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A fun reading lesson for grade 2, 3 and 4 students that explores helping students categorise and understand the main elements of a narrative. This activity uses the text Clancy The Courageous Cow by Lachy Hume.
Writing
Grade:2-4
Lesson from Cleverbean

Story Mountains

Learning Intention: Understand the structure of a narrative.

Download lesson
A fun reading lesson for grade 2, 3 and 4 students that explores helping students categorise and understand the main elements of a narrative. This activity uses the text Clancy The Courageous Cow by Lachy Hume.
Writing
Lesson from Cleverbean
Grade: 2-4

Story Mountains

Learning Intention: Understand the structure of a narrative.

Download lesson
Supporting Materials
Story Mountains
Story Mountains
  Edit in PowerPoint Google Classroom
What you'll need
  • Focus text
  • Plain paper
  • Coloured pencils
  • Post-it notes
Curriculum

Grade 3 - AC9E3LA03

Success criteria
  • I can identify the sections in a narrative.
  • I can discuss the features of each section.
Lesson

Modelled

  1. Discuss the concept of narratives with students. Ensure students are reminded that fiction texts are imaginative narratives with a series of events.

  2. Revise the main sections of a narrative:
    -Orientation
    -Series of Events/complication
    -Resolution

  3. Tell students that today you will be reading a narrative to them. Ask students to think about the different sections to help their understanding of the text.

  4. Read the focus text.
    Eg: ‘Clancy The Courageous Cow’ by Lachie Hume.

Guided

  1. As a class, discuss the story according to the narrative structure.
    Orientation - Who was the main character? What was the setting?
    Series of Events/Complication - What events occurred? What was the problem?
    Resolution - How was this solved? How did the story end?

  2. Provide students with small whiteboards. Ask students to draw a diagram which shows the structure of a narrative. Tell students that they can choose to represent this is any type of drawing/diagram.
    Eg: flow chart

  3. Allow students to share their responses with partners and compare. As a class, go through student responses and address misconceptions which arise according to the narrative structure. Eg: Wrong order structure.

  4. Record ideas and class discussion so students can refer back to these aspects of a narrative structure.

  5. Explain to students that they will be showing their understanding of the texts’ narrative structure through story mountains. Tell students that the bottom of the mountain will represent the beginning and the top will be the complication and then the resolution will be on the other side of the mountain.

  6. As a class, model the beginning of the story mountain by drawing a mountain and using a Post-it note to capture the setting and the characters. Stick this post-it note at the bottom of the mountain.

Independent

  1. In small groups, students will use different coloured Post-it notes to represent each section of the narrative structure in the focus text, using a story mountain. Ask students to write a sentence or draw a picture which captures the main ideas.
    Eg: The problem in the story is…
    This is a problem because…
    In the end the problem was solved by…

  2. Monitor students as they work and remind students to refer back to the board.

  3. Allow students to share their story mountains with their tables groups or partners. This will allow students to develop a deep understanding of all aspects of the text.

Differentiation
  • Support: provide guidance and support by sticking Post-it notes in the text when the problem occurs to support students understanding the different parts of a text.
  • Extension: Ask students to include text evidence throughout, to prove what they are stating.
Recommended books
Fun reading activities using Clancy The Courageous Cow by Lachie Hume that explores the different elements of a story.
Clancy The Courageous Cow
Lachie Hume
Grade: 2-3
Assessment
  • Could students identify the orientation, series of events, complication and resolution?
  • Did students demonstrate an understanding of the structural features eg. setting and character orientation?
  • Were students able to represent their understanding through both visual and written forms?
Get Hands On
  • Students can create story frames with lego or playdough.