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BEFORE READING
Target Skill SKILLS
 STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT
Plot and Theme Graphic Organizers
Skills Trace
OBJECTIVES
Test
Selection Test:
Unit 4
Reteach/
Review
TE: 3.4 137b,
DI•56; 3.6 315, 379b, DI•55
PB: 3.2 43, 47,
48, 116, 133, 137, 138
Practice
TE: 3.4 112–113; 3.6 354–355
Introduce/
Teach
Target Skill Plot and Theme
Target Skill Identify plot and theme.
Target Skill Use graphic organizers to understand plot and theme.
INTRODUCE
Write the title of a short story or fairy tale that all students are familiar with. Ask them to think about the "big idea" and what happens at the beginning, middle, and end. Write their ideas and circle the big idea, or theme. Also number the events to help students organize the information.
Have students read the information on
p. 112. Explain the following:
  • The plot is what happens at important points in the story.
  • At the end of the story, we think about what we read to determine the "big idea," or theme, of the story.
  • Graphic organizers can help us organize the events in the story. This helps us understand what happened and when it happened.
Use Skill Transparency 20 to teach plot and theme.
TEACH
1 SKILL Divide the story
into three parts, and number the paragraphs to model how to identify plot.
Think Aloud MODEL I'm going to divide the story into the beginning, middle, and end. I think
paragraphs 1 and 2 are the beginning, 3 and 4 are the middle, and 5 and 6 are the end.
2 STRATEGY Model how to
create a simple graphic organizer.
Think Aloud MODEL I'll draw three large boxes and label them "Beginning," "Middle," and
"End." Then I want to identify the most important details in each part of the story and write them in the boxes. That will give me a picture of the events in the story. I can use this information to summarize and understand the story better.
PRACTICE AND ASSESS
SKILL Lulu is an eaglet that wants
to hurry up and get big, so she decides to fly before she is ready.
STRATEGY Beginning: Lulu decides
to fly before she is ready. Middle: Lulu falls out of the nest and realizes she's not ready to fly yet. End: She is rescued by her mother.
WRITE Have students complete
steps 1 and 2 of the Write to Read activity. You might consider using this as a whole class activity.
Monitor Progress
then… use Practice Book 3.2 p. 43 to provide additional practice.
If… students are unable to complete Write to Read on
p. 112,
Target Skill Plot and Theme
Skill
 Plot and Theme
Strategy
 Graphic
Organizers
Comprehension
FLY, EAGLE, FLY! AN AFRICAN TALE
Lulu Wants to Grow Up
Skill
Plot and Theme
The plot of a story includes the important things that happen at the beginning, middle, and end.
As you read, think about what happens in the story and why these things are important.
As you read, think, "What is the big idea of the story? What did a character learn in this story?"
     Lulu was a baby eagle, an eaglet. She lived
in a nest in the highest branches of the tallest
tree high on a mountainside. Lulu did
not want to be an eaglet. She wanted to
be an eagle. Lulu said, “Tomorrow I will fly.”
     Mama laughed. “Don’t be in such a hurry
to grow up! You will fly when you are 12 weeks
old. When your feathers change from gray to
brown, you can leave the nest.”
Skill: You've just
read the beginning
of the story. What important things have happened so far?
End
Middle
Beginning
Strategy
Strategy: Graphic Organizers
Active readers use graphic organizers to help them see and understand information. You can make a graphic organizer like this one to help you remember the plot as you read.
     Lulu said, “Oh Mama, I don’t think I should
be in such a hurry to grow up. I’ll just stay in
our nest until my feathers turn brown and my
wings are strong.”
     “What a smart idea!” Mama said as
she hugged Lulu tightly.
     Slowly, Lulu pulled herself up from branch
to branch to the top of the tree. Just then, Mama
swooped in from a hunt for food. She grabbed
Lulu gently with her claws and dropped her
softly into the nest.
     A few days later, Lulu was balancing on the
edge of the nest. Suddenly, she slipped. Lulu
tumbled down. She got caught on a branch
far below.
Strategy: This ends
the middle of the
story. What things
could you list in a
graphic organizer for
the beginning and the middle of the story?
1.
Read "Lulu Wants to Grow Up." Note important things that happen in the story.
Write to Read
2.
Make a graphic organizer
like the one above. List the
important things that
happened at the beginning,
middle, and end of the story.
1
2
 
   
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Access Content
Beginning/Intermediate For a Picture It! lesson on plot and theme, see the ELL Teaching Guide, pp. 134–135.
Advanced Before students read "Lulu Wants to Grow Up," have them tell the group what they know about eagles.
Target Skill Plot and Theme Draw story sequence A (Graphic Organizer 7) on the board. Using the story you chose for the introduction, walk students through each step of the organizer. You may want to reread the story to students. Then elicit from students what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Write their ideas in the appropriate boxes. Ask students to summarize the story based on the graphic organizer. Finally, discuss what they think the big idea of the story was.
ELL
Strategic Intervention
Practice Book 3.2 p. 43
with | without Answers