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For this assignment, I am going to use the Common Core Standard RL 3.9, which states: "Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).”  (California State Board of Education. 2013 March).

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Due to its complexity, I am going to break it down into three separate sections (New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey, n.d.), and teach it over two weeks or longer (I am not exactly sure how long it will take, but once I try these out with students, my pacing will be more accurate).  The book series I am using will be the Bad Kitty books, specifically Bad Kitty Gets a Bath and Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet, by Nick Bruel.  I chose these books, even though some have been on the banned book list, because they are funny, can be read out of order, they combine fiction and nonfiction, they seem appropriate for a variety of reading abilities (including ELL and special needs students), and as Kellyanne Burbage (2021) says, “Bad Kitty books are just the ticket for emerging readers looking to begin tackling chapter books. Bad Kitty entertains and informs and makes us laugh out loud.”

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Objective number one:

Students will be able to define setting and theme by illustration and answering questions on a theme anchor chart, after the whole class reading activity

Objective number two:

Students will be able to analyze the plot of a story, using a graphic organizer to detail the beginning, middle and end by the end of the week

Objective number three:

Students will be able to compare & contrast the setting, plot and theme of two stories in a series by using Venn diagrams after the end of the second story

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Because this standard is so complex, my hope is that by using three separate objectives and taking smaller steps, students will reach the goal this standard sets.  To do this, I would want to do a few activities together, in order to teach and model what a setting, plot and theme actually are.  For objective number one, I would read a small story to the whole class, while asking questions, making observations and having students describe what they see in the pictures of the story.  I would then have them draw a picture of a place they have been, and write a few sentences describing the time and place.  We may do this once or twice, depending on how well they grasp the meaning of setting, and how it impacts the story, etc.  For theme, I would use ‘Finding the theme of the story’ anchor charts (Rissa, n.d.) with questions about the key events, the characters actions, feelings, reactions, speech, etc, as well as a list of descriptive words that can help a student understand what the author’s message of the story might be.

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For objective number two, I would play a YouTube video entitled, Plot Mountain! The plot Diagram Song by Scratch Garden, and then read a short story with the students and fill in a plot diagram together.  I would then have them read their own short story and fill in another plot diagram individually.

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For objective number three, I would read two versions of a story that is familiar to most like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, (and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs), completing a Venn diagram (figure 1) together to compare and contrast the details of the different settings, themes, and/or plots (Teaching Made Practical, n.d.).  After sufficient practice, I would have each students choose their own card with a picture of two items on it, and fill in their own Venn diagram, comparing & contrasting what is different between the two, and what is the same, to assess their understanding of the task (Jessica Tobin, n.d.).  Finally, students would  break off into small groups and take turns reading the two Bad Kitty books.  During the reading, students would be keeping track of the various things they notice about the setting, theme and plot in graphic organizers, with assisstance as needed.  After finishing the first book, I would have students use the information they gathered to orally describe the setting, theme and plot as a whole class.  We would then agree on what all three were and keep track of that on a large sheet of butcher paper.  We would do the same for the second book on another sheet of butcher paper.  These notes will be used to help students answer questions on their compare & contrast chart (figure 2- Learning Library, n.d.).

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figure 1.                                                                              figure 2.

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I am not sure I have a workable understanding to connect the objectives to the making the strange/familiar models.  I can summarize the steps for both making the familiar strange, and making the strange familiar, but I don’t understand how to fit them into the objectives, it seems very abstract.  I guess I am trying to explain what a setting, theme and plot are for them to reach the standard of comparing and contrasting them through these models?  I already know that students are social, they like to explore topics they are interested in, and they like to be creative.  Therefore they learn best in classrooms that can meet these needs through a variety of small group activities, scaffolding complex topics into bite sized pieces, providing lots of practice, and challenging them in creative ways.  The activities listed above allow for practice, scaffolding and small group experiences, helping them to successfully demonstrate proficiency regarding the complex standard RL 3.9, which makes these objectives appropriate for this grade level.