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Read Chapters 7-12; Complete Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 7-12

Distribute one card from the deck of Direct Effect Cards to each student. The first card is the Decision Card, which directly brings about an effect, which, in turn, becomes the cause of another effect, etc. Each student will receive a card and must find the “direct effect” to their card until everyone has found their effect partner  In the end, the group will all be lined up, illustrating that causes and effects are interconnected and impact the plot of a story. Explain that putting the cards together illustrates how events in a story may be caused by important character decisions. Note:If you do not want to implement this as a whole group activity, pair students off with a shuffled stack of the Direct Effect Cards. Ask students to sort them into the cause and effect sequence, and have them raise their hands when they have completed the task. When everyone is done, read the story aloud in sequence, while the students check their work with their partner.

will explain that, similar to our cause and effect game, character decisions impact the plot of a novel. The effects of these decisions ripple throughout the story and form its plot. Good readers pay careful attention to the decisions a character makes in a story and track the effects of those decisions to better understand the plot.

To examine the effects of characters’ decisions in The Wizard of Oz, I will first determine when an important decision has been made that will affect the rest of the story. Particularly in fantasy fiction, characters make significant decisions to embark on a journey or to take a particular path while on a journey. Also, characters in fantasy fiction are often faced with moral dilemmas in which they must choose a course of action. For example, characters in a fantasy sometimes face dilemmas between good or evil, one of the fantasy elements we discussed in the Genre Lesson. Next, I will list the direct effects of this decision and the direct effects of those effects, just like in our cause and effect game.

I will model tracking and explaining the effects of Dorothy’s decision to rescue Toto during the cyclone. I will use textual information to explain what happened because of her decision to save her dog, rather than herself. Note:See Dorothy’s Decision: Cause and Effect Chart for an example chart.

Ask: "How can I analyze the impact of a character’s decision on the plot?" Students should answer that you should stop at an important decision and then list the direct effects of making that decision. Finally, you should continue to record the effects of those effects, linking each to its logical cause.

will examine the effects of the Tin Man’s decision to save the mouse from the Wild Cat. We will link the direct effects of this choice from Chapter 9 through Chapter 10. First, we will write the character decision prompt on an index card and tape it to chart paper or the board: “The Tin Man decides to save the field mouse from the Wildcat.” Next, we will write effects on additional index cards and tape them next to or beneath their direct cause. We will stop at the end of Chapter 10. Note: See The Tin Man’s Decision: Cause and Effect Chart for an example chart. We will, in summary, explain how the Tin Man’s decision to help the mouse resulted in the group's arrival in The Emerald City.

will list the effects of the groups’ decision to kill the Wicked Witch of the West on The Effects of Characters’ Decisions Worksheet in your Student Packet. (See page 11 in the Student Packet.) You will summarize the effects of their decision beneath the list on The Effects of Characters’ Decisions Worksheet in your Student Packet.

will come together to share the effects of the decision to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. We will discuss how the story might have been different if the characters made different decisions. Ask: "What if the Lion was too cowardly to pursue the Wicked Witch, for example?"