Notes
1. The Elements of Literature are often referred to using other nomenclature such as Elements of Fiction or the Elements of a Story or any variation alluding to the basic skeleton of fictional writing and story telling.
2. Age-appropriate, for this unit, will refer to any literature, which is deemed appropriate by the authorities for grade-based reading lists, acceptable classroom texts, and literature that is widely accepted for a particular age group because of the reading level and content.
3. This is an Understanding by Design approach; see Annotated Teacher Bibliography.
4. These steps are explained further in the narrative following this section. Provided here is an outline and guide of the steps taken from the beginning to the end of the unit. Also, immediately following this section are specific examples, which may be used during the course of the unit, depending on the grade and standards and available texts.
5. The first lesson plan is the longest of the three because it provides more explanation for strategies and procedures, which will not need repeating in the next lessons.
6. SSR is not a new strategy, I did not invent it, and it is not clear to me where it originated. I have seen it used in every content area and as part of a few public school reform models. The idea is to provide silent reading time for students, as many students do not get any "silent time," especially not for the purpose of reading, in their busy and complicated lives.
7. These timeframes are approximations and should not be followed exactly; student learning is the most important schedule to use as a guide. Conversely, the instructor must have some outline for the lesson's length and time.
8. These lessons, briefly explained, can be used with this unit and are conducive to easy administration along the way. Although they may not be lessons on the Elements of Literature, they may add some fun and flair to the unit and cover other standards.
9. These Elements of Literature are a variation from the Website, http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/literary_elements.htm, and changed to meet the needs of this unit. I like this website in particular for element definitions. Many websites have good definitions, and it is not important to introduce idiosyncratic definitions. If these do not meet a lesson's needs, it is simple to do a search rather than defining the appropriate elements individually.
10. This list is of exemplary texts for the in-class reading portion of the unit; others could obviously be substituted. I propose a minimum of seven reading selections, including the students' choice. The selections should be ordered from simple to complex.
Comments: