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Core Decisions
What
The curricular content goal of this lesson is for students to develop a more thorough
understanding of setting. While my first grade students already have some preexisting concept of
setting, the purpose of this lesson is to elaborate on their current knowledge and to deepen their
comprehension of this literary element. Many of my students know that setting has to do with
where a story takes place, so this lesson will emphasize that the setting also includes when a
story takes place. Furthermore, this lesson will address the idea that a setting can change as a
story progresses. Students will learn to use clues in the text and illustrations that indicate the
setting at any given point in a book. As they learn to find evidence from a book to describe
setting in terms of time and place, they will also practice applying these skills in their own
representations of given settings. In addition to these content goals, students will practice
speaking and listening skills by engaging in thoughtful discussion with their peers regarding
these literary topics.
How
This lesson is structured to provide students with multiple opportunities to engage with the
content. Several of the students chosen for this group either have difficulty focusing during
whole class instruction or show reticence to participate in a large group setting. I have previously
worked with some of these students in small groups and have observed an increased readiness to
participate in discussion in a small group setting. Some students in this small group also struggle
with independent work, which is why the majority of the lesson involves guided practice and
whole group instruction. At the start of the lesson, prior knowledge will be activated by asking
students to recall some of the things we can learn from the words and illustrations in a book.
Students will review what they already know about setting by differentiating between characters
and setting before moving into a discussion about the components that make up a setting. Higher
order thinking will be invoked by having students identify changes in the setting of a book and
justifying their answers with details from the text. Finally, students will complete an independent
activity that requires them to apply their understanding of setting in a creative way.
Why
In discussing the needs of my class with my Classroom Mentor, she indicated that first graders
often struggle to understand that the setting of a story includes more than just the place. As such,
she suggested that I design a lesson that emphasizes that setting also includes the time a story
takes place. This topic is closely aligned with a number of first grade English Language Arts
Common Core standards involving identifying, describing and illustrating setting. These specific
Common Core standards are outlined in the Standards section below. Additionally, this lesson
fits in well with the literacy focus in our classroom. My Classroom Mentor follows the reading
workshop model, starting each reading workshop with a mini-lesson. Recently, mini lessons have
covered skills and strategies related to using context clues (such as illustrations) to make
inferences and predictions about the plot, characters or main idea of a book. In this lesson, we
will be using illustrations to identify elements of and changes in the setting of a story, which
applies a familiar skill to a new concept.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts
with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.A
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one
at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.B
Build on others talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through
multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.C
Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings
clearly.
viii. Chicken
A closer look at setting (10 minutes)
a. Draw students attention to the fact that some of the setting pictures are the same place.
b. Ask students what differences they notice between two pictures of the same place, for
example:
i.
One picture shows a school in the fall, and one picture shows a school in the
winter.
ii.
One picture shows a playground in the daytime, and one pictures shows a
playground at night.
c. Ask students what clues they used to determine that it was [fall, winter, daytime,
nighttime] in each picture. (Note: this activates higher order thinking by asking students
to defend their assertions with evidence from the picture).
d. Ask students if the two pictures of a school are different settings. Repeat for the two
pictures of a playground.
e. Explain to students that the setting includes both the place and time of the story (in other
words, the where and the when). Sometimes the author also provides us with information
about the environment, such as the weather. We need to visualize the setting of a story in
our head to understand the story more completely. (Note: environment will not be
emphasized in this lesson but is referenced for students who quickly grasp the elements
of place and time).
Brainstorming (3 minutes)
a. As a group, we will use a chart to brainstorm some examples of time, place and
environment. Ask students to think about the settings in their everyday liveswhere they
go, at what time, etc. The resulting product may look something like this:
Place (where)
Home
School
Farm
Beach
Time (when)
Morning
Summer
2015
November
Environment
Sunny
Cold
Dark
Rainy
c. As we work through the book, we will, as a group, create a chart displaying the different
times and places from the story to track the changing setting of Pancakes for Breakfast.
This chart will serve as a word bank for the independent activity students will engage in
at the end of the lesson. The chart will end up looking something like this:
Place
Bedroom
Home
Kitchen
Barn
Time
Winter
Sunrise
Morning
Daytime
d. At the end of the read aloud, emphasize that the setting can change as a book progresses
and have students recall details from the illustrations that indicated the setting had
changed. Have students compare and contrast the setting at different points throughout
the text.
Closure
Independent activity/ assessment (15 minutes)
a. As a closing activity (and form of assessment) students will illustrate a setting that
incorporates both time and place.
i. Tell students that they will be illustrating a setting. Emphasize the importance of
including details so that someone looking at the picture will know both the time and
place. Review the role of setting in helping a reader visualize the story in their mind.
ii. Show students the worksheet (attached at the end of this lesson plan) while giving
directions, but wait to hand out worksheet until after directions have been given.
iii. Instruct students to use the chart we created as a word bank to choose a time/when
from Pancakes for Breakfast.
iv. Ask students to come up with their own place/where for their illustration.
v. Give students some time to think about the time and place they will illustrate and
what details they will include in their drawing. (Note: by asking students to create
their own setting, this activity involves application of knowledge and thereby
incorporates higher order thinking skills).
vi. Have students turn and talk about their ideas before they begin drawing.
vii. Hand out worksheet, pencils, markers and crayons.
viii. Tell students to write the time and place prior to beginning their drawing. Point out
that the worksheet contains a line for environment. If students would like to accept
the challenge of adding this third element to their illustration, they may do so, but
they are only required to include time and place.
ix. When students are finished, I will collect the worksheets and we will return to the
classroom.
apply and demonstrate their understanding of setting and will allow me to determine each
students progress in achieving the stated learning objectives. Furthermore, our group discussions
during the other components of the lesson will provide substantial insight into each students
ability to identify, interpret and describe setting.
Accommodations
Accommodations for students who may find the material too challenging
For students who find the concept of setting too challenging, this lesson is structured in a way to
provide various examples and points of entry. Students will have the opportunity to brainstorm
examples of setting, identify setting within the context of a book and create and draw their own
setting. This set of activities should provide the necessary level of scaffolding to support students
at any level of beginning understanding. If students are struggling to complete the independent
activity, I will meet with them one-on-one to assist them in selecting (and writing) a setting and
brainstorming how they could illustrate that setting.
Accommodations for students who may need a greater challenge and/or finish early
Students who grasp the concept of setting easily will be provided with many opportunities
throughout the lesson to deepen their understanding by articulating their thinking to the rest of
the group. During the independent activity, these students may choose to add a third element
(environment) to their chosen setting. Although environment is not emphasized in this lesson, it
provides a means for students to achieve a greater challenge. If students finish early, they will be
encouraged to add more detail to their illustration.
10
Illustrate a Setting
Name __________________________________________________________________
Choose a setting to draw that has both a time and a place. You
may also add an environment. Write your setting in the spaces
Time:
Place:
Environment
(challenge):
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