Day 1: Introduction to Fiction
Up to this point in the semester, the students have primarily been working with the class textbook (Making Connections 1) and nonfiction short texts taken from news media sources. This is their first exposure (in class at least) to English fiction short stories.
At the end of this two hour lesson, students will be able to:
1. Identify potential sources of fiction (e.g. novels, journals, magazines)
2. Identify and discuss key elements of a fiction story: characters, plot, setting, theme.
3. Identify and discuss the plot, characters, setting, and theme of a folk story from another culture.
4. Use previously introduced reading strategies (making predictions, finding main ideas & supporting details, and making connections) with short fiction texts.
5. Identify and use new vocabulary introduced in a short fiction text in their class discussions and writing.
Materials:
Loose blank paper
Class Plan
(10 min) Greetings and Warm-Up Activity
After greeting the students and getting them settled into class, pass out the post-it notes as a warm-up/schema activation activity.
(10 min) Introduction of Fiction Vocabulary
After debriefing any new introduced or incidental vocabulary from the Post-It activity, have the students return to their seats to transition into the next part of the lesson.
Using the powerpoint slides, introduce the key fiction vocabulary.
First, try to elicit the target vocabulary word through the picture alone (each slide will have a relevant picture that appears before the text).
Then, if that is not sufficient, reveal the target vocabulary word and then continue to elicit meaning and examples from students.
After each word is revealed, the next animation reveals an explanation of the meaning in the form of a short wh-clause.
Make sure to emphasize the key readings skills that reading fiction reinforces (e.g. vocabulary strategies, making predictions, etc.) to help students who may be more focused on academic non-fiction 'buy-in' into the fiction unit's benefits.
(20 min) Group Discussion of Folk Stories
First, ask the class as a whole what a folk story is. If students are unable to answer, show the character example pictures on the powerpoint slides (Kappa from Japan, Nasreddin from Turkey, and the Tortoise and the Hare).
Then, have students get together in groups and ask them to discuss for a few minutes how folk stories are different from a novel (e.g. Harry Potter).
Spend a minute or so debriefing each group's answers, however, if the students are not discussing items near the target content move into the debriefing slide in the powerpoint.
After debriefing, have students return to their groups and discuss the next group discussion questions:
1) Do you have a favorite magical person/creature/animal?
2) Do you have a favorite folk tale or story from your country? Who are the characters in it?
After debriefing the students answers for a minute or two (try to elicit an example from at least a few different cultures), introduce the image of a leprechaun on the projector/tv. Ask students if they are familiar with this creature/character and see if any can name it.
Note: Because this lesson was done near St. Patrick's Day in the US, many students had seen images of leprechauns around campus, but did not know its name.
If students are not familiar with the Leprechaun, show the powerpoint slide with some background information about the leprechaun (e.g. Irish folklore, a kind of fairy, hides gold at the end of the rainbow).
(35 min) The Leprechaun and the Pot of Gold
Pass out the Leprechaun and the Pot of Gold story to the students and the Leprechaun Reading Handout. As they are reading through the first time, ask them to complete the first and second pages of the handout. For the students that finish early, have them select key vocabulary from the reading and hunt for definitions using a class dictionary or their smartphone.
(20 min) The Leprechaun and the Pot of Gold Group Work
Have students get back into groups of 3-4 and compare their summaries with each other.
After comparing their summaries, ask students to pose their questions (the comprehension questions they created on the handout) to each other and see if they are able to answer them all. They will then write a summary of the story collectively, and choose the 3-4 comprehension questions that they think are best to represent their group. They will then write their collective summary and chosen questions onto the blank paper provided.
Collect all of the questions the students have prepared and from these choose 3-4 that will be used as a pop quiz for the next class.
(5 min) Homework
For their homework assignment, they will choose a short story of their choice from the supplementary reader (Timeless Tales: Legends) and complete the short story homework sheet.
