1. Story Elements Disciplinary Vocabulary Lesson By Brian C. Schroeder

2. Content and Vocabulary Characters Event Sequence Plot Simile Setting Dialogue Characteristics Experiences 3. Standards Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a characters thoughts, words, or actions). (RL.4.3) Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. (RL.4.7) Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. (RF.4.3) Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. (RF.4.3a) 4. Standards continued.. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. (W.4.3) Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. (W.4.3a) Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. (W.4.3b) Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. (W.4.3c) Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. (W.4.3d) Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. (W.4.3e) 5. Investigate Fiction Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Martin A Magical Pen by Ruth Spencer Johnson Interactive Read Aloud for Snowflake Bentley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqqILa1Ga-M Link to A Magical Pen http://www.comprehensiontoolkit.com/samples/TT _G45_MagicalPen_bw.pdf 6. Comprehension Questions A simile compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as". (The childs hands were as cold as ice.) The author uses a simile to describe how Willie felt about snow. Identify the simile and explain what two things are compared. The simile is: Snow was as beautiful as butterflies or apple blossoms. The snow is being compared to butterflies and apple blossoms. 7. Comprehension Questions When Willie was a boy, how were his daily experiences different from the other children? While the other children built forts and pelted snowballs at roosting crows, Willie used an old microscope his mother gave him to look at things like flowers, raindrops, blades of grass, and snow. He also caught snowflakes and studied the icy crystals and all forms of moisture. He kept a record of the weather and did many experiments with the raindrops. 8. Comprehension Questions Intricate means complicated or complex. By using the old microscope his mother gave him, Willie discovered certain intricate characteristics of snowflakes. List three intricate characteristics that Willie discovered. Willie discovered that most ice crystals have six branches, all six branches are alike, and no two snowflake designs are the same. 9. Comprehension Questions Using your vocabulary words, please retell the story in the correct sequence from beginning to end. Please include the main idea and supporting details. 10. Comprehension Questions Please list at least five of the original thirteen American Colonies. Massachusetts, New Hamsphire, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc. How did the dialogue in the play affect the plot of the story? 11. Comprehension Questions In what setting did this play take place? Place the events that took place in sequential order from the beginning to the end. How would the play have changed if the order of events changed? 12. Investigate CharactersInteractive Scrapbook for Characters http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/s crapbook/ 13. Investigate CharactersThis interactive scrapbook will be used while reading the selected stories. It is a great way to keep track of the characters characteristics and their relationships with each other. 14. Report Students will use the website http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/s cholastic-bookfiles to select a book companion to go along with a book they are reading in class. Using their book and companion they will identify the vocabulary words in relationship to their book. Their responses will be recorded in their reading journals and shared with the class. 15. Beyond Students will use their selected book to create a short play like the Thomas Jefferson play. They will select the characters from the book and use their vocabulary words to create an interactive play that can be performed by the class.