2

Lesson

Identify Themes, Beginnings,

Middles, and Ends

P
erformance Objective: Using AWW, with a small group SW identify the theme, and list a main
event from the beginning, from the middle, and from the end of a given narrative scoring at least
three out of four on the theme and events assessment.

Resources or Materials Needed: SW need a computer or tablet and Internet access to access AWW.

Time: 60 minutes.

Step 1: Pre-Instructional Activities: TW read aloud, “Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears” (Schwartz, 2015).
Alternative option - TW play the YouTube video read aloud of the same book (“Goldi Rocks”, 2017).

Step 2: Content Presentation: TW prompt students to lookup the word, theme and read the definition
using Learner’s Dictionary. TW discuss the theme of the given story. In addition, TW discuss what events
happened in the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story.

Step 3: Learner Participation: TW read aloud, “Don’t Squeal Unless It’s a Big Deal: A Tale of Tattletales”
(Ransom, 2006). Alternative option - TW play the YouTube video read aloud of the same book (“Tattling”,
2015). TW divide students into groups of four. TW model a Round Robin (speakers take turns, one person
speaks at a time, and the turn passes clockwise). SW Round Robin to discuss the theme, the beginning of
the story events, the middle of the story events, and the end of the story events.

Step 4: Assessment: Using AWW, each group member will use a different color marker to write the theme,
a beginning event, a middle event, and an end event to complete the Theme and Events assessment (See
Lesson 2 – Assessment (2)).

Step 5: Follow-Through Activities: SW do a Gallery Walk. TW set timed intervals, giving each group
time to view the work of the other teams. At the start of each interval, SW walk clockwise to the next group
to view their work. SW read what each of the other groups wrote. Rotations continue giving each team the
chance to see all of the other teams’ work. Once the rounds are complete, CW discuss their findings.

Lesson Plan Summary: The main instructional strategies used in this lesson plan are explaining,
demonstrating, modeling, and organizing strategies. During the content presentation, the teacher
demonstrates how to recognize the theme and events in a story. During the learner participation, the teacher
models the Round Robin and students have the opportunity to discuss the sequence of events in the story.
These instructional strategies support the Cognitivism learning theories, because they help the students to
organize information so the performance can be elicited (Gagne, 1998, p. 197).
 2
Lesson

Assessment (2):

T
heme and Events Assessment.

Theme and Events Assessment

Directions: Use AWW to complete this task. Each group

will use one AWW board. Each student must use a different
color marker to write his/her answer to one of the questions
that follow. Also, each student will sign his/her name by the
answer he/she wrote. Remember to write you answers in
complete sentences. (Hint: it is ok to share your answer
before writing it. Find out if your team agrees, disagrees, or
if they have a tip to improve your answer.)

1. What is the theme of this story?

2. What is an event that happened in the beginning of

the story?

3. What is an event that happened in the middle of

the story?

4. What is an event that happened at the end of the

story?