Whole group lesson plan
Grade Level/Subject: 4th grade, Reading Topic: Finding Theme
Rationale:
Students need to be able to find the theme of any type of literary work. This is important because they will develop a deeper understanding of the author’s message and purpose for writing the story.
CCSS / Essential Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
Behavioral objective:
Students will be able to identify the theme of the book “Fly Away Home” by Eve Bunting. They will also list examples from the text to
justify the theme and write their own alternate endings to the book.
Prerequisite Knowledge & Skills:
Students will need to already be familiar with how to make inferences and use text clues to justify their responses.
Materials/Resources:
Stone Soup, McGovern, A. (1968) Scholastic Inc. and Fly Away Home, Bunting, E. (1991) New York, NY, Clarion Books.
Focus/Review:
We are going to review the book Stone Soup. Do any of you remember this book? Teacher will show the book, summarize it to activate the students’ memories, and preform a think aloud about what she thinks the theme of the book might be. While she is stating a possible theme, she will be writing down clues from the text to justify her answers of why she thinks the theme is what she
says.
Objective (as stated for students):
Today we are going to read a story and find out what the theme is. We are going to use examples from the text to help us find the theme and prove our points!
Teacher Input:
If I am trying to find the theme of a story is kind of like finding what the hidden meaning is. We are finding what message the author is trying to tell us. Teacher will bring out a pre-drawn anchor chart about Themes and present it to the students, then model her thought process when finding themes in the story Cinderella. Do you remember the story Cinderella? When I read this story, I noticed several different parts of the book that could be possible themes, or messages the author is trying to get us
to realize. One theme I found was perseverance. The part where she constantly cleaned and dealt with her sisters making fun of her, she held onto her hope until help arrived. Then her chance came, she took it, and married a prince. Those are all reasons why I think a theme could be perseverance. Another theme I see is that beauty is only skin deep. The sisters were obsessing with their
appearance, Cinderella had to wear rags and they made fun of her. But even though she wasn’t dressed as pretty as they were, the prince still wanted her to be his wife. There are more possible themes to this story, such as friendship, but I think the main theme is perseverance because of the reasons I listed earlier. Because I found these examples from the text, it helped me make my decision about what the theme of the story could be.
Guided Practice:
Students will get out their response books and note questions or things they wonder while the teacher is reading the book “Fly
Away Home”. Before the book is read, the teacher will ask a few questions about the cover of the book to get the students started thinking about possible questions or “wonder statements”. Where do you think they are? What do you think there relationship is? Read title. What do you think this book is going to be about? Next, students will listen to the book (teacher will stop at page 29) and write down possible themes and state facts from the text to prove why they think it is a theme. The students will raise their hands and give possible themes and teacher will list these themes on a large sheet of paper. Students will need to provide clues from the text to help them explain reasons why they believe this is a theme of the story. After a list of possible themes is compiled, the students and teacher will discuss each of the themes and decide on which theme of the story is the main theme.
Independent Practice:
Still using the book “Fly Away Home” the teacher will instruct the students to decide which theme on the list is the main theme. What is the big message the author is trying to get across to the reader. Using this information, the students will write their own endings to the stories. After about 10 minutes, the teacher will allow 3-4 students to read their own endings to the stories and tell what they think the main theme is of the story.
Closure:
When we are reading a story, we can use clues from the text to help us identify the theme of the story. Can anyone remind me what a theme is? This is important so that we can always find out what the author is trying to tell us.
Evaluation:
Teacher will collect the written endings to the story and use them as criteria for grading purposes. If the student has
listed the main theme (HOPE) of the book and created an alternate ending surrounding this theme, they will receive full credit for the assignment. If they create an alternate ending to the story created from a lesser, minor theme of the story, the student will receive partial credit. If no themes or story is written, the student has not mastered the concept and will need to be retaught.
Rationale:
Students need to be able to find the theme of any type of literary work. This is important because they will develop a deeper understanding of the author’s message and purpose for writing the story.
CCSS / Essential Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
Behavioral objective:
Students will be able to identify the theme of the book “Fly Away Home” by Eve Bunting. They will also list examples from the text to
justify the theme and write their own alternate endings to the book.
Prerequisite Knowledge & Skills:
Students will need to already be familiar with how to make inferences and use text clues to justify their responses.
Materials/Resources:
Stone Soup, McGovern, A. (1968) Scholastic Inc. and Fly Away Home, Bunting, E. (1991) New York, NY, Clarion Books.
Focus/Review:
We are going to review the book Stone Soup. Do any of you remember this book? Teacher will show the book, summarize it to activate the students’ memories, and preform a think aloud about what she thinks the theme of the book might be. While she is stating a possible theme, she will be writing down clues from the text to justify her answers of why she thinks the theme is what she
says.
Objective (as stated for students):
Today we are going to read a story and find out what the theme is. We are going to use examples from the text to help us find the theme and prove our points!
Teacher Input:
If I am trying to find the theme of a story is kind of like finding what the hidden meaning is. We are finding what message the author is trying to tell us. Teacher will bring out a pre-drawn anchor chart about Themes and present it to the students, then model her thought process when finding themes in the story Cinderella. Do you remember the story Cinderella? When I read this story, I noticed several different parts of the book that could be possible themes, or messages the author is trying to get us
to realize. One theme I found was perseverance. The part where she constantly cleaned and dealt with her sisters making fun of her, she held onto her hope until help arrived. Then her chance came, she took it, and married a prince. Those are all reasons why I think a theme could be perseverance. Another theme I see is that beauty is only skin deep. The sisters were obsessing with their
appearance, Cinderella had to wear rags and they made fun of her. But even though she wasn’t dressed as pretty as they were, the prince still wanted her to be his wife. There are more possible themes to this story, such as friendship, but I think the main theme is perseverance because of the reasons I listed earlier. Because I found these examples from the text, it helped me make my decision about what the theme of the story could be.
Guided Practice:
Students will get out their response books and note questions or things they wonder while the teacher is reading the book “Fly
Away Home”. Before the book is read, the teacher will ask a few questions about the cover of the book to get the students started thinking about possible questions or “wonder statements”. Where do you think they are? What do you think there relationship is? Read title. What do you think this book is going to be about? Next, students will listen to the book (teacher will stop at page 29) and write down possible themes and state facts from the text to prove why they think it is a theme. The students will raise their hands and give possible themes and teacher will list these themes on a large sheet of paper. Students will need to provide clues from the text to help them explain reasons why they believe this is a theme of the story. After a list of possible themes is compiled, the students and teacher will discuss each of the themes and decide on which theme of the story is the main theme.
Independent Practice:
Still using the book “Fly Away Home” the teacher will instruct the students to decide which theme on the list is the main theme. What is the big message the author is trying to get across to the reader. Using this information, the students will write their own endings to the stories. After about 10 minutes, the teacher will allow 3-4 students to read their own endings to the stories and tell what they think the main theme is of the story.
Closure:
When we are reading a story, we can use clues from the text to help us identify the theme of the story. Can anyone remind me what a theme is? This is important so that we can always find out what the author is trying to tell us.
Evaluation:
Teacher will collect the written endings to the story and use them as criteria for grading purposes. If the student has
listed the main theme (HOPE) of the book and created an alternate ending surrounding this theme, they will receive full credit for the assignment. If they create an alternate ending to the story created from a lesser, minor theme of the story, the student will receive partial credit. If no themes or story is written, the student has not mastered the concept and will need to be retaught.
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