Lessons & Units :: Plot 4th Grade Unit

Lesson 1: Climax of a Story

Lesson Plan

Stone Soup | 480L

Stone Soup
Learning Goal
Identify and describe the climax in a story.
Identify and describe the elements of plot including rising actions, the problem, falling actions and the resolution.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Example Graphic Organizer for Direct Teaching, Example Graphic Organizer for Guided Practice, Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth and Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, independent or guided reading books, chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will explain the meaning of the climax within a story (the most exciting part of the story). I will review that rising actions lead to the problem and then to the climax. I will also review that falling actions lead to the resolution of the problem. I will read the book Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth and chart the rising actions, problem, climax, falling actions, and resolution in a graphic organizer as I read. (Direct Teaching Teacher Example Graphic Organizer is provided below in Teacher and Student Materials.)

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I identify the elements of plot in the story? Students should respond that as you read, you charted events that led to the climax of the story, the problem, falling actions, and the resolution of the story.

  • Guided Practice

    will do a picture-walk through the book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson (or another familiar book, already read in class). We will identify and chart the rising actions, problem, climax, falling actions, and resolution in a graphic organizer. (Guided Practice Teacher Example Graphic Organizer is provided below.)

  • Independent Practice

    will complete a graphic organizer identifying the rising actions, problem, climax, falling actions, and resolution in an independent or leveled guided reading book. (Student Independent Practice is provided below.)

Build Student Vocabulary curiosity

Tier 2 Word: curiosity
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story The monks with the fire and the large pot in the middle of the village were a true curiosity.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) A curiosity is something strange or unusual. It is something people would like to learn about. It might make you curious.
Students repeat the word Say the word curiosity with me: curiosity.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts The people in the town were curious about the monks and the pot. They thought the sight was a curiosity because it was something so strange and unusual that they wanted to know more about. Curiosity can also mean a desire to learn or to know. I have a curiosity about why the moon circles the Earth. I am curious about this.
Students provide examples What do you think is a curiosity? Why does it make you curious? Say, “___________ is a curiosity because________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? curiosity
Additional Vocabulary Words monk, weary

Build Student Background Knowledge

Before reading Stone Soup, explain that you are going to read a story about monks. Monks are people who practice the religion Buddhism. Buddhism is a major world religion that started in India and has spread all over the world. It is 2,500 years old and is followed by 350 million Buddhists worldwide. Buddhists believe that there are cycles of birth and life and that you can be reborn. Buddhist monks are religious Buddhists who are trying to reach a state of perfection, free of suffering. They do this by separating themselves from "things" in the world. Many monks do not have material possessions, except what they need to survive. They believe that wanting things makes life more difficult.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

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