Lesson 4: Reel in a Story

Objective: Plan and write a story.

Time Required: Two 30-minute class periods.

Material Needed: Reel in a Story (PDF) student reproducible #4

Directions:

1. Distribute student reproducible #4, Reel in a Story (PDF) to the class. On the board, write the questions from the reproducible about developing the character, the story's conflict, etc. As a class, answer the questions using a familiar fairy tale, such as "Little Red Riding Hood" or the "Three Little Pigs."
2. Have students, individually or in pairs, complete the step-by-step guide to planning their own original stories.
3. Before students begin writing, discuss a writing structure. Suggest that they write at least one paragraph related to each of the planning questions: introduce the character, introduce the conflict, show the difficulty, and show how it works out.

Some of the resources on this page are in PDF format. To download them, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Software.

Lesson 1: Sea Scenes
Lesson 2: Why Are Fish Smart?
Lesson 3: Reef Rhymes
Lesson 4: Reel in a Story

Take-Home Activity: A Whale of a Tale (PDF)
Handout: Make a Splash with Words (PDF)

Standards and Benchmarks (PDF)