Lessons & Units :: Setting 4th Grade Unit

Lesson 1: Setting Impact on the Plot

Lesson Plan

The Three Brothers: A German Folktale | 570L

The Three Brothers: A German Folktale
Learning Goal
Explain how the setting impacts the plot of a story.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Independent Practice Passage and Worksheet Not Provided: The Three Brothers: A German Folktale by Carolyn Croll

  • Teacher Modeling

    will explain that the setting often affects the plot of a story. I will begin to read The Three Brothers: A German Folktale by Carolyn Croll. First, I will use textual clues to identify details of the setting. Then, I will explain how the setting details affect what happens in the plot. For example: The setting of the story is a farm in Germany. Because the setting is a farm, each of the brothers has a unique farm job. Amos is too young and small to milk the cows and harrow the fields, so he is stuck churning and washing. The setting impacts the plot because Amos wants to share in all of the jobs on the farm with his brothers, but he cannot.

  • Think Check

    How did I identify how the setting affected the plot of the story? Students should respond that you first identified where and when the story was taking place. Then you thought about each event in the story and how the setting affected each event.

  • Guided Practice

    will finish reading the story and discuss how details of the setting affect what happens to Gideon and his family. For example: The setting affected how Gideon won the farm. It is important that this event took place at night; otherwise the candle might not have filled the barn’s darkness with light.

  • Independent Practice

    will read the story “A New Home” (passage provided). You will identify the setting of the story and explain how the details of the time and place affect the plot.

Build Student Vocabulary discouraged

Tier 2 Word: discouraged
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story Meanwhile, Amos did his work and thought and thought but couldn’t come up with a thing. “If I am so easily discouraged, I’ll never win the farm,” he said.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) To discourage means to convince someone not to do something. Someone who feels discouraged is someone who has lost his or her confidence about doing something. Amos did not want to lose his confidence, or feel discouraged, because then he would lose the farm.
Students repeat the word Say the word discouraged with me: discouraged.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts You shouldn’t feel discouraged if you get a bad grade on a test; it just means you need to study harder next time. I’m always trying to discourage my brother from jumping in puddles.
Students provide examples Can you think of a time when you felt discouraged? Students should say, “One time when I felt discouraged was …”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? discouraged
Additional Vocabulary Words yearned, bountiful

Build Student Background Knowledge

Pause at page 12 of The Three Brothers, when the father is deciding who to give his land to. Explain to your students that property passed down to family members or friends is called an "inheritance." Before a person passes away, they will make decisions about who will get whatever they own. Often, they make decisions based on who they think will make the best use or take good care of their property once they pass away. In today's world, this is done with a legal document called a "will."

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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User Comments

Great lesson and thanks for the link to the online edition.

Submitted by pjtassiello_1157651 on 9/13/15

Thank You. Great Lesson for teaching setting.

Submitted by Susan Underhill on 4/28/15

amazing lesson.

Submitted by idgladys on 11/5/14

great lesson! Thank you!

Submitted by mmay on 10/21/14

I googled the title for an online edition and it came right up. The link is www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/.

Hope this helps!

Submitted by kim on 9/5/13

This was very helpful and made my life so much easier. Thank you very much!

Submitted by Joan on 5/13/15

Thanks for the link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted by walton.michelle_1169433 on 1/29/15