Running head: ELEMENTS 1

5 Elements of Fiction (Rough Draft)

Aaron Ruggles

Post University
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Full Title As It Appears on Cover Page

Part I: Statement of Educational Philosophy

My dad would say, “give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”

To this very day, I hear those words in my head as I prepare my students for their next lesson.

Whether it’s reading or math, science or social studies, there is always something I try to give

them (the students) that will carry on throughout their lives. I teach because many children now

and days don’t have a “teacher”. Some in foster care with several other children in the same

household. Some don’t have parents that are their mentors and immediate role models. Being a

teacher is more than just lecture and graded papers. It’s compassionate connectivity with the

youth of tomorrow. Breaking through to their inner person and watching a young man and

woman grow mentally.

My beliefs as a teacher are this, “give to those who truly want, and encourage others to

understand why”. Not every student will willingly listen to what you have to say. Some would

rather follow suite with a working-class person including the bare minimum education. Some

aren’t cut out for school. But every child deserves a teacher’s very best, regardless of their

disposition towards the student or visa versa. I believe every student should receive the same

compassion and empathy as the next.

The role of a teacher has vastly altered from just an educator to a larger piece in the lives

of students. As the necessity for adaptation in children continued to grow given social

considerations and influence, so too has the necessity for a teacher to adapt just as hastily.

Teachers now find themselves as, role models, external parental figures, counselors, and

mentors. This is also the purpose of a teacher. To teach not only academic lessons, but to help

develop their interpersonal skills as well. Now more than ever, students are looking to teachers to
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be those living role models to demonstrate social connections, mutual respect, and

professionalism. The same life skills and interchangeable examples that will be utilized

throughout the rest of their life.

Because I exercise a personal correlation with the humanistic and social reconstructivism

theoretical practice, my lessons and planning are strongly centered on student’s internal

motivation to learn and their ability to cope with real world problems and oppression to succeed.

This very principle starts with the enthusiasm and empathy. Being able to relate to student’s

daily lives and struggles will allow me to better understand their individual needs for success.

Enthusiasm, genuine enthusiasm will provide the motivation daily that employees contagious

reactions from the student body, therefore bringing forth their full ability and participation.

To make connections between educational philosophies and teaching, I will have to

construct my lesson plans to encompass real world practices and comparison to the material

being presented. Along with specifically developed lesson plans, allowing the students to

verbally express their interpersonal thoughts aloud with me and with the class will better enhance

their communication skills with others and focus on their ability to comprehend others

inferences.
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Part II: Rationale of Curriculum

This is where you explain the following:
 The students I teach are of different social and economic statuses. They have been
identified as “in need of immediate assistance” by the State of Texas IAW House Bill
4545.
 Understandably, these students have displayed some inabilities to utilize previously
comprehensive techniques to completely grasp the 5 elements of Fiction novels. Thus
leading to a lower ability to recall main topics that stem from the text.
 Language, and economic barriers play a drastic part in the preparedness of the students.
As many of them deal with social and emotional turmoil through foster systems and low
poverty households.
 The utilization of UDL models and predominantly “Backwards Planning” will help in
addressing areas of concern for the teachers as well as heighten the readers ability to
identify specific text references and examples of elemental makeup for fiction novels.
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Part III: Unit Plan

Stage I

5th Grade: 5 Elements of Fiction

Description: In this unit, students will work collaboratively to identify and present the 5
elements of a fiction novel.

STAGE 1- STANDARDS/GOALS
Using current reading skills, students should be able to identify specific text to identify each
element of fiction novels. Students will present individual elements in a collaborative
assignment via power point, poster, tri fold etc..

Content Standard(s)

Generalizations about what students should know and be able to do.

Identify Plot Elements Can the reader identify key events in beginning,
middle and end of the novel to articulate the
overall plot of the story?

Identify Setting Elements Can the reader identify elements of setting by,
time references, social considerations in the
story, geographical characteristics?

Is the reader capable of identifying character

Identify Character Elements elements of both protagonist and antagonist?

Point of View Elements Can the reader identify the authors Point of
View? Use of words like “I, me, we” vs. “he,
she, they”

Identify Theme Can the reader understand and articulate the

message of the book with supporting text
evidence?
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Enduring Understandings Essential Questions

The student will, in a group, identify and
present the elements of a fiction novel. Each Can the students accurately identify all 5
person will display understanding of elements accurately with supporting text
separate elements. evidence?

Overarching Enduring Understandings: Error free articulation and exact text evidence

Unit Specific Enduring Understanding Accurate articulation of 5 text elements with

minimal error.

Knowledge and Skills

What students are expected to know and be able to do

Knowledge
The students will know how to read comprehensively to identify and elaborate on 5 key
elements of fiction novels.

Skills
The students will be able to identify each element using text evidence (2 per category) and
collectively present the entire assignment in a formal presentation.
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Part 2

Part 2:

Considering important skills that students would be able to demonstrate prior to the
assignment, the following elements of student knowledge will be expected to be
present in their application to the assignment. Basic grade level reading skills
exhibited will differ from reader to reader.

Some Students Will Know:

 Read comprehensively and identify immediate element presence

 Be able to identify supporting text evidence
 Develop complete thoughts and sentences to convey text evidence to immediate
text elements.

Most Students Will Know:

 How to read basic sentence structure

 Find text evidence
 Identify specific elements of voice (point of view) in text
 Students will be able to convey thoughts orally and in written work to elaborate
on text details.

All Students Will Know:

 How to identify key elements of Plot, Setting, Character, Point of View and
Theme
 Provide text evidence to support element identification.
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Stage 2

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task
Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate the desired understandings,
knowledge, and skills? (describes the learning activity in “story” form. Typically, the P.T.
describes a scenario or situation that requires students to apply knowledge and skills to
demonstrate their understanding in a real life situation. Describe your performance task scenario
below)
By what criteria will performances of understanding be judged?
GRASPS Elements of the Performance Task
G – Goal To identify elements of fiction novels to display inferencing
What should students accomplish abilities
by completing this task?
As a member of a group, you will help develop a final product that
R – Role
What role (perspective) will your
displays required understanding of elements in a Novel.
students be taking?
A – Audience Your fellow peers/classmates.
Who is the relevant audience?
In an oral presentation, you will present the audience with your
S – Situation group project encompassing each element accurately.
The context or challenge provided
to the student.
P – Product, Performance Visual aid in the form of Power point, Poster, graphic organizer,
What product/performance will the trifold.
student
create?
To have accurate information that is depictive of your group chosen
S – Standards & Criteria novel. The information needs to be organized and display full
for Success understanding of assigned element
Create the rubric for the
Performance Task See rubric below.

Other Evidence Student Self-Assessment

Through what other evidence (work samples,
observations, quizzes, tests, journals or other
means) will students demonstrate achievement
of the desired results? Formative and
summative assessments used throughout the
unit to arrive at the outcomes.
How will students reflect upon or self-assess
their learning?
Students will reflect and self assess by graded
work and daily practice exercises identifying
elements of Fiction novels in excerpts from
stories at random.
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\
Stage 3

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Where are your students headed?
Where have they been? How will
you make sure the students know
where they are going?
How will you hook students at the
beginning of the unit?
What events will help students
experience and explore the big
idea and questions in the unit?
How will you equip them with
needed skills and knowledge?
How will you cause students to
reflect and rethink? How will
you guide them in rehearsing,
revising, and refining their work?
How will you help students to
exhibit and self-evaluate their
growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the
unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise
personalize the learning plan to
optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students,
without compromising the goals
of the unit?
How will you organize and
sequence the learning activities to
optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?
This lesson is directed the further development needed to decipher contextual
information in reading passages found in the STAAR Test. It is expected that
the readers will have developed comprehensive and inferencing skills to apply
the new skills to previously known knowledge to enhance reading abilities.
I will HOOK the Students by utilizing books that the students have
displayed interest in the most. I will also use visual aids via
PowerPoint or other source material to keep the lessons interactive
and entertaining     
I will ensure each student has a copy of the sample text each day. I
will also designate specific “partner shared” activities with specific
groups to outline specific Text elements from paragraph/page
selections
After the lesson plan and the sample text exercises, I will allow the
students an opportunity to conduct their group projects and present for
review. After the conclusion of the project assignment, I will present
the students with a sample text to review their individual abilities in
fictional text element recognition (ungraded).     
After the revisited activity is complete, students will be given
a chance to conduct peer reviews of their answers and elaborate on
their context clues supporting their answers. Each student will then,
grade each-others responses     
For students requiring further assistance on the understanding of the
lesson, small groups will be conducted with the teacher or an
interventionist to further build on already known knowledge. The
objective is to continue to develop understanding of fiction text
elements     
Within each paragraph and section of the stories introduced for
practice and practical exercises, the students will utilize highlighters
or markers to make important details pop. They will be presented with
a graphic organizer to help map out necessary information related to
the subject. Each section of the organizer will help encompass the
elements of any novel.     

# Lesson Title Lesson Activities Resources

1 DAY 1 Introduce students to 5 elements of fiction Power point presentation

Intro to 5 through power presentation. Identify specifics
elements of each element. Students take notes on
element features during presentation
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2. DAY 2 Define further setting elements for student Book (the rainbow fish),
Setting using text evidence. Look for key indicators Highlighters, notebook
Element intro. of location, time period, weather paper/ writers journal
considerations etc. (reference The Rainbow
Fish)
3 DAY 3 Instruct students how to analyze text for (Excerpt from harry potter
Character character information. Identify protagonist sorcerer’s stone)
element intro. and antagonist. Identify characteristics of Highlighters, notebook
characters with supporting text evidence. paper/writers journal
(Reference harry potter/ Voldemort)
4 DAY 4 Identify point of view using key word Excerpt from the giver,
Point of view recognition. Instruct students to look for I, Highlighter, notebook paper,
intro we, them us, keywords to help support text journal.
evidence. (reference, The Giver)

5 DAY 5 Have students identify message (theme) of the Tortoise and hare excerpt.
Introduce story. Use Tortoise and Hare. Using text Highlighters, paper/journal
theme. evidence, help develop and identify
supporting theme of text.

6 DAY 6 How do each element stem from the plot of a Plot map, writer
Develop plot. story. (plot being the outline “blueprints” for journal/paper.
the novel. Understanding how and when to
include rising action, falling action, conflict
and resolution in sequence to tell story).
7 DAY 7 Inform students of group assignment. State test excerpt.
Assignment Conduct quick assessment over sample
introduction/a passage from released State Test. Review
ssessment after completion and hold open discussion
about answer choices in peer evaluation
exercise.
8 DAY 8 Identify group participants. Introduce rubric Rubrik, power point outline
Begin Group for graded assignment in group project. Group roster sheet.
assignment Provide outline of slide layout for power point
presentations. Allow students to begin
working on project after novel is selected.
9 Allow 2
weeks for
project
completion

10 Present Allow students to present completed projects. Graded presentation rubric

Projects Provide grades and further discuss
effectiveness and understanding of Text
Elements.
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Checking for UDL Principles
Considerations
Required Areas of Study:
Is there alignment between
outcomes, performance
assessment and learning
experiences?
Adaptive Dimension:
Have I made purposeful
adjustments to the
curriculum content (not
outcomes), instructional
practices, and/or the
learning environment to
meet the learning needs and
diversities of all my
students?
Instructional Approaches:
Do I use a variety of teacher
directed and student
centered instructional
approaches?
Resource Based Learning:
Do the students have access
to various resources on an
ongoing basis?
FNM/I Content and
Perspectives/Gender
11
Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)
Comments
Outcomes and assessments will be based off assignment scores and test
scores. Performance during lessons and participation during group activities
will help increase understanding and provide adequate productivity to group
work.
For struggling students:
Offer small group assistance during and after school. Monitor students
struggling with group assignment and offer time in class with instructor
assistance (minimum) for further guidance and comprehension. Provide
additional training and lessons as needed.
For students who need a challenge:
Prompt students with excelled understanding to provide more in depth
analysis of elements feature. Encourage them to use more precise text
references and develop alternative examples.
Encourage students to provide peer to peer assistance with students struggling
to meet requirements.
YES. This will be determined on a case by case basis per student/group
Yes, computer lab time, text book references and research at home will be
available to the students. Also offer after school tutorial time for further added
resources.
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Equity/Multicultural
Education: Yes. Pair multiple gender, race ethnic groups together. Allow for adequate
Have I nurtured and participation and expectations are made neutral across the spectrum of
promoted diversity while students.
honoring each child’s
identity?
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References

The Three Principles of UDL. (September 18, 2014). National Center On Universal Design For
Learning. http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/3principles

Universal Design For Learning Guidelines. (November 12, 2014). National Center On Universal
Design For Learning. http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines_theorypractice

UDL at a glance - youtube. (2010, January 6). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bDvKnY0g6e4.

Accelerate Learning, I. (n.d.). Constructivist Teaching. Retrieved from

http://info.stemscopes.com/constructivist-teaching

Grant Wiggins, & Jay McTighe. (2005). Understanding by Design: Vol. Expanded 2nd ed.
ASCD.

Wilhelm, J. (n.d.). Essessential Questions. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-

content/essential-questions/
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Appendices
<a href='https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=A23W34B&sp=yes'>rubric:
5_Elements_of_Fiction_Rubric</a>
Criterion
(Score 0 if element is absent)
Did the class fully understand the elements of fiction
presented in this lesson?
Class handouts and instructional material.
Did the material pose useful and relevant to student
understanding and participation
Peer to peer teaching
Testing scores and evaluations
Self-Evaluation Rubric
Below Expectations Meets Expectations
(1) (2)
Majority of students (80%) were able to
Students did not understand course material.
demonstrate proficient understanding of
Little to no transferable skills demonstrated
course material. Students are able to use text
from content given.
evidence to justify their answers.
Instructional material was organized and used
Handouts and material posed distraction and
in succession with student growth. Material
gave no contribution to student growth and
posed useful to development and assisted in
engagement. Visual aids were not relatable to
increased success rate of roughly 75% of the
student’s engagement.
class.
Students are able to demonstrate
understanding of course material in the form
Students do display understanding of course
of peer to peer instruction and group work.
content to assist in peer to peer exercises and
Roughly 4-5 students demonstrate elevated
group work.
level of understanding and are able to aid as
directed.
Less than 60% passing rating with student test Pass scores demonstrate efficient
scores and evaluations. understanding with 80% passing scores.
14
Exceeds Expecta
(3)
All students (90%) were able
proficient understanding of
Students are able to use text
their answer
Instructional material was or
in succession with student g
posed useful to developmen
increased success rate of ro
class.
Students are able to d
understanding of course ma
of peer to peer instruction
Roughly 6-7 students demo
level of understanding and
directed.
90% of the class records p
Students overall scores are
the lesson length to show co
TOTAL