Plot Newsletter
- 1. Sample Test Questions Two boys were riding their bicycles in the park when they saw something strange in front of them. They got off their bicycles and walked over to take a closer look. “It looks like a brown blob to me,” said Tony. “I think it looks like a giant potato,” replied Alex. Alex reached out his hand to poke the brown blob. Suddenly, the strange brown thing began to speak. “I am not a giant potato,” said the blob. “My name is Mr. Hicklefickle, and I come from the planet Spud.” Tony and Alex stared at Mr. Hicklefickle in surprise. “Wow,” said Tony. “I can’t believe it,” Alex said. “Why are you here?” “I am here to learn about Earth,” replied Mr. Hicklefickle. “Can you show me around your planet?” “Sure,” Alex agreed happily. “This will be fun!” said Tony. Which lines in this story were spoken by Tony? Which words were spoken by Alex? Jason loved baseball more than anything. He wanted to play on his town's team, so he went to try-outs on Saturday morning. The first time he swung at the ball, he struck out. He tried again and again, but could not hit the ball. Jason wanted to give up, but he did not. He swung one more time. This time, he smacked the ball into the field! Jason made the team. He was very happy. What is the moral (lesson) of this story? Jackie and John both had a ton of math homework to do. Jackie came home from school and sat down at her desk. She did her math problems slowly and checked all of the answers. John raced through his homework and went out to play. The next day, Jackie got a 100% on her homework. John only got a 50%. John was mad at himself. He knew he could have done better. What is the moral (lesson) of this story? Passage 1 Suzi wanted a glass of lemonade. Mom had left it in a huge pitcher in the refrigerator. Suzi put both hands around the pitcher’s handle, but it was way too heavy for her to lift off the shelf. A few minutes later, Suzi’s older sister Kate walked into the kitchen. "Hey, sis! Do you want some help with that?" Kate asked. "I can do it myself!" Suzi told Kate. Suzi grabbed the pitcher and yanked it off the shelf. A second later, the lemonade was all over the floor. Passage 2 Olaf was dragging a sack of potatoes up the hill to his family’s cottage. His mother had told him to fetch the sack from the market. Olaf pulled and pulled, but could not make it up the hill. He did not want to leave the sack because the crows might eat the potatoes. Olaf did not know what to do. Suddenly, Olaf’s friend John ran up to him. "Good day, Olaf!" said John. "Do you need some help?” "Yes, I do," said Olaf. Both boys grabbed the sack. They pulled it together until they got the potatoes to Olaf’s cottage. How are Suzi and Olaf different?
- 2. Reading Newsletter Unit End: Approx. Oct 24 Focus: Plot Questions for Understanding Theme The theme of a plot is the overall message or lesson that the author wants you to learn. The theme is generally a big idea and can be summed up in one or two words. Examples of theme are honesty, compassion, responsibility, be yourself, and tell the truth. Good questions to ask as you search to find the theme are: • What did the character(s) learn in the story? • How did the characters grow or change? • How did the character(s) get what they want or solve the problem? Great Resources for Theme: A Chair for My Mother (Storytown) Serious Farm (Storytown) A Bad Case of the Stripes What is a plot? A plot is what happens in a story. In the beginning of most stories, the setting, characters, and problem of the story are given. In the middle, the characters try to solve the problem. The end usually tells how the problem is solved. In our plot unit, we are talking about the different parts of a plot, comparing/contrasting plots, the theme of a story, and how the point of view of characters influences the plot. Point of View In second grade, students should be able to acknowledge the differences in points of view of characters in a story. They should also be able to use their voices to show the different characters speaking as they read aloud. During this part of the unit, we are going to read many classic fairytales and their “fractured fairytale” counterparts where the stories are told from different points of view. Great Resources: The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, The 3 Ninja Pigs At Home Activities • If there are read aloud books that we read at school or your child is interested in, read alouds are often available to watch/read on youtube! • Use comic strips, flash cards, or other pictures to describe the events in a story’s plot. They should be able to put the events in order. For an extra twist, try mixing the order up and see if students can put the pieces in the correct order again. Comparing/Contrasting When students are comparing and contrasting plots and story elements, they are seeing how the different parts are alike and how they are different. Students should be able to identify key words. Contrast: not alike, different, difference, but, however, even though Compare: alike, both, similar, same, like, in common Great Resources: Stellaluna, The Town Mouse and Country Mouse
Editor's Notes
- #3: and Tabby Annie’s Gifts