Analyze how the structure of a text develops story elements (theme, setting, plot) (Inclusive Big Idea #5)

Reading Literature

Grade 6: English Language Arts

Inclusive Big Idea #5: Analyze how the structure of a text develops story elements (theme, setting, plot)

Standard: Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. RL.6.5

• Anchor Text: Use an anchor text such as the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Pair each stanza with an image that best depicts the tone and storyline. Once all four stanzas are paired with pictures, ask the students to share what they took away from the poem. Learn more about accessing grade-level text in this TIP Sheet.
• Explicit Teaching: Explicitly teach text structures by introducing students to the terminology associated with prose (sentences, chapters), poems (lines, stanzas, rhyme, meter), and plays (acts, scenes, stage direction, scripted dialogue). Provide mentor texts so students can see examples of each.
• Genre Study: To create a deeper understanding of the difference among the structures used in a story, the structures used in a poem, and the structures used in a play, conduct a genre study with the children noticing the various differences between the three text types. As you read stories from each genre, record what students notice on a chart. Keep adding to the chart as students continue to notice new things.
• Story Coding: Provide the students with a copy of the text for the students to mark. Give students a list of signal words. Ask students to find the various signal words in a text and highlight them. Ask students to analyze how the signal words help to understand the structure of the text (flashback, beginning/middle/end, etc.).
• Flow Chart/Diagram: Students can use flow charts to show how things have changed in the text, using the signal words. Show students in the text what the “current” situation is. Then, highlighting the “signal words” (meanwhile, unlike, etc.) students can record (write down, speech to text, draw, copy, etc.) how things have changed. Learn more about graphic organizers in this TIP Sheet.
• Think, Pair, Share:
  • Provide students with a text. Ask students to analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of the text. Then, the student meets with a peer to share their findings. After the pairs share, a couple of teams can share with the rest of the class. The teacher can then lead a class discussion by asking some of the following questions:
    • Why do you think the author included this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza?
    • What does this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza tell us about the character/setting?
    • How does this sentence/chapter/scene/stanza support the theme?
  • Learn more about Think, Pair, Share in this TIP Sheet.
• Plot Frame: When reading a story, have students fill out a plot story frame using words, pictures, objects, sentence strips, etc. as they read:
  • In this story, a problem begins when _________________________________
  • After that, ____________________________________________________________
  • Next, _________________________________________________________________
  • Then, _________________________________________________________________
  • The problem is solved when _________________________________________
  • The story ends when _________________________________________________
• Grand Conversations: Gather students to engage in a conversation about chapter books. Ask questions that help students identify the structure of a chapter book. Questions may include:
  • How do chapters help readers understand the book?
  • Why do you think the author included chapters in this book?
  • How can you break down the text into smaller pieces (e.g., a scene of a play, a stanza of a poem)? How do these pieces fit together to create a larger story?
• Think Aloud: To model your knowledge about genres, talk aloud as you read various stories, poems, and plays. As you read a play, you may notice the difference between dialogue meant to be spoken aloud and stage direction meant to direct the performers silently. Or you may say, “Oh, these have rhyming phrases and stanzas. That’s how I know this is a poem.”

For example, one possible barrier is if the lesson is not designed to be of interest or relevant.

Ideas to reduce this barrier could include:

• use texts that reflect a variety of cultural, socio-economic, and racial experiences
• connect the content to something related to the school or the local community
• ask students how the topic relates to them
• connect the content to existing communication boards and experience books

Use these Inclusive Strategies to help reduce barriers.

• Why are Text Structures Important?
  • Whether reading a story book, an article, a poem, or a comic strip, understanding how the text is organized is a lifelong-skill readers use to enhance their comprehension. The various ways texts are organized are known as text structures. To develop readers who understand what they are reading, it is essential to help them familiarize themselves with the different ways authors organize their ideas in their writing.
• What are Text Structures?
  • When readers interact with the text to create meaning, it is helpful to have an awareness of the organizational structure of what is being read. For instance, students learn to be aware of cues that alert them to specific text structures such as main ideas and details, a cause then its effects, and/or different points of view. Teaching students to recognize common text structures can help them focus their attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate the content of what they will read, and monitor their comprehension. Additionally, when students are aware of the text structures, they connect information with their prior knowledge, increase their reading speed, and retain information better. Finally, students who develop an understanding of text structure are more likely to apply their knowledge to their own writing.
    • Internal Text Structure: These text structures refer to the ways in which information within a text is organized to convey the content. Some texts are organized using more than one text structure. Text structures offer important clues that organize the text in predictable and understandable ways.
    • External Text Structures: These text structures physically organize and signal information in a text, such as headings, illustrations, bold or highlighted term, and notes. These call attention to essential information within a text. External text structures help readers identify key ideas and details within a text. This supports comprehension by alerting students to the most relevant information and helping them locate information in a text.
• What are the Elements of Narrative Structures?
  • Plot: A sequence of events involving characters in conflict situations. Plot is based on the goals of one or more characters and the processes they go through to attain these goals.
    • Beginning, Middle, End OR Introduction, Problem, Resolution
    • Plot Development
      1. A Problem: usually presented at the beginning of the story
      2. Roadblocks: throughout the story, characters face roadblocks as they attempt to solve the problem
      3. The High Point: when the problem is about to be resolved
      4. Solution: the problem is solved and the roadblocks are overcome
    • Help Students Understand the Plot
      • Look for the information included in the introduction of a story: time, place, circumstances, main characters.
      • Look for the series of incidents where main characters go about achieving goals.
      • Call attention to how the goals are achieved or not achieved in the conclusion, and the high point of the action.
      • Make timelines of the story.
  • Characters: The people or personified animals who are involved in the story.
    • Fully developed characters have many character traits
      • appearance
      • action
      • dialogue
      • monologue
    • Help Students Identify Characters
      • List characters, noting physical and personality traits.
      • Point out how authors reveal personality traits through character thoughts, behavior, or language.
      • Identify the main characters’ goals and how these goals guide the story.
  • Setting:
    • Components of Setting
      • location
      • weather
      • time period
      • time of day
    • Help Students Identify Key Aspects of Setting
      • Find words and phrases that signal the time and place a story occurs.
      • Read the beginnings of stories aloud noting the clues for time and place.
  • Point of View:
    • First person:
      • story is told through eyes of one person
      • reader experiences story as the narrator views it
      • found mostly in picture books
    • Third person:
      • used so readers can know the view
      • point of one characterthe author is godlike; sees and knows all
      • found mostly in chapter books
    • Theme:
      • The underlying meaning of a story. Explores truths about human nature. Can be explicit (stated openly) or implicit (suggested).
• What are Some Types of Narrative Structures?
  • Prose:
    • chapters- a section of a book usually containing a main event or idea for the story
  • Poetry:
    • verse- a line of writing where words are arranged in a rhythmic pattern
    • rhythm- a flow of rising and falling sounds in language that is produced in verse by a regular repeating of stressed and unstressed syllables
    • meter- a systematic rhythm in poetry that is usually repeated
    • stanza- a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in usually repeating patterns
  • Drama:
    • scene- where the action is occurring
    • cast of characters- people in the play
    • setting- place where the story happens
    • dialogue- conversation between two or more people
    • stage directions- provide actors with information about where to stand, how to move, or how to react

Common Student Misconceptions

• Text Features: Not every text will have the same text features. It is important to recognize that some texts will offer more support and organization through text features such as headings, highlighted text, etc. while other texts of the same type may offer fewer supports. When determining text type, it is important to evaluate multiple characteristics.
• Text Structures: Students sometimes disregard text structure while reading, but an understanding of text structure helps students organize new information and leads to deeper comprehension of content.
• Story Elements: Students may lack the knowledge there can be multiple plots, settings, and characters affecting the story to varying degrees.
• Setting: Setting can include real or fictional places, as well as time periods (e.g., historical fiction).
• Reader Response: Some students may believe there is only one way to interpret a text. Students need to consider how their prior knowledge and perspective influence their understanding of a story.

Fifth Grade: Describe what happens in a story using text structure; Analyze how the structure of a text develops story elements (RL 5)

Sixth Grade: Describe the central message or theme; Summarize a text (RL 2)

Seventh Grade: Analyze how the structure of a text develops story elements (meaning) (RL 5)