Multimedia Lesson Plan
Title of Project: Literary Elements
Teacher: Mary Yang
Grade Level: 7th
Duration (implementation w/ students): 3-4 weeks
Subject Area(s): ELL I.L.A.
Key Questions: 1) What are stories made of?
2) What makes a story a story?
Brief Description:
Every story is about something happening to someone somewhere. The something, the someone, and the
somewhere are the elements of a story. They are all that makes a story a story.
The something is PLOT: What happens? What makes it happen? What does the happening cause? Does
anyone care? The someone is CHARACTER: Who are the people, animal, or objects in the story? Which of
them has a problem (CONFLICT)? Who hurts if the problem is not solved? Who is happy if the problem is
solved? The somewhere is SETTING: Where and when does the story take place? Is it a happy place or a
scary place or a dangerous place or a beautiful place or a mysterious place? What effect does the place and time
have on how the story turns out (FORESHADOW & SUSPENSE)? Two other things about a story are
interesting: POINTOF-VIEW, or who tells the story, and THEME, or what the story means to you.
With this curriculum unit, you will find fun ways to teach the elements of literature with technology
implementation. LET’S BEGIN!
Technology Being Used:
Microsoft Power Point
CD player
Computer
Microsoft Word
DVD player
LCD projector
Overhead projector
Multimedia Lesson Plan
Wisconsin Academic Standards Met:
A.8.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
A.8.3 Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience.
Learning Goal: Demonstrate understanding of literal meaning by identifying stated information in literary and
non-literary text
-Identify stated information about story elements (setting, characters, plot, events, problem, solution)
Learning Goal: Analyze Literary & Non-literary Text
-Make inferences about story elements: setting, characters, plot, point-of-view
-Analyze implied theme/message/main idea
-Draw conclusions
-identify purpose
-analyze diverse viewpoints
Learning styles, multiple intelligences addressed in these mini-lessons:
 Verbal/Linguistic
 Logical/Mathematical
 Visual/Spatial
 Bodily/Kinesthetic
 Musical
 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 Naturalist
Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy addressed in these mini-lessons:
 Remembering
 Understanding
 Applying
 Analyzing
 Evaluating
 Creating
*** Depending on time, some lessons may take longer than listed. Please modify as needed.
***Prerequisite-1) Main Idea/Supporting Details
2) Summarizing
3) Prior to this unit, students should already have had a lesson with iMovie
4) Venn Diagram (feature-feature-feature) to compare and contrast
Day One: Introduction
1. Begin the unit by doing a pre-test of vocabulary and skills with elements of literature. This pre-test will
help teachers find out areas to focus with students.
2. Introduce class with Power Point and go overall general notes on elements of literature with graphic
organizer. Students will take notes as we go over the Power Point.
-character
-setting
Multimedia Lesson Plan
-point-of-view
-plot (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)
-conflict
-suspense
-theme
-foreshadow
3. Students will be divided into two groups for a small relay race, matching the vocabulary word to its
meaning. Each team will have the same set of vocabulary words and definition. One person + one word
+ one meaning per time. They cannot look at the other team to compare. If they do, they will have to
start over. First team to get vocabulary words and meaning to match up correctly will win. However, if
one team calls time and after teacher goes over to check but did not have correctly matched, the game
goes on.
Day Two/Three: Introduce story/Mini-lesson on point-of-view
1. Pass back and discuss elements of literature pre-test
2. Mini Lesson
 Recall the three little pigs story. Who was telling the story? Go over point-of-view
vocabulary. Point-of-view is how the story is being told. 1st point of view is always “I”,
“We”, “Me” This person is personally involved in the story and know how or what that
person is thinking and doing in the story. 3rd point of view is like “looking outside of the
window”. This person is only seeing what others are doing. “She, He, It, They”
 Now, read the “True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka. Discuss the point of
view for this story and discover whether 1st or 3rd Person told the story.
3. Class discussion: If you saw someone standing by the road on a cold, rainy night, would you stop to
help? Why or why not? Go over vocabulary.
4. Begin “The Stranger”; This reading can be guided as whole group or possibly follow step #6 for small
group differentiation. For differentiation, I will have the students grouped in areas of reading strength.
By the time they are done, they will need to complete the second part to check for comprehension. We
will share these when everyone is done.
a. High group
1. Read the story
2. Retell the story from the opposite point of view in the story
b. Medium group
1. Read the story
2. Act out the story with a narrator telling the story in the original point of view.
c. Low group
1. Read the story
2. Draw a comic strip or pictures to go with the story
5.
For the last five minutes, hand out a small piece of paper to have students give the definition in their
own words for point of view. This is what I call an exit journal slip. This is a quick way to check if
students understand the vocabulary. : What is point of view? What was the point of view for “The
Stranger”? How do you know?
Multimedia Lesson Plan
Day Four: Plot (Sequence) & Setting
1. Review vocabulary with the class: point of view. Begin charting elements of literature with this story.
The students will create a story map with the teacher’s guidance on a large sheet of chart paper.
They will begin with the title of the story, and branch out by identifying the elements of
literature: point of view/1st or 3rd person
2. Review the story being discussed by asking the students questions to refresh their memories on what
they have read. Can you name the main characters in the story? Describe what happened in the
story? Were there any problems that had to be solved in the story? What happened at the beginning,
middle, and end of the story?
3. Review with the class using plot Power Point.
4. Quick Check: Plot (sequence) / Setting
Day Five-Six: Theme
1. Bell ringer is a short activity to have the students come to class and get ready for the days
lesson. Today, they will have a short journal entry they will reflect when they get to class.
Today’s bell ringer: What is your favorite children’s book? What did the story teach you?
2. Review definition of theme. Continue charting elements of literature with “Stranger” story
by identifying the theme. Do a theme poster together
3. Mini Lesson
a. Choose two short stories to read to the students that all have a different
recognizable theme. Read each story orally to the students and discuss what each story’s theme is.
After reading all three stories, compare and contrast what the differences in theme were. Ask
questions like, why did the author want you to read this story? Was there a lesson to be learned from
the story? Can you think of another story that has the same theme as one of these stories? Next, go
back to the story you are discussing this week and identify the theme. Ask the students to find clues
in the story that guide them to the theme. Share these with the class and discuss.
b. Each student will write a short story that has a definite theme. Because they will
only have 10 min., the story should only be one paragraph (very short).
c. Students will trade with someone they are sitting next to and that person will try to pick out the
theme of the story. The student will explain what they think the theme is, and the writer will tell
them if they are correct.
4. Exit journal slip: What is theme?
Day Seven: Character (Protagonist vs. Antagonist) & Conflict
1. Bell ringer: What kind of conflicts have you faced this year? What kind of positive words would
you use to describe your best friend? Why?
2. Review character, conflict (C vs C, M, S, N, S), and point of view (1st & 3rd person) vocabulary.
3. Continue charting “Stranger” character and conflict.
4. Quick Check: Character and Conflict
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Day Eight: Suspense & Foreshadow
1. Bell ringer: Play “Password” with elements of literature vocabulary. For this game, a student will be
chosen to go up in the front of the class. He or she will have to guess at the key vocabulary word by
asking questions to the audience. The audience can either say yes or no. Clue words will be on the
powerpoint to help the audience help the person in the front guess the word. The student in the front can
not look at the board.
2. Quick review for meaning on suspense and foreshadow. Chart suspense & foreshadow for “Stranger”
3. Mini Lesson
a. Read the “Bus Ride”. Discuss suspense & foreshadow
4. Quick Check: Why would an author use suspense and foreshadow in a story?
Day Nine: Station Review
1. The students will be divided into partner groups.
Station 1: This group will get one Ziploc bag filled with small pieces of paper with parts of a short story. The
partners will then decide which order the story is supposed to be organized and their elements of literature.
They will match up these pieces of paper and then check their work with the teacher.
Station 2: Elements of Literature Interactive. Have students log on to a computer. Students will get a
chance to explore their knowledge while listening to “Cinderella”, review the elements, and take an
interactive quiz. When students are finished with the quiz, they will raise their hands to have their quiz
grade recorded.
http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/index.html
Station 3: Elements of Literature vocabulary flash cards
Station 4: Test Tutor
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/test_tutor/build19/grade3/skill14/index_pre.htm
Day Ten:
1. Elements of literature whole group review with Hollywood Squares PowerPoint game
2. Vocabulary assessment
Day Eleven:
1. Today, students will be identifying the elements of literature with nonliterary text to understand and apply to
different sources.
Multimedia Lesson Plan
2. Before identifying elements of literature, pass out a double-sided elements of literature graphic
organizer for students to fill out. At the end of each movie, the students will have had the organizer
completed before moving on. We will work together on this.
3. Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast in elements of literature (with 3-5 featurefeature-feature format)
Day Twelve:
Introduce the project choice board. Student must have a project decision and begin working towards
completing project. It will take a week in the computer lab for students to complete projects.
Student Assessment: (How will you evaluate the lesson)
Vocabulary assessment
Project choice board analyzing story elements with rubrics
Multimedia Lesson Plan
Theme Collage: Whole Group Activity
Theme is the main idea of the story, the lesson learned, or the author’s
message. Select one theme from the story. Think about how that
theme was portrayed throughout the story and how that theme relates
to real life. Our job is to create a poster that displays this
information. Choose a way to divide your poster into two parts.
Things to include in your theme collage:
1)
Theme (written in large letters across the entire poster).
2)
Label each part of the poster—“In the Story” and “In Real Life”.
3)
Pictures or illustrations that represent how it represents the
theme in the story or real life.
4)
Sentence(s) explaining why this theme is important to know or
learn about.