ALEX Learning Activity

  

Spooky Tales of 5th Grade-Part 2: Theme and Personification

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

You may save this Learning Activity to your hard drive as an .html file by selecting “File”,then “Save As” from your browser’s pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.
  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Tomiko Masuoka
System:Phenix City
School:Lakewood Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2768
Title:
Spooky Tales of 5th Grade-Part 2: Theme and Personification
Digital Tool/Resource:
Aesop's Fables 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' Short Film (YouTube)
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will watch a video about an Aesop Fable. They will identify the theme of the fable portrayed in the video and support their answer with evidence from the video. Students will use a Google Slideshow to support a fictional narrative writing. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
12. Interpret the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns as they are used in texts, including domain-specific and academic vocabulary and figurative language.

a. Locate similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms and interpret their meanings in context.

b. Explain the meanings of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

c. Use the relationships between synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to increase understanding of word meanings.

d. Explain how an author's vocabulary and style influence the tone and mood of a text and support his/her purpose for writing.

e. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meanings of words.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
12.
  • Domain-specific vocabulary
  • Academic vocabulary
  • Figurative language
12a.
  • Similes
  • Metaphors
  • Personification
  • Hyperbole
  • Imagery
  • Alliteration
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Idioms
12b.
  • Common idioms
  • Common adages
  • Common proverbs
12c.
  • Synonyms
  • Antonyms
  • Homographs
12d.
  • Author's vocabulary
  • Author's style
  • Tone
  • Mood
  • Purpose
12e.
  • Common Latin roots
  • Common Greek roots
  • Common Latin affixes
  • Common Greek affixes
Knowledge:
12. Student know:
  • Academic vocabulary is language that is more formal than spoken language.
  • Domain-specific vocabulary refers to words that are used specifically in school subject areas, like math, science, and social studies.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.
  • Strategies to determine the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns in text.
12a.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.
  • Examples of figurative language include similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms.
12b.
  • Idioms, adages, and proverbs are all figures of speech, in which the words and phrases carry meaning beyond their literal definitions.
  • An idiom is a common saying with a meaning different from that of its individual words.
  • Adages and proverbs are well-known sayings that have been used for a long time.
  • Proverbs usually give practical advice about ways to behave and live.
12c.
  • Words with opposite meanings are antonyms, and words with similar meanings are synonyms.
  • Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but not necessarily pronounced the same and have different meanings and origins.
12d.
  • Authors choose particular vocabulary and write in a specific style depending on the purpose of the writing and the tone and mood they intend to create.
  • Tone is the attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience, and mood is the overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text.
12e.
  • Many English words and English morphemes originated from ancient Latin and Greek languages.
  • Understanding Latin and Greek roots and affixes can provide clues to meanings of unknown words.
Skills:
12. Students are able to:
  • Interpret the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary, academic vocabulary, and figurative language as they are used in texts.
12a.
  • Identify examples of similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms in text.
  • Interpret the meaning of the figurative language in context.
12b.
  • Identify examples of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
  • Explain the meanings of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
12c.
  • Use synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to interpret word meaning.
12d.
  • Identify the tone and mood of a text.
  • Explain how an author's vocabulary and writing style influence the tone and mood of the text.
  • Identify an author's purpose for writing a text.
  • Explain how an author's vocabulary and writing style support their purpose for writing the text.
12e.
  • Identify and use Latin and Greek affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
Understanding:
12. Students understand that:
  • There are multiple strategies they can use to interpret the meaning of academic and domain-specific vocabulary, including using context clues in the text, their background knowledge, the morphological structure of the word, and outside resources.
  • Words and phrases, including figurative language, can have different meanings in different texts.
12a.
  • Figurative language carries meaning other than the literal meaning of the words or phrases, and authors choose to include figurative language in text to enhance the text's meaning.
12b.
  • Idioms, adages, and proverbs are figures of speech that carry meaning beyond the literal definitions of the words.
  • To fully comprehend text that contains figures of speech, they must learn the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
12c.
  • The relationships between words can be used to increase vocabulary knowledge.
12d.
  • Authors select specific words and write in a particular style to set a tone and mood for the text, and indicate their purpose for writing the text.
12e.
  • The meaning of an unknown word can be learned by knowing the morphology and orthography of the word, including its origin.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
17. Demonstrate comprehension of text by asking and responding to questions about literary elements used in the text.

Examples: theme, plot, point of view
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
17.
  • Demonstrate
  • Comprehension
  • Literary elements
Knowledge:
17. Students know:
  • Literary elements within a story include the theme, plot, and point of view.
  • Comprehension can be demonstrated by asking and answering questions about a text.
Skills:
17. Students are able to:
  • Ask questions about literary elements used in the text to demonstrate comprehension.
  • Respond to questions about literary elements used in the text to demonstrate comprehension.
Understanding:
17. Students understand that:
  • They can show they understood a story they read by asking and answering questions about specific literary elements.
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.
Learning Objectives:

Students will demonstrate comprehension of a story by identifying the theme.

Students will write a fictional narrative that includes the literary element of theme.

Students will write examples of personification and select two examples to include in a fictional narrative.

  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

1. Review the definition of theme (the moral or lesson of a story). Tell students they are going to view a video. They will identify the theme of the story. View the YouTube video "The Ant and the Grasshopper." After the video, students will write down the theme of the story. They will also give evidence as to why they think this is the theme. Discuss student responses.

2. Students will open the Google Slide viewed previously from Spooky Tales of 5th Grade-Part 1: Personification. Tell students that they are going to write a spooky fictional story. Students will go to slide 2 and 3. Yesterday, they wrote examples of personification. Give students time to write additional examples of personification. Students will highlight two examples they wrote to include in their story. Discuss with students how using personification will add more detail to their story.

3 Students will go to slide 4. Go over the themes listed on this slide. Tell the students that they are going to write a spooky fictional story that incorporates one of the themes listed on the slide. Students may select a theme that is not on the slide, but it must be approved by the teacher.

4. Students will go to slide 5. On this slide, students will brainstorm ideas for their story. Before students complete the graphic organizer independently, the teacher will model how to complete the graphic organizer using one of the themes on slide 4. The teacher will select a theme and then complete the graphic organizer by thinking aloud: "Since this is the theme of my story, what could happen in my story to clearly show the theme?" The teacher will fill in each part-characters, setting, beginning, middle, and end. 

5. Students will complete their graphic organizer. While students work, the teacher will check in with students to answer questions and ensure understanding. Students will submit their completed slides.

Assessment Strategies:

The teacher will review the students' responses to the theme and evidence of the "The Ant and the Grasshopper." The teacher is looking to see if:

  • the students identified a theme that makes sense for video. 
  • the student supported their answer with evidence from the video.

The teacher will review the graphic organizer the students completed. The teacher is looking to see if:

  • The students completed each part of the graphic organizer. 
  • The students have a clear theme for their story.
  • The events help develop the theme of the story.

The teacher will review slides 2 and 3. The teacher is looking to see if:

  • students highlighted examples of personification they will use in their fictional narrative.
  • the examples highlighted are correct examples of personification.

Advanced Preparation:

Students will have previously submitted the Google Slides in Spooky Tales of 5th Grade-Part 1: Personification. The teacher will need to unsubmit the slides and return them so the students can have access to the Google Slides for this lesson.

The teacher will preview the YouTube video, "The Ant and the Grasshopper."

Students need pencil and paper.

Variation Tips (optional):
 
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Fictional Narrative, Figurative Langauge, Theme, Writing