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Examining Plot Conflict Through a Comparison/Contrast Essay

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

Examining Plot Conflict Through a Comparison/Contrast Essay

URL:

http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/examining-plot-conflict-through-802.html

Content Source:

ReadWriteThink

Type:

Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

Students explore picture books to identify the characteristics of four types of conflict: character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, and character vs. society. Next, students write about conflict in their own lives and then look for similarities among all the conflicts shared by the class, ultimately classifying each conflict into one of the four types. Finally, after investigating the compare and contrast format, students conclude with a compare and contrast essay that focuses on two conflicts—one from their own experience and one from a picture book or story that they have read.

Content Standard(s):

English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	R5. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: R5. Writing process Plan Draft Revise Edit Publish Genres Knowledge: R5. Students know: The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish. Various genres of writing. Skills: R5. Students are able to: Plan writings in various genres. Draft writings in various genres. Revise writings in various genres. Edit writings in various genres. Publish writings in various genres. Understanding: R5. Students understand that: The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier. There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	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. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 22. Describe Literary elements Story Setting Plot Characters Themes 22a. Describe Character Behaviors Emotions Traits Actions Influence Events 22b. Explain Characters Actions Dialogue Contribute Meaning 22c. Central message Theme Moral Myths Fables Folktales Conveyed 22d. Compare Contrast Theme Setting Plot Stories Knowledge: 22. Students know: Literary elements within a story include the setting, plot, characters, and themes. Setting is when and where a story takes place. Plot is the main events of a story (often referred to as the beginning, middle, and end of a story). Characters are any person, animal, or figure that affect the plot. Theme is the main, recurring idea in a text. 22a. A story author provides descriptions of the characters' behavior, emotions, and traits. The actions of characters in a story affect the events, or plot, of the story. 22b. The actions of characters in a story affect the events, or plot, of the story. The dialogue, or spoken words, of characters in a story affect the plot of the story. 22c. Qualities of myths, fables, and folktales. Many stories have a central message, theme, or moral. A central message or moral is the lesson that is learned through the story or the one big idea of the story. The central message, theme, or moral is conveyed through key details. 22d. Compare means tell how things are alike or similar. Contrast means tell how things are different. Literary elements from different texts, like themes, settings, and plots, can be compared and contrasted. Setting is when and where a story takes place. Plot is the main events of a story (often referred to as the beginning, middle, and end of a story). Theme is the main, recurring idea in a text. Skills: 22. Students are able to: Identify and describe the literary elements, including setting, plot, characters, and theme, within the text. 22a. Provide a detailed description of story characters' behavior, emotions, and traits. Explain how story characters' actions affect the events of the story. 22b. Explain how the actions of characters' contribute to the meaning of the story. Explain how the dialogue between two or more characters contributes to the meaning of the story. 22c. Identify the central message, theme, or moral of a story, including myths, fables, and folktales. Explain the meaning of the central message, theme, or moral conveyed in the passage. 22d. Compare and contrast literary elements, such as themes, settings, and plots, of two texts. Understanding: 22. Students understand that: Identifying and describing literary elements within a story will help in comprehending the text. 22a. Understanding each character's behavior, emotions, and traits will help them better understand a story's plot. Characters in a story drive the plot by engaging in different actions. 22b. Characters' actions and dialogue contribute to the meaning of a story. Understanding the actions and dialogue of story characters improves overall comprehension of the text. 22c. Understanding the meaning of the central message, theme, or moral of a story will improve overall comprehension of the passage. Myths, fables, and folktales are types of narrative stories that often include a moral. 22d. Comparing and contrasting literary elements can improve their comprehension, or understanding, of both texts.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	26. Use text comparisons (text to text, text to self, and text to world) to make meaning. a. Use prior knowledge to determine similarities between texts they are reading and texts they have previously read. b. Compare different versions of the same story. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 26. Text comparison Text to text Text to self Text to world Meaning 26a. Prior knowledge Determine Similarities 26b. Compare Versions Knowledge: 26. Students know: Comparison is identifying similarities between two things. Text to text comparison means to identify similarities between two texts. Text to self comparison means to identify similarities between a text and a personal experience. Text to world comparison means to identify similarities between a text and a current event or background knowledge. 26a. Prior knowledge is what they already know. Information gathered from texts they have previously read becomes part of their prior knowledge. 26b. Comparison is identifying similarities between two things. Skills: 26. Students are able to: Compare two texts to make meaning of the information presented in the text. Compare a text to their personal experiences to make meaning of the information presented in the text. Compare a text to a current event or their background knowledge to make meaning of the information presented in the text. 26a. Use prior knowledge to make comparisons between texts. Determine similarities between a text they are currently reading and a text that have read in the past. 26b. Identify similarities between different versions of the same story. Understanding: 26. Students understand that: Their comprehension will be enhanced by making multiple connections between texts, themselves, and the real world. 26a. Their prior knowledge can help make connections between texts. Each text they read increases their background knowledge, and they can make connections to new texts to improve their comprehension. 26b. Different authors can produce different versions of the same story. They can improve their comprehension by making connections between two similar texts.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 3	38. Compose and develop a well-organized paragraph with a topic sentence, details to support, and a concluding sentence. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 38. Compose Develop Well-organized paragraph Topic sentence Details Concluding sentence Knowledge: 38. Students know: A well-organized paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Skills: 38. Students are able to: Write a well-organized paragraph that consists of a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Understanding: 38. Students understand that: A well-written paragraph includes a topic sentence to introduce the topic, provides supporting details to explain the topic, and ends with a concluding sentence.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 4	R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: R4. Writing process Plan Draft Revise Edit Publish Genres Knowledge: R4. Students know: The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish. Various genres of writing. Skills: R4. Students are able to: Plan writings in various genres. Draft writings in various genres. Revise writings in various genres. Edit writings in various genres. Publish writings in various genres. Understanding: R4. Students understand that: The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier. There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 4	15. Analyze in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text. a. Identify and explain attitudes and influences of multiple characters within a text. b. Explain how the main character changes throughout the story, using explicit evidence from the text. c. Make an inference about a character's behavior, the setting, and/or specific events, using explicit details from the story. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 15. Analyze Character Setting Event Story Drama Specific details 15a. Attitude Influence Characters 15b. Main character Explicit evidence 15c. Inference Character Behavior Setting Specific events Explicit details Knowledge: 15. Students know: Characters are any person, animal, or figure that affect the events of the story. Setting is when and where a story takes place. Events are situations that are described in the story. A drama is a story with dialogue that can be read by different people. Details in the text provide information about the characters, setting, and events. 15a. Characters are any person, animal, or figure that affect the events of the story. Characters in text are described as having certain attributes, like attitude. Characters in text can be influenced by other characters or events in the text. 15b. The main character is the focus of the plot and often displays changes in attitude or beliefs during the story. Explicit evidence refers to direct quotations from the text. 15c. Making an inference requires using observation and background knowledge to reach a logical conclusion. Inferences can be drawn by using information from the text. Skills: 15. Students are able to: Use specific details from the text to explain attributes of the characters, setting, or event in a story or drama. 15a. Identify attitudes and influences of multiple characters within a text. Explain the reasoning behind characters' attitudes and influences. 15b. Identify the main character in a story. Use explicit evidence from text to explain how the main character changed in the story. 15c. Use explicit details from a story to support inferences about a character's behavior, the story's setting, and/or specific events. Understanding: 15. Students understand that: They can explain details about characters, settings, and events in a story or drama by using evidence from the text. 15a. There are influences that affect characters' behavior and attitude in a text. 15b. A story usually focuses on one main character who changes throughout the text. Their explanations can be supported with direct quotations from the text. 15c. Making an inference requires them to use information from the text and their background knowledge to draw conclusions about characters, settings, and events in a story.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 4	32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 32. Respond Writing Literature Informational texts Stories Dramas Poetry Cross-curricular texts Independently With support Grade-level proficiency Knowledge: 32. Students know: Responding to text in a written format demonstrates comprehension of the text. Skills: 32. Students are able to: Independently and with support, create grade-appropriate written responses after reading literature and informational text. Understanding: 32. Students understand that: To respond in writing to literature and informational texts, they must read critically, have a deep understanding of the text's content, and use appropriate writing skills.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 5	R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: R4. Writing process Plan Draft Revise Edit Publish Genres Knowledge: R4. Students know: The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish. Various genres of writing. Skills: R4. Students are able to: Plan writings in various genres. Draft writings in various genres. Revise writings in various genres. Edit writings in various genres. Publish writings in various genres. Understanding: R4. Students understand that: The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier. There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 5	19. Interpret how authors use literary elements throughout a text, including character, setting, conflict, dialogue, and point of view. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 19. Interpret Literary elements Character Setting Conflict Dialogue Point of view Knowledge: 19. Students know: Authors use literary elements, such as character, setting, conflict, dialogue, and point of view, throughout a text to develop and drive the plot. Skills: 19. Students are able to: Identify literary elements in a text. Interpret how authors use literary elements throughout a text. Understanding: 19. Students understand that: Interpreting the author's use of literary elements in a text supports their overall comprehension of the text.
English Language Arts ELA2021 (2021) Grade: 5	32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, independently and with grade-level proficiency. Unpacked Content Teacher Vocabulary: 32. Literature Informational text Stories Dramas Poetry Cross-curricular texts Independently Proficiency Knowledge: 32. Students know: Responding to text in a written format demonstrates comprehension of the text. Skills: 32. Students are able to: Independently create grade-appropriate written responses after reading literature and informational text. Understanding: 32. Students understand that: To respond in writing to literature and informational texts, they must read critically, have a deep understanding of the text's content, and use appropriate writing skills.

Tags:

character, Compare Contrast Map, Comparison and Contrast Guide, conflicts, nature, picture books, society, Story Map, Venn Diagram

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Author:

Cassie Raulston

ALEX Classroom Resource

Examining Plot Conflict Through a Comparison/Contrast Essay