ELAR_4_3_A


Fourth-grade Lesson Plans

 

Lesson Title: Learning about Genre
Created and Submitted by: Yahnira L. Emig
School Name: Juarez Lincoln Elementary School
District: United ISD
Role: School Librarian

 

Grade Level: 4th

 

Lesson Plan Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. identify literary elements of selected genres (biography, fantasy, realistic fiction, and traditional literature).
2. comprehend text by interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating written text in order to categorize text into one of the selected literary genres.
3. specify a message in the story.

 

ELA-R TEKS:
3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A) Summarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme.

 

Other Content Area(s) Addressed:
4.11 D (RS) Use multiple text features (e.g., guide words, topic and concluding sentences) to gain an overview of the contents of text and to locate information.

 

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Indicators:
1.1.2 Use prior or background knowledge as a context for new learning.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.

 

Classroom Teacher – School Librarian Collaboration:

• Classroom teacher and school librarian collaboratively design a book review sheet that will serve as an assessment tool.
• Librarian will select appropriate books that fit within the genre selection.
• Both educators will model note-taking and information-seeking strategies.
• Educators will monitor students’ guided practice.
• Teacher will assess final student product and assign grade.

 

Measurable Outcome or Final Product: One week after reviewing the Genres PowerPoint and making notes on the various genre characteristics, students will discuss a book they read and complete a book review graphic organizer. Then, they will share their book reviews, which include page numbers of passages from the books, tell the lesson or message of the book, and why they chose that genre.

 

Assessment Tool: Book Review Graphic Organizer

 

Resources:
K-W-L Chart created by the classroom teacher on whiteboard
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (Harper & Row 1985)
Genres PowerPoint
Genre Characteristics Graphic Organizer
Book Review Graphic Organizer

 

Estimated Lesson Time: One Week

 

Instructional Plan Outline:

 

Preparation:
• Teacher and librarian prepare a list of books.
• Educators prepare the Genres PowerPoint presentation.
• Teacher and librarian create book review graphic organizer.
• Teacher creates a KWL chart on whiteboard.
• Librarian provides posters of genres created from PowerPoint slides.

 

Motivation:
1. Ask students, “What do we know about a genre? What different genres are there?”
2. Educators record responses on a KWL chart on whiteboard or project the chart provided and keyboard students’ responses.
3. Educators share their favorite genres and why they like to read books with these characteristics.
4. Ask students, “What do we need to know about genres?” Again write responses on the K-W-L chart on whiteboard.
5. Educators post the lesson objectives and describe the Book Review Graphic Organizer and final presentation.

 

Presentation:
6. Introduce the genres that the students will be working with (biography, fantasy, realistic fiction, and traditional literature).
7. Educators take turns presenting students with a variety of books, show them the front cover, and ask them if they can tell what genre they are?
8. Ask students, “What information is needed to classify the book under a particular genre?”
9. Present the PowerPoint detailing genres and their characteristics.
10. During the PowerPoint presentation, students are given a Genre Characteristics Graphic Organizer on which they will list three major characteristics of that genre. The educators will guide students as they record notes and add this graphic organizer to their notebooks.
11. Model to students by presenting If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. Ask students what genre characteristics does this book have? What genre is it based on the characteristics mentioned? Verify answers by reviewing the PowerPoint presentation and reading aloud the characteristics for the chosen genre. What is the lesson of the story? Name a situation in your life when you have followed this same lesson.
12. Answer any questions that students have about the project. Since they will be working independently, make sure that they understand the activity before concluding the session.

 

Guided Practice
13. Educators monitor as students choose a book and describe its characteristics. Ask: “Does this book have characteristics that fall under which genre?” Make a selection as to the genre that best fits this book. The students are randomly given a selected book to work on.

 

Independent Practice:
14. Students complete a Book Review Graphic Organizer, which focuses students' attention on the elements of the story genre and the lesson or message.

 

Closure:
15. Complete the KWL chart on the whiteboard by asking students what they learned about genres. Take a poll. What genre is their favorite?
16. Students present their book reviews to the whole class or divide the class in half with each educator facilitating half of the presentations.

 

Assessment:
17. Educators assess how accurately students completed the book review graphic organizer, participated in the K-W-L session, and presented their book reviews.

 

Extensions:

18.  Students may be introduced to other genres (poetry, autobiography, science fiction, and more).
19. Have students create a Tagxedo that will include the genre name and the characteristics. Encourage student to use a shape that may describe the character or theme of the story. For example, use a mouse shape in Tagxedo for a mouse-inspired book.
20. Create a genre spinning wheel out of poster board. Label the wheel with a category for each genre you choose to cover. Create book lists of different titles. Divide students into teams and spin the wheel. Each spin they get a genre and they have to tell examples of titles that fall into that genre.

 

Lesson Plan Resources

 

Genres PowerPoint


Genre Characteristics Graphic Organizer


Book Review Graphic Organizer

 

ELAR_4_3_A_Emig_Lesson_Plan (.pdf file)