Teaching Plot with a Picture Book... with a freebie!

What is the first ELA topic you address each school year? When I co-taught in 5th-grade classrooms, we always began by teaching PLOT ELEMENTS. I would introduce the topic with my PowerPoint on the first day, but on the second day I would dig out a picture book!

Picture books are perfect for teaching plot elements in grades 4-6. As we all know, upper elementary and middle school students still love picture books. Another benefit is that they are short- in one class period you can read an entire picture book and plot the story on a plot diagram. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, Margie Palatini is my go-to author when I am looking for picture books to use with my upper elementary students, so I chose one of her hilarious books to use in this plot lesson.

Before class, I draw a basic plot diagram on an anchor chart (the black line only). Then, as soon as class begins, I ask the students to recall what they learned yesterday to help me label the various parts of the plot diagram.

Next, I explain that I am going to read aloud a picture book to them, and when we are done, we are going to plot the story on our anchor chart. (This is also when I show them the book cover and tell them that Margie Palatini is my all-time favorite author of picture books because I am constantly laughing out loud when I read her books… which they are about to witness for themselves! I tell them that most kindergartners and first graders would enjoy this book, but a lot of the humor would “go over their heads”. As fifth graders, though, I think that they will really enjoy this book and fully appreciate the author’s humor. This usually causes my students to sit up a little taller and they become very good listeners! (Amazon affiliate link follows.)

Bad Boys

After we finish the book, students help me write sentences that summarize the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of the book on the anchor chart.

Finally, I give each student the exit ticket shown below. (Click HERE to download it for FREE!) I also set the anchor chart facedown on a table until all students have finished their exit tickets.

I ask students to independently label each box on the plot diagram with its formal name, and write a short definition to explain what typically happens during each part of the plot. After class, I scan the exit tickets to check for understanding. Students who completed the exit ticket activity with ease are allowed to tackle my plot task cards independently the next day, while the classroom teacher and I work with small groups of students who found the exit ticket more challenging. (Typically, the classroom teacher quickly meets with students who had one or two minor errors on the exit ticket, while I work with students who appear to need a higher level of support.) The plot tri-folds pictured at the end of this post is my go-to resource for working with a small group.

If you are looking for additional plot activities to use with your upper elementary and middle school students, I invite you to visit my TpT store and check out my resources for teaching students about plot. Click on any of the images below, or click HERE to view a complete list.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deb




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4 comments 4th grade, 5th grade, ELA, Exit Tickets, Freebie, middle school, picture books, plot