English Language Arts and Reading.3.8.D

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The student is expected to

explain the influence of the setting on the plot.

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements. The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.

A teacher may wish to pair SE 3.8.D with SE 3.9.A and assess both SEs at the same time. With SE 3.9.A, students demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, legends, and myths. As a class, read a fable like The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Engage students in a dialogue about the fable, including how the location of the home of each mouse relates to the moral. Ask students to consider how the fable might be different if the mice lived in another country. Would the city and country settings be similar? What might the experiences of each mouse be like? Have students share their responses with the class.

Further Explanation

This assessment example requires students to understand how the time and place in which a story is set impacts the events in the story. Students must also analyze how a story's events might change when the setting changes.

The setting of a story can affect how characters live, the conflicts they must overcome, and their perspective on the world. Students should be able to recognize the details that create the setting in a story and describe the impact the setting has on the plot and characters. For instance, if a story is set in California, the characters may have just experienced an earthquake. The dangerous setting may cause the characters to want to relocate to Michigan where they may feel safer. Moving affects the plot by placing the characters in a setting which may also introduce new characters, conflicts, and events.
the basic sequence of events in a story that includes the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution

Research

1. Freeman, J. (2016). Story is king: How to be a great storyteller. School Library Journal, 62(6), 40+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A453920020/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=1ff34e81.

Summary: The author uses storytelling to build reading skills, such as plot analysis and understanding characters. She provides concrete examples for storytelling in the classrooms and gives a list of 21 classic folk and fairy tales that can be adapted for storytelling.

2. Droop, M., Elsäcker, W. V., Voeten, M. J., & Verhoeven, L. (2015). Long-term effects of strategic reading instruction in the intermediate elementary grades. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(1), 77–102. doi:10.1080/19345747.2015.1065528

Summary: The findings of this research suggest that third and fourth grade students should first attain and enhance their knowledge of reading strategies through teacher modeling. Then, they should learn how reading strategies are used and verbalized. After these steps, students can learn to apply this knowledge when reading. The more often a student uses the strategies, the more internalized the strategies become.