Central

Idea & Key Details

Reading Strategies With 6th Grade

Nancy Juarros

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual

Septemner 4, 2017

A Written Project Presented to the Faculty of the Teachers College of

Western Governors University

2017
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 2

Tanle of Contents
Overview.....................................................................................................................................3
Instructional Lessons....................................................................................................................... 3
Assessments........................................................................................................................................ 4
Instructional Design and Delivery .....................................................................................5
Instructional Materials ..........................................................................................................6
Physical Resources ..................................................................................................................7
Lesson Plans ..............................................................................................................................8
Lesson 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Lesson 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Lesson 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 15
Lesson 4 ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Lesson 5 ............................................................................................................................................. 22
Lesson 6 ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Appendices.............................................................................................................................. 28
Appendix A ....................................................................................................................................... 28
Appendix B ....................................................................................................................................... 29
Appendix C........................................................................................................................................ 31
Appendix D ....................................................................................................................................... 34
Appendix E........................................................................................................................................ 37
Appendix F........................................................................................................................................ 41
Appendix G ....................................................................................................................................... 42
Appendix H ....................................................................................................................................... 44
Appendix I......................................................................................................................................... 45
Appendix J......................................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix K ....................................................................................................................................... 48
Appendix L........................................................................................................................................ 50
Appendix M ...................................................................................................................................... 51
Appendix N ....................................................................................................................................... 52
Appendix O ....................................................................................................................................... 53
Appendix P ....................................................................................................................................... 54
Appendix Q ....................................................................................................................................... 55
Appendix R ....................................................................................................................................... 56
Appendix S........................................................................................................................................ 58
References............................................................................................................................... 66
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 3

TAT2 Task 3: Overview

The instructional goal of this unit is to help improve reading comprehension for sixth-

grade students in a self-contained classroom. The instructional unit should take about two school

weeks to complete; depending on student needs. The plan is for the unit to take about 7.5 hours.

The unit focuses on direct instruction with gradual release of responsibility. The unit follows the

I do-We do-You do model, using reading strategies throughout the unit to improve

comprehension. The instructional plan will begin with teaching students basic story vocabulary

and elements of plot. The second lesson will teach students about conflicts in stories and the

third lesson will teach students to identify central idea. The fourth lesson will then move into

teaching students about key details. The fifth lesson will teach students how to create a flow map

of the most important details and end with teaching students how to take the information from

the flow map to write a summary.

This instructional unit calls for a wide range of materials. Some materials that will be

needed are markers, post-its, various short stories and worksheets, videos, interactive notebooks

and appropriate notes, scissors, headphones, Chromebooks, etc. There are also several resources

that the teacher will need access to, such as a projector, a computer, and chart paper.

Instructional Lessons

This instructional unit breaks down the standard for students in this grade to learn how to

identify central idea and key details in literary text. The unit begins by teaching students the

basic story vocabulary, such as protagonist, conflict, etc. The first lesson will also teach students

how to identify the elements of plot and should take approximately 90 minutes to two hours to

complete, which can be broken down into two days. The second lesson will teach students about

types of conflicts in text and how to identify the conflict because it is usually related to the
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 4

central idea of the story. This lesson should take about 90 minutes as well and teaches students to

recognize the protagonist and antagonist in the conflict. The third lesson focuses solely on

central idea. Students will read and use their knowledge of story elements and conflicts to

identify the central idea of a short story. For key details, the students will use a reading strategy

called chunking the text to identify important details. Students will use the same short stories

from the central idea lesson to find the key details that support the central idea. The unit then

goes into sequential order and will have students use a flow map to organize the key details.

Students will watch two short Pixar movies, pause the movie (as a way of chunking) and find

the key details and central idea. The thinking map helps students weed out unimportant

information. The last lesson teaches students how to summarize the text correctly and concisely.

It will begin with a video and PowerPoint Presentation that goes over important reminders, such

as leaving out opinion and using only important information.

Assessments

Here is an overview of the assessments to be used in the unit. The first lesson will ask

students to complete a worksheet with table groups. The worksheet will ask students to read

excerpts and identify the story elements. The second lessons assessment is students will

independently complete the back page of a worksheet to identify the protagonist, antagonist, and

type of conflict of short texts. The third lesson on central idea will assess students by having

them define central idea and then read a short story in which they identify various story

elements, including the central idea. The key details assessment for lesson four is very similar.

The students must define the term key details, and then identify the key details of the same

story from the previous lesson. The sequential order assessment for lesson five will ask students

to watch a video and then students will create a flow map that includes only the key details, with
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 5

the central idea written above the map. The last lesson, lesson six, will ask students to read a

short story and then write an appropriate summary.

The unit will end with a culminating assessment that will ask students to read short texts

and identify the central idea. Then, students will read an excerpt from James and the Giant

Peach, write a summary, and answer a question about the plot.

Instructional Design and Delivery

This instructional unit was designed with the cognitivism learning theory in mind. This

learning theory was used to plan the unit because the content is new in the context of literary

text. Because this student population needs a lot of scaffoldin, the district guidelines for planning

lessons requires that students receive direct instruction and guided practice before doing

independent work. While there are times in this unit that students are asked to memorize

definitions (which falls under the behaviorist model), the exact definition is not necessary. In this

unit, the teacher is passing the knowledge from self to the students in order to support their

learning. Each lesson will begin with activating prior knowledge and connecting the days

content to what students have learned previously. This follows the cognitvism learning theory.

The design process used for this instructional unit was Dick & Careys 5 Step

Instructional Component Model, based off of Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction. This model

closely follows the districts lesson plan requirements. Each lesson begins by gaining student

attention through various strategies. Then, the teacher will inform students of the days learning

objective and connect it to prior knowledge. Each lesson requires that the teacher provide

guidance, differentiated instruction, scaffolds, feedback, etc. to best assist students in their

learning and to meet their needs. Students will then work independently or with a partner so that
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 6

the teacher can assess and gauge student understanding. The lessons also have follow-through

activities that can be used to transfer the information and skills to other settings.

There are also a variety of instructional strategies to be used in this instructional unit.

During content presentation, the teacher will use interactive notebooks, videos, a PowerPoint

presentation, think-pair-share, academic discourse, examples, etc. in order to increase student

engagement. The unit also uses a number of reading strategies such as chunking the text,

thinking maps, learning vocabulary, and learning plot elements to help students learn the content.

The unit also has a formative assessments so that the teacher can check for understanding and

reteach if necessary. Examples of formative assessments are class discussions, partner work, and

exit slips/tweets.

Instructional Materials
Below is a list of instructional materials to be used in the unit.

1. Flocabulary video clip ELA Plot Elements (Nikki Hornyak, 2016)

2. Interactive Notebook
3. Materials for interactive notes: Story Vocabulary and Elements of Plot (Cobb, 2013)
4. Goldilocks and the Three Bears video (British Council | LearnEnglish Kids, 2011)

5. Worksheet titled: Elements of Plot: Practice and Assess (Cobb, 2013)

6. YouTube videos Conflict in Literature (M Kane, 2013) and The Types of Conflict

(mrbullsclass, 2014)

7. Appropriate materials for interactive notes: Internal and External Conflict (Cobb, 2013)

8. Types of Conflict Worksheet 2 (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

9. Tweet template (Ormen, 2010)

10. The Big Break (ReadWorks.org | Reading Passages, n.d.)

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 7

11. The Breakaway (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

12. [HD] Pixar - For the Birds l Original Movie from Pixar (Clips Hay, 2012)

13. Pixar: Day & Night video (Centro Dionysos, 2014)

14. When Gertrude Grew Great (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

15. Summarizing-lesson Powerpoint (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

16. Summarizing a Story video (Lisa Hammond, 2013)

17. Final Assessment

Physical Resources
Below is a list of physical resources to be used in the instructional unit.

1. Scissors for each student

2. Glue for each student

3. Crayons/colored pencils for each student (optional)

4. Pencils for each student

5. Post-it notes

6. Chart paper

7. Markers (for teacher)

8. Highlighters for each student

9. ELMO projector

10. Tape

11. Computer

12. 12 x 18 construction paper (white or a light color)

13. Headphones for students

14. Chromebooks/Personal devices for students

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 8

Lesson Plans

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 1: Plot

Lesson Overview: This lesson will introduce students to the elements of plot.

Resources or Materials Needed

Flocabulary video clip ELA Plot Elements (Nikki Hornyak, 2016)

Interactive Notebook (each student has his/her own)

Appropriate materials for interactive notes: Story Vocabulary and Plot Structure

(Cobb, 2013)

Scissors for each student

Glue

Crayons/colored pencils (optional)

Pencils for each student

Goldilocks and the Three Bears video (British Council | LearnEnglish Kids, 2011)

Post-it notes (1 per student)

Chart paper / markers (for the teacher)

Worksheet titled: Elements of Plot: Practice and Assess (Cobb, 2013)

Performance Objective:
Given a worksheet of literary excerpts, students will accurately identify the element of plot with
at least 80% accuracy.

Time: 90 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities
The teacher will tell students that today they will be learning about plot. The teacher will

tell students that they will be identifying the plot of a story and then ask students to

discuss with a partner to predict what they think plot means. The teacher will select a

few students to share their predictions.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 9

The teacher will show a Flocabulary video entitled ELA Plot Elements (The video

explains plot in a rap song for students). After a few students share, the teacher will tell

students that these are the elements, or parts, that make up the plot. The teacher will ask

students again to discuss what they believe plot means. The teacher will tell students that

plot is the chain/sequence of events that make up a story. It basically answers the

question: what happens in the story?

Step 2: Content Presentation

Students will receive notes titled Story Vocabulary containing story vocabulary in

which they will cut out the foldables for their Interactive Notebooks (See Appendix A).

Students have two minutes to cut out each one and glue it in their Interactive Notebook.

Students have used interactive notebooks before and should be familiar with how to cut

and paste the foldables into their notebooks. Vocabulary squares are included for the

following words: plot, protagonist, antagonist, complications/conflict, and setting.

The teacher will project her notes on the ELMO projector so that students can see and

copy down the definition for plot. Under the square, students will write transition words

such as First, next, last, after that, etc. to demonstrate that the story is a chain of events.

The teacher will ask students to think-pair-share and predict what they believe each

vocabulary word means and then have students share aloud before telling students the

definition of each word. (Plot: the chain of events that make up a story; Protagonist: the

main character in the story; Antagonist: the character/force in conflict with the

protagonist; Complications/Conflict: problems that arise as characters struggle to reach

their goals; Setting: time and place of a story)

Students will copy down the notes and think of examples of the story words that they see

in the current class novel being read (ex. Who is the protagonist in Wonder?)
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 10

Teacher will pass out the Plot Structure pyramid and students will cut and paste it into

their notebooks (See Appendix B). The teacher will explain that a story is like a

rollercoaster: it starts off slow, builds excitement, may have a huge loop or drop (climax),

then slow down before it stops. The teacher will model writing the notes for students.

After each element, students will identify the plot elements for the last novel read in class

to make a connection from their notes to an actual story.

o Vocabulary words for interactive notebook:

! Exposition: first part of the plot. The characters, setting, and basic

situation are introduced.

! Rising Action: the main part of the story. Moves the plot along. Where

the conflict usually begins.

! Climax: The most exciting or intense part of the story. Everything

changes here. OMG! Moment.

! Falling Action: events that follow the climax that lead to the resolution.

Conflict begins to be solved.

! Resolution: The end. Loose ends are tied up. Questions are answers and

conflict is resolved.

Teacher will replay the video so that students can see the video present the information

once more after having the notes. The teacher will then show a video on Goldilocks and

the Three Bears and students will discuss in teams what they believe is the exposition,

rising action, etc. The teacher will give students time to discuss and agree on each

element, groups will share whole group, then the teacher will give time for the next

element until the story has been mapped out. Teacher will write the events onto post-its
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 11

and place them on chart paper consisting of the plot diagram to model how it will look

for students. Students will not map the story in their notes, but will be expected to share

their ideas for the class chart.

Step 3: Learner Participation

Students will be given a worksheet for Elements of Plot: Practice and Assess (See

Appendix C).

Students will work in table group teams to read through each question/excerpt to

correctly identify the elements of plot in the story.

When teams are done, they will break into triads to discuss WHY each element is correct.

After they discuss in their triads, students will Stay or Stray so that they may discuss

again with a new triad.

What is not finished is homework.

Step 4: Assessment
The assessment for this lesson is the Elements of Plot: Practice and Assess worksheet

(See Appendix C). In addition, the formative assessment will be the student discussion

and participation in class. Teacher will make note and observe to gauge understanding.

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

Students will be asked to write a reflection telling WHY they believe it is important to

understand what plot is and what it means for literary text.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 12

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 2: Conflict in Literary Text

Lesson Overview: This lesson will dig into the conflicts found in literary text and how they
contribute to the plot of a story.
Resources or Materials Needed
YouTube videos Conflict in Literature (M Kane, 2013) and The Types of Conflict

(mrbullsclass, 2014)

Interactive Notebook (each student has his/her own)

Appropriate materials for interactive notes: Internal and External Conflict (Cobb, 2013)

Scissors (1 per student)

Glue

Crayons/colored pencils (optional)

Pencil

Highlighters (1 per student)

ELMO projector

Types of Conflict Worksheet 2 (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

Post-its

Chart paper

Performance Objective:
Given short literary texts, students will accurately identify the problem and solution of the stories
at least 80% of the time.
Time: 90 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities
The teacher will ask students to pair-share and discuss what they learned in the previous

days lesson.
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 13

The teacher will tell students that they are going to focus on one literary element:

conflicts. The teacher will have students pair-share what conflict is and then select three

students to share whole-group.

Step 2: Content Presentation

The teacher will show the two YouTube videos: Conflict in Literature and The Types

of Conflict. Throughout each video, the teacher will pause the video to allow for

questions, discussions, and connections to other stories or movies.

The teacher will pass out the Interactive Notebook notes for Internal and External

Conflict (See Appendix D). Students will cut and paste the materials in their notebooks.

The teacher will model the notes and connect the information to the videos they watched.

Teacher will model Total Physical Response (TPR) and have students push out their arms

when saying external conflict and point to themselves when saying internal conflict.

Students will discuss with their 9:00 partner (Based on Clock Partners, which students

have for the month) what they think is the importance of conflict and how conflict

contributes to plot. Teacher/students will add those points to their notes.

Step 3: Learner Participation

Students will receive a front/back worksheet (Types of Conflict Worksheet 2) with short

pieces of text to practice identifying the protagonist & antagonist and type of conflict

(internal or external) in these very short stories (See Appendix E). The students will be

required to highlight the protagonist and underline the antagonist as a visual reading

strategy to help them find the conflict. Students will work with their 12:00 partner to

answer. When they are finished, the students will raise their hand to alert the teacher, who

will then stamp the page if done correctly. Students will do #1-5 with their partner.
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 14

Step 4: Assessment
Students will do #6-10 of the worksheet (the back) independently, either in class or at

home (See Appendix E). Students will be graded on #1-10 and must get 80% correct.

The teacher will walk the room to gauge student understanding, provide corrective

feedback during whole-group and small-group sharing, and listen to student discussion.

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

Students will share in groups and reflect on what they learned for the lesson. The teacher

will walk the room to listen as students reflect before transitioning.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 15

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 3: Central Idea

Lesson Overview: This lesson will introduce central idea and how it relates to both plot and
conflict. Students will learn how to use plot and conflict to help them determine the central idea
of a literary text.
Resources or Materials Needed
Chart Paper / markers

Interactive Notebooks

Pencils for each student

Twitter Tweet template (Cobb, 2010)

The Big Break (ReadWorks.org | Reading Passages, n.d.)

The Breakaway (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

Tape

Headphones for specific students

Chromebooks for specific students

Performance Objective:

Students will correctly identify the definition of central idea and when given literary text,
students will identify the correct central idea 80% of the time.
Time: 60 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

The teacher will ask students to share aloud what they have learned so far about literary

text. Students will reflect on what they have learned and be prompted to discuss in groups

about the importance of knowing plot and conflict.

The teacher will tell students that today they will be using those clues to identify the

central idea of the text.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 16

Step 2: Content Presentation

Students will take out their Language Arts Interactive Notebook and take notes while the

Teacher models and writes the notes on an anchor chart. Teacher will tell students to pair-

share what the term main idea is and then select a few students to share aloud. Teacher

will tell students that previously, they found the main idea in informational text, but in 6th

grade, they work on finding the main idea in fictional text and they will call it central

idea now.

The teacher will write the definition and helpful clues to find the central idea (ie using the

title, pictures, conflict, etc.).

o Central Idea: what the text is mainly about

! Should be specific to the story

! Example: The central idea for Alice in Wonderland is: A girl named Alice

follows a white rabbit into a strange world and has to try to get back home.

o Strategies to Find Central Idea

! Think about the problem of the story

! Using the elements of plot, think about the protagonist and antagonist

! What was the climax?

! What is the title of the story?

! Can you summarize the story in ONE (maybe two) sentence?

Teacher will tell students that using the plot chart information and the strategy of

highlighting the protagonist and antagonist (conflict) will help them determine the central

idea for literary text.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 17

Step 3: Learner Participation

Students will brainstorm with their partner what they believe the last novel read in class

was mainly about. The teacher will tell students that the central idea is like a Tweet. It

is usually told in one sentence and explains the whole story. The students will work with

their partner and each pair will write a tweet on their Twitter post and then tape their

response onto the chart papers up front (See Appendix F).

The teacher will review each post and students and teacher will both provide feedback.

The students will discuss in their table groups (teams) to see if they can see how knowing

what the conflict and plot is can help them identify the central idea. Students will select a

representative to share their thoughts with the class.

The teacher will tell students that usually, a fictional text revolves around a problem, so

the central idea is usually tied to the conflict. If they can identify the main conflict, they

will be able to better identify the central idea. Understanding plot will help students by

helping them see what actions and events in the story push the story forward.

Students will be given a fictional story (The Big Break) to work on with their 6:00

partner (See Appendix G). The students will read and then tweet what they believe is

the central idea (See Appendix F). For students who may struggle with decoding, they

can access the chromebook, use headphones, and go to ttsreader.com. The teacher will

send students an email containing the text copy/pasted and a link to the website. Once

there, students will copy/paste the text into the ttsreader box, select English, US, and a

voice. After students listen to the story, they will come up with the central idea. Students

may need headphones if several students are using the resource, or if it is hard for them to

concentrate.
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 18

Then, students will get into triads with new people to share their responses and see what

their classmates thought. Lastly, students will tape up their response to a new Twitter

chart paper at the front.

Step 4: Assessment
The students will write the definition of central idea (What the text is mainly about) on a

post-it note and post it up on the white board as an exit slip.

Students will be given a short story (The Breakaway) for homework (See Appendix H).

They will read the story and identify the protagonist, antagonist, conflict, and write one

sentence about the central idea. Students need to correctly answer of the questions (See

Appendix I). Students may use the ttsreader resource at home if available.

The teacher will walk the room and listen to student discussion to gauge understanding.

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

The teacher will ask students to share with their partners about what the central idea is

and some strategies to identify it.

Students will read a chapter of their independent reading novel and discuss the central

idea with the teacher during guided reading time.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 19

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 4: Key Details (Chunk the Text)
Lesson Overview: This lesson will teach students to use the chunking the text strategy to find
key details that support the central idea.
Resources or Materials Needed
Interactive notebook

Pencils

Chart paper

Markers

The Big Break (ReadWorks.org | Reading Passages, n.d.)

The Breakaway (eReading Worksheet, n.d.)

Performance Objective:
Students will correctly identify the definition of key details and when given text, students will
identify key details of the text 80% of the time.
Time: 60 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities
The teacher will lead a brief review of plot, story elements, conflict, and central idea as a

whole-group discussion.

The teacher will remind students that the central idea is specific to the story, is 1-2

sentences about what the WHOLE story is about, and is usually related to the main

conflict. Each story also has key details that support the central idea and move the plot

along.

Step 2: Content Presentation

The teacher will have students take out their interactive notebooks to review the notes on

plot. The teacher will tell students plot pyramid chart is full of key details that support the

central idea.
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 20

On chart paper, the teacher will draw a tree map and title it, Central Idea then draw

three branches. Each branch will be titled Key details. The teacher will then circle the

main branch horizontally and the branches vertically, so the tree map should look like a

table. This will help students see that central idea and key details are all connected, and

like a table, the central idea needs the support of the key details. Furthermore, there may

be details that are not key details. Key details are the important details that support the

central idea.

Students will copy the notes into their interactive notebooks.

The teacher will then tell students that they will use a strategy called, Chunking the

text. (By this lesson, a majority of the students should be proficient with finding the

central idea of the shorter texts. IF the majority still struggled, then reteaching should

have occurred before this lesson).

Teacher will tell students that chunking the text is a reading strategy to help them break

down the story and find mini central ideas of each section.

Step 3: Learner Participation

Students will take out the story The Big Break that was used in the previous lesson.

The teacher will model a way of chunking the text and then model how to number each

section (See Appendix J). The class will chorally read the first section and then think-

pair-share with their partners to find the central idea of that section. After students

discuss in partners, the teacher will randomly select three students to share. As a class,

the teacher will guide students to select the correct central idea. The teacher will tell

students that it must correlate to the central idea of the whole story, so to notice the story

elements and conflict.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 21

Students will read and find the central idea of the second and third sections with a

partner, then the teacher will go over each paragraph immediately after discussing to

provide feedback. Students will work with their 3:00 clock partners to find the central

idea of the remaining sections. During this time, teacher will walk the room to provide

guidance and feedback, while making note of which students may need extra support

during small-group instruction.

When the class finishes the story, the teacher will review the answers and tell students

that these mini central ideas are actually the key details in the story. The details should

fit on the plot chart and again, all the details should directly support the central idea.

Step 4: Assessment
The students will independently chunk the text for the story The Breakaway and find

at least 4 key details to support the central idea that they previously selected (See

Appendix K for story and sample answers). Students will write the key details on the

back of the story and must correctly identify at least 4 key details.

Students will write the definition of key details (important details that support the

central idea) on a post-it as their exit slip for the day.

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

The students will discuss in what other ways can they chunk the text (ie by page, by

chapter, etc).

Students will find the central idea and key details for a chapter in their independent

reading book. Students will explain on paper how they chunked the text and provide

the central idea and key details.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 22

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 5: Sequential Order (Flow Map)

Lesson Overview: This lesson will take the students learning from the previous lessons and
help students use a familiar thinking map (flow map). This lesson will use videos so that students
can demonstrate their ability to use the strategies (without the stress of the text).
Resources or Materials Needed
Computer

Projector

12 x 18 construction paper (white or a light color)

Post-its

[HD] Pixar - For the Birds l Original Movie from Pixar (Clips Hay, 2012)

Pixar: Day & Night video (Centro Dionysos, 2014)

Chromebooks/personal device

Performance Objective:

When shown a short video, students will watch and create a flow map with at least 5/6 correct
key details and accurately identify the central idea of the video.
Time: 60 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities

The teacher will have students share out what they have learned so far in this unit and

will provide time for students to reflect on what strategies have been helpful in their

personal reading.

Step 2: Content Presentation

The teacher will tell students that they will use the chunking the text strategy of

breaking up text to create a flow map (this thinking map should be familiar to students in

this district). The teacher will ask students when do we use flow maps? (to show

information in order).
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 23

The teacher will tell students that today, they will be watching a short video clip of a

story, pausing it (chunking the video) and writing down the key details and central

idea. They will put the information down into a flow map and then chart it on a plot

pyramid chart like in the first lesson.

The teacher will have students watch the short movie Day and Night (a Pixar short) on

YouTube. The teacher will play the clip in its entirety.

Step 3: Learner Participation

The second time, the teacher will tell students that they will create their flow map. They

should have seven boxes. Students will work in their table group teams to create one flow

map on construction paper (12 x 18). The teacher will create the chunks for the

students and students will discuss what the key details of the section are (See Appendix L

for a sample answer key).

When students are finished, they will decide together on what the central idea of the

entire clip is, write it on a post-it, and stick it on top of the flow map.

The whole group will discuss the flow map, edit, and then the teacher will show how to

take the key details and transfer the information onto a plot chart. This is done to

illustrate how the flow map should match the elements of the plot chart.

Step 4: Assessment
The teacher will then have students watch the Pixar short movie For the Birds. Students

will work with a partner to watch the clip and put the information on a flow chart they

will draw themselves on blank paper (See Appendix M for a sample answer key).

Students will also include the central idea.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 24

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

Students will use a device or chromebook to access their SeeSaw portfolio. Students will

practice retelling the flow map as a summary.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 25

Title and/or Lesson Plan #: Lesson 6: Summary (Retell)

Lesson Overview: In this lesson, students will use all the strategies they learned to write a
paragraph summary.
Resources or Materials Needed
When Gertrude Grew Great (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

Post-its

Chart paper

Summarizing-lesson Powerpoint (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

Summarizing a Story video (Lisa Hammond, 2013)

Chromebook/personal device

An Unexpected Chat (eReading Worksheets, n.d.)

Final Assessment

Performance Objective:
Given a literary text, students will create a flow map and use it to write a summary that includes
the central idea and key details with 80% accuracy in their written response.
Time: 90 minutes
Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities
The teacher will tell students that today, they are going to use all the strategies theyve

learned and practice to write a summary. The teacher will ask students to think of the

word retell and what that word means. Students will share with their partners before the

teacher calls on a few volunteers. They will break down the word to mean to tell again,

or to repeat the main points of a story. The teacher will tell students that a summary is

retelling the important information.

TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 26

Step 2: Content Presentation

The teacher will have present the PowerPoint presentation entitled Summarizing

Lesson. The lesson will walk through the definitions, tell what a summary should and

should not include, and will have students practice summarizing nursery rhymes.

The teacher will show a YouTube video entitled Summarizing a Story. The teacher will

have to pause every minute or so to give students an opportunity to share their learning or

new connections made. The video will connect the learning and strategies students have

learned. During one point of the video, there is a short chant. The teacher will pause and

have students chant as well.

Step 3: Learner Participation

The teacher will pass out the story When Gertrude Grew Great (See Appendix N). As a

whole class, the students will read the text. With a partner, the students will identify the

central idea of the text, write it on a post-it

Students will take turns sharing the central idea with their table group teams and teams

will pick the one they think is best. When it is decided, each team will take turns reading

their central idea to the whole class and putting it on the chart paper at the front of the

class. The teacher will select the best one and put it aside.

Students will reread the story and chunk the text. The teacher will display a flow map and

students will work together with the teacher to fill it in. For example, students will read

the first chunk, pick the key detail from that section, discuss with their team, then the

teacher will call on each team to share. When students agree, the teacher will write down

the key detail in the flow map. This will continue until the flow map is complete.

Then the teacher will model how to take the central idea and make sure that each key

detail fits in with it. The teacher will then have students label each box to make sure that
TAT2 Task 3: Instructors Manual 27

the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution are all mentioned in

the flow map. If not, then they must go back and see what is missing (See Appendix O).

The teacher will then model how to take the information and write it in a paragraph (See

Appendix P for sample paragraph). (Central idea, 3-5 key details, and a conclusion using

the resolution).

Step 4: Assessment
As a quiz, the students will read the short story, An Unexpected Chat independently

(See Appendix Q). Students will use the strategies and will then write a summary on

lined paper (See Appendix R for sample flow map and summary). Before writing the

summary, students will use chromebooks or personal devices to practice saying the

summary before they write it down. The summary will need to include an opening

sentence (central idea), key details, and a closing sentence (resolution). When students

are finished writing, they can go back and listen to their SeeSaw verbal summary and

compare.

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities

Students will summarize a chapter from the novel being read in class.

Final Assessment and Answer Key for the unit (See Appendix S)