4FN10 – Reading & Writing – Elements of a Story

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

Students will comprehend the essential elements of a story, including characters, setting, plot, dialogue, and descriptive words. The lesson aims to enhance their ability to craft engaging and well-structured narratives.

Materials:

Whiteboard
Visual aids (examples of stories, characters, settings, and dialogue)
List of questions for character development
Samples of well-described scenes
Examples of dialogue (both good and bad)

Introduction (3 minutes):

Define a story as a narrative meant for entertainment, education, or information.
Emphasize the role of stories in captivating readers’ attention and evoking emotions.
Discuss how personal tastes influence what each person considers a good story.

Theocratic Connections:

N/A

Activity 1 – Characters (5 minutes):

Explain that characters drive the plot and keep the audience engaged.
Emphasize the importance of giving characters depth by exploring their backstory, experiences, behavior, motivations, and unique qualities.
Use examples to illustrate the impact of well-developed characters on a story.

Activity 2 – Setting (5 minutes):

Discuss the significance of the setting, which includes when and where the story takes place.
Highlight how the setting influences the tone, mood, and sometimes even the plot.
Provide examples of real and fictional settings, and discuss how they contribute to the story.

Activity 3 – Plot (5 minutes):

Define the plot as the sequence of events in a story.
Emphasize the necessity of a beginning, middle, and end for an engaging plot.
Discuss the role of the middle in resolving conflicts and the importance of a satisfying ending that ties up loose ends.

Activity 4 – Dialogue (5 minutes):

Introduce dialogue as a crucial element for character expression, plot progression, and tension.
Discuss the qualities of good dialogue, emphasizing naturalness and believability.
Show examples of well-crafted dialogue and contrast with poorly executed dialogue to highlight differences.

Activity 5 – Descriptive Words (5 minutes):

Explain the importance of using descriptive words to set the scene, create atmosphere, and depict characters and actions.
Discuss the balance required, cautioning against excessive descriptive words that can make a story cumbersome.
Provide examples of well-described scenes to illustrate the impact of descriptive words.

Conclusion (2 minutes):

Summarize the five elements: characters, setting, plot, dialogue, and descriptive words.
Discuss how the combination of these elements contributes to a well-crafted story.
Encourage students to apply these elements in their own writing and explore what makes a story complete.

Assessment:

Evaluate student understanding through class participation, their ability to identify and analyze the elements in provided stories, and their incorporation of these elements in writing exercises.