1. Celebrating Student Work Developing and Ordering Plot Events iLearn Elementary Literacy Session 3

2. Focusing Questions What is plot? How can technology help organize the main events of a narrative?

3. Instruction

4. Framing The Session We have discussed some different possibilities for our personal narratives and each of us has chosen one particular story to write about. Today we will begin to focus on the main events of that particular story. We will determine the order in which we will present those events to our readers.

5. Teaching A plot is a series of events that moves a story forward. Let’s choose a single event and build upon it – we’ll break it down into a number of events, which is the plot. >Step 1 Open SMART Notebook. >Step 2 Choose a single event upon which to focus. >Step 3 Determine a logical starting point for your story, as well as a logical ending point. >Step 4 Add plot events to your story.

6. Guided Practice Determine another event that could be added to the model story. Review the steps necessary to add the event(s) in SMART Notebook.

7. Work Time

8. Getting Started You will now determine which story you will write for your personal narrative. You will also determine the starting and ending points for your story. Finally, you will fill in the events that occurred between your starting and ending points.

9. Work Time Open SMART Notebook. Begin adding plot events using text boxes. Determine the best order to present your plot events and organize your events appropriately. When you are done, please use Microsoft Word to draft at least one paragraph of your story. You will need the writing for the next session.

10. Share

11. Share your plots with each other. Share your reasons for choosing particular starting and ending points. Share

12. How does this work address the questions that began the session? Answers

13. For more information Office of Instructional Technology oittc@schools.nyc.gov www.nyc.gov/schools