Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Plan Title

I can Understand a Story Based on Plot
Brief Description/Abstract
Starting with “a witch and a broom” and ending with “a witch, and a cat, and a dog, and a bird,
and a frog, and a brand-new broom”; children will gain the understanding of story structure.
Overview
All stories have a beginning, work their way to the middle, and lastly end with a closing.
Using this information, the children will be read a story and asked to point out the key events
of the story. They will then sequence those events and work on their key vocabulary terms.
Kids will then get to practice by sequencing the events individually and finally work on
writing their own story of events using vocabulary practiced.
Grade Band
K-2
Lesson Plan Type
Standard Lesson
Estimated Lesson Time
50 minutes
Featured Resources
- Event Cards
Printouts
-Room on the Broom Sequencing sheet
Materials & Technology
• Room and the Broom by Julia Donaldson (Puffin Books, 2003)
• Event sequencing cards
• Chart paper and markers
• Writing paper
From Theory to Practice
“To do well in school task and to enjoy reading in general, children should know about critical
features of stories, such as characterization, time sequence, and the way in which stories are
put together (for example, that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end). Knowing about
important features of stories helps children to understand and remember the content of
narratives better.”

Spiegel, D., & Fitzgerald, J. (1986). Improving Reading Comprehension through Instruction about Story
Parts. The Reading Teacher, 39(7), 676-682. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20199190
Standards
7.1 Retell the sequence of major events using key details; determine the theme in a text heard
or read.
Websites
NONE
Preparation
1. Read Room on the Broom to find the key events throughout the book.
2. Make whole group picture cards with characters from the book to sequence.
3. Write out questions to ask periodically throughout the read aloud.
Instructional Plan
Student Objectives
Students will
• Comprehend a story by understanding its structure.
• Learn to sequence a story with correct vocabulary. (First, after, then, next, last)
• Use key events to retell a story.
• Practice writing their own story using the key sequencing terms.
Session Introduction and Activities
Session One: Read Aloud (15 minutes)
1. Introduce Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson to the students by showing them
the book and reading them the title.
2. Ask students to share with their shoulder partner what they believe the story will be
about. Call on one or two partners to share their thoughts.
3. Remind students to pay attention to the order of events before starting to read.
4. When reading have them make the sound of words that signify main events (witch,
cat, dog, bird, frog, monster, dragon).
4. Stop periodically to ask student what they think will happen next in the story.
5. Call students to the front and give them a picture card to hold. Include the whole
class in a discussion to properly sequence the students in the order they occur in the
book.
6. Retell the story using sequencing vocabulary and the major events with the picture
cards.
Session Two: Individual Work (20 minutes)
1. Have students work quietly in their desk writing a story on a specific topic they
choose.
2. Instruct them to think about their story having a sequence of events like the class
has been talking about.
3. Have them illustrate pictures to go along with their story.
Session Three: Partner Work (15 minutes)
*be sure partners are not working on the story they created.
1. Split the class into pairs around the room.
2. Give each pair a copy of one of the stories a classmate wrote. (go through the stories
and pick the ones that would best fit the activity you are working on)
3. Have the pair read the story and talk about the sequencing of events using the correct
vocabulary.
4. If there is a pair willing to share their retelling using the proper vocabulary they
may.
5. Close discussion with reminding students of sequencing vocabulary and how they
can retell a story using the key events.
Extensions
• If time permits, allow students to write their own story using sequencing vocabulary
and draw pictures to go along with their sequencing.

Student Assessment/Reflections
• Use informal observation to assess students’ ability to sequencing in the discussion in
Session One.
 • Assess how well students comprehend sequencing in Session Two with their correct
placement of events.
• Discuss with each group about their stories in Session Three and observe their ability
to use the proper vocabulary.
Related Resources
NONE
References
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20199190?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents