The goal of this lesson is to reinforce and expand students’ understanding of plot, events, conflict or problem, and solution. Through observation and anecdotal notes, assess each student’s progress. Use the following activities to determine which students have met the goal:

• Give students a graphic organizer and a choice of books to read. Have them fill out the graphic organizer for the story they choose. Also, have them identify the problem and the solution in the story.
• If students do not understand how to identify the events, the problem, and the solution in a story, model for students by using a Beginning-Middle-End graphic organizer and a familiar story such as The Three Little Pigs. Then guide students through additional practice by using unfamiliar stories. Encourage students who might need additional opportunities for learning to use the pictures to help them identify the events in the story.

Focus questions: What is the sequence of events in the text?  How do the characters’ actions and/or emotions contribute to the sequence of events?

Part 1

Write the words plot and events on the board/interactive whiteboard. Ask, “What do you think these words mean when we are talking about a story?”

Events: The major things that happen in a story.

Plot: A sequence of events that make up a story.

Say, “I am going to read a story to you. When I finish, I am going to ask you to tell the events in the order that they happened in the story.” Read aloud Mr. Peabody’s Apples. Ask partners to discuss the events of the story and the order in which they happened.

Ask students to tell the events from the story. Write each event on a large sheet of paper. When you have all of the events written, invite students to hold up the sheets in the order the events happened. Read the events together and see if you need to make any changes in the order or add any missing events. Explain that students have identified the plot. Point out that they have not included every detail of the story, but they have retold all the important events. Remind students how they reread the work they did together and made necessary changes at the end.

Have students analyze the characters’ actions to determine how they contributed to the sequence of events. (The events of the story are based on Tommy’s actions.)

Ask, “Was there a problem in this story?” (yes) “What was the problem?” (Tommy Tittlebottom thought that Mr. Peabody was stealing apples, so he told everyone that Mr. Peabody was a thief.) “How were Tommy’s actions important to the sequence of events in the story?” (They caused the problem.) Take this event sheet and post it on the board.

Ask, “What was the solution to the problem?” (Tommy apologized to Mr. Peabody.) “How was Tommy’s action important to the sequence of events in the story?” (The author used Tommy’s action of apologizing to solve the problem in the story.) Discuss the theme and its relationship to the other literary elements in this story: Tommy tried to fix the problem. However, there could have been a better solution. The theme is to find out the right information before you start talking about someone else.) Take the event sheet that has Tommy apologizing to Mr. Peabody and put it on the board.

Discuss where in the plot the problem and the solution occur. Ask, “Do you think you would find the same pattern in most stories?” (Yes, most stories have a plot that includes a problem and solution.)

Ask, “Even though most stories have a plot that includes a problem and solution, what makes each story different?” (the characters’ actions and emotions)

Part 2

Introduce Tops and Bottoms to illustrate that some stories have more than one problem.

Say, “We will read the story Tops and Bottoms. Focus on Bear and the problem he has. Try to identify the solution.”

Read aloud the story. Then display a copy of the Story Line worksheet (L-3-1-2_Story Line.docx). Explain to students that this is similar to the activity they just did for Mr. Peabody’s Apples. In the first box, model for students the first major event in Tops and Bottoms. Together, determine the remainder of the major events and record them on the worksheet. After the events have been listed and checked for sequence and accuracy, have students identify the problem. Outline in red the box that has the problem. Then find the solution. Outline in blue the box that has the solution. Discuss how problem and solution are part of the plot.

Part 3

Say, “Now let’s see if you can identify the plot in another book. You will also need to find the problem and solution in the story.” Assign students a fiction story to read. Distribute the Story Line worksheet for students to complete. Students who need more practice reading or are having difficulty retelling the events of a story could use a simple graphic organizer with the headings Beginning, Middle, and End. Tell students to list the events that happen in each part of the story. Help them determine that the problem usually happens in the beginning or middle of the story and that the solution usually happens in the end.

Circulate during the activity to provide feedback to students and to make notes about students’ progress.

Extension:

• Give students who need additional practice a story text and ask them to create a picture book. Explain how authors and illustrators use the events in the story to draw the pictures and decide which part of the story will be on each page. Have students first examine a variety of picture books so that they can see how the author/illustrator highlights the events leading to the problem, the problem itself, and the solution.
• If students are ready to move beyond the standard, give them a problem, a solution, and a theme. Have students write a story based on this information.