The essential questions of this unit will be:
- Why do humans need story?
- How are stories built?
- Why are some stories told and retold again and again?
- Why do stories change?
- How can I build engaging stories?
- What role does magic play in stories?
The act of storytelling is as old as humankind and is essential to both the development of civilization and the modern experience. Humans use stories to remember the past, imagine possible futures, reflect on ourselves, make connections with other people, communicate ideas, and broaden our perspective on the world. By offering students historical context about the use of stories, teachers can frame our English Language Arts content as being on a continuum of storytelling and part of a core aspect of human existence. We can “geek out” about the power of story in an authentic way and lend our enthusiasm to help students notice and seek out the presence of story in their own lives.
Although this unit could be taught at any time, it is designed as the first major unit and will emphasize establishing learning strategies and classroom routines that will be used throughout the year. This includes annotating nonfiction and fiction, recording responses in student notebooks, collaborating with peers, and writing paragraphs supported by text evidence. Using short texts to introduce these techniques will allow students to work with whole texts and repeat these skills across multiple texts in a relatively short span of time. The pacing of this unit is designed for 90-minute class blocks that meet daily; it is anticipated to be about four weeks.
The second half of the unit will offer students an opportunity to write their own myth, fable, or fairy tale. Applying the concept of “reading like writers,” students will use the texts they read as models for creating their own texts.
At the end of the unit, students will understand that:
- Story is something that connects humans across time, geography, and culture,
- Character, setting, plot and theme are core elements in narrative stories.
- Stories communicate values, ideas, and perspectives,
- Engaging with narrative stories activates our brains in meaningful ways,
- People use story as a vehicle to learn, to cultivate empathy, to be creative, and to communicate with others.
At the end of the unit, students will have practiced the following skills:
- Using academic vocabulary to describe specific types of stories.
- Using two guiding questions to deepen their engagement with nonfiction text,
- Recognizing common signposts used for interpreting fiction text,
- Identifying text evidence to interpret aspects of character, setting, plot, and theme,
- Writing paragraphs with text evidence to answer questions,
- Identifying key turning points in the plot of a story,
- Planning out the plot of a narrative story,
- Writing an “exploded moment” to pull readers into a fictional story.
At the end of the unit, students will have practiced the following classroom procedures:
- Making entries in their Readers & Writers Notebooks,
- Collaborating with peers in pairs and small groups to explore discussion prompts and develop shared products,
- Exchanging work with peers and providing feedback,
- Sharing their learning with the class to expand the community’s knowledge.
Students will continue to develop these understandings and skills throughout the year.
