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Unwinding a Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

Unwinding a Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing

URL:

http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/unwinding-circular-plot-prediction-292.html

Content Source:

ReadWriteThink

Type:

Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

Circular stories follow a “round” pattern—they begin and end in the same way. Like the cycle of seasons or the life cycle, circular stories follow a predictable series of events that returns to the starting point. Building on students' existing knowledge of plot structure and of cycles in other content areas, this lesson invites students to use a circle plot graphic organizer to explore the structure of this type of story. The cyclical nature of the stories is an excellent match for the discussion of prediction and sequencing skills. After exploring the features of circular plot stories and reading a model story, such as Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, students write their own stories individually or in small groups.

Content Standard(s):

English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	24. Identify the text structures within literary and informational texts. a. Explain how the structures, including comparison and contrast, sequence of events, problem and solution, and cause and effect, contribute to the meaning of the text, using textual evidence. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 24. Identify Text structures Literary text Informational text 24a. Text structures Comparison and contrast Sequence of events Problem and solution Cause and effect Contribute Textual evidence Knowledge: 24. Students know: Literary and informational texts follow predictable structures. 24a. Compare means tell how things are similar, and contrast means tell how things are different. Sequence of events is the chronological order of events within a text. Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved. Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect). They have to use quotations from the text to prove their answers. Skills: 24. Students are able to: Identify the text structure of literary texts. Identify the text structure of informational texts. 24a. Explain how text structures contribute to the meaning of the text. Provide textual evidence to support their explanation. Understanding: 24. Students understand that: Identifying the text structure of literary and informational texts will set a purpose for their reading and improve their comprehension. 24a. Texts follow a predictable structure that contributes to the overall meaning of the text. They can demonstrate their comprehension of a text by using textual evidence to support their explanations.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	33. Write personal or fictional narratives with a logical plot (sequence of events), characters, transitions, and a sense of closure. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 33. Personal narrative Fictional narrative Logical plot Sequence of events Characters Transitions Closure Knowledge: 33. Students know: A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story. A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made up story. A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end) and provides a sense of closure as an ending. A narrative story describes the actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters. Narrative transitions indicate when and where the story is occurring. Skills: 33. Students are able to: Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story. Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and details that describe how the characters feels, acts, and thinks. Use appropriate transitions in narrative writing. Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure. Understanding: 33. Students understand that: Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure. Because narrative writing describes a chronological sequence of events, it includes transitions that indicate the time and place in which the story is occurring. Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 4	14. Demonstrate comprehension of literary and informational text by utilizing its content when discussing or writing in response to the text. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 14. Comprehension Literary text Informational text Discussing Writing Response Knowledge: 14. Students know: Comprehension of text can be demonstrated by referring to the text in discussions or written responses. Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional. Skills: 14. Students are able to: Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in discussions. Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in written responses. Understanding: 14. Students understand that: They can show that they understood literary and informational text by discussing or writing about specific content from the text.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 4	35. Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical plot, transitional words and phrases, sensory details, and dialogue, and providing a sense of closure. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 35. Personal narratives Fictional narratives Logical plot Transitional words and phrases Sensory details Dialogue Closure Knowledge: 35. Students know: A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story. A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made up story. A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end) and provides a sense of closure as an ending. Narrative transitions indicate when and where the story is occurring. Sensory details use descriptions of the five senses. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. Skills: 35. Students are able to: Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story. Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and sensory details. Use appropriate transitional words and phrases in narrative writing. Include dialogue in narrative writing. Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure. Understanding: 35. Students understand that: Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure. Because narrative writing describes a chronological sequence of events, it includes transitions that indicate the time and place in which the story is occurring. Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 5	16. Demonstrate comprehension of varied literary and informational texts by utilizing its content when discussing or writing in response to the text. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 16. Comprehension Literary text Informational text Discussing Writing Response Knowledge: 16. Students know: Comprehension of text can be demonstrated by referring to the text in discussions or written responses. Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional. Skills: 16. Students are able to: Demonstrate understanding of varied literary and informational text by referring to the text in discussions. Demonstrate understanding of varied literary and informational text by referring to the text in written responses. Understanding: 16. Students understand that: They can show that they understood a wide variety of literary and informational text by discussing or writing about specific content from the text.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 5	34. Write personal or fictional narratives incorporating literary elements (characters, plot, setting, conflict), dialogue, strong voice, and clear event sequences. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 34. Personal narratives Fictional narratives Literary elements Characters Plot Setting Conflict Dialogue Voice Event sequences Knowledge: 34. Students know: A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story. A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made-up story. A narrative story describes a sequence of plot events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end). Narrative writing includes text elements, like characters, setting, and conflict. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a text. Skills: 34. Students are able to: Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story. Write a narrative with a logical sequence of plot events. Incorporate literary elements into their narrative writing, like characters, setting, and conflict. Include dialogue in narrative writing. Use a strong voice in writing by developing a personal writing style. Understanding: 34. Students understand that: Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and characters, setting, and conflict. Incorporating dialogue between the characters can add details to their narrative writing. Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.

Tags:

Circular Plot, Circular Stories, discussion, events, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Joffe Numeroff, predicting, sequencing

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Author:

Cassie Raulston

ALEX Classroom Resource

Unwinding a Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing