. Explain how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the overall meaning and tone of a text.

b. Compare and contrast the approaches to theme in several stories within a genre.

c. Locate information quickly within a text and apply information from multiple sources to analysis of the topics.

d. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

e. Compare the approaches of several authors of articles about the same or similar topics.

[ELA2021] (5) 28 :

28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.

Students compare and contrast information from three sources to determine the reasons that contributed to the panda population decline. They draw conclusions from these sources by writing their own paragraphs.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 22 :

22. Describe literary elements within a story, including setting, plot, characters, and themes.

a. Describe in detail the characters' behavior, emotions, and traits and explain how their actions influence events in the story.

b. Explain how the characters' actions and dialogue contribute to the meaning of the story.

c. Identify the central message, theme, or moral in a story, including myths, fables, and folktales, and explain the meaning conveyed in the passage.

d. Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots from two texts.

[ELA2021] (5) 28 :

28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.

Students talk about what makes a good story, look at the oral tradition of storytelling, and compare and contrast stories from two different cultural traditions. In this lesson, students talk about what makes a good story, look at the oral tradition of storytelling, and watch two stories from Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native oral traditions.

Understanding and creating narratives is a fundamental literacy skill—it is also a universal human activity. When students work with written texts, recite or listen to stories, or present narratives through non-verbal means, such as art or dance, they are learning to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate their world. Teachers can build rewarding experiences for students that activate their natural love for and interest in stories. They can do this in a way that expands children's fluency and confidence with the language, as well as their respect for the rich diversity of narrative approaches and language use across cultures. As students experience narratives from different cultures, they gain perspectives on people and stories in worlds that may be unfamiliar. This will be valuable to students in many ways, for example by helping them bring a sense of perspective to their own culture and stories.