stage 1- desired results established goals/standards: 1.1.2.a:...

Megan Doyle Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery

Stage 1- Desired Results

Established Goals/Standards:

• 1.1.2.A: Identify the author’s purpose and type, using various genre. • 1.1.2.D: Demonstrate comprehension / understanding before reading, during reading, and

after reading on grade level texts through strategies such as think aloud, retelling, summarizing, note taking, connecting to prior knowledge, supporting assertions about text with evidence from text, and non-linguistic representations.

• 1.2.2.D: Make inferences from text when studying a topic (e.g., science, social studies) and draw conclusions, citing evidence from the text to support answers.

• 1.3.2.A: Read, understand, and respond to works from various genres of literature. • 1.3.2.B: Recognize and identify different types of genres such as poetry, drama, and fiction. • 1.3.2.C: Identify literary elements (characters, setting, and plot) in selected readings • 1.3.2.D: Identify literary devices in selected readings (e.g., personification, onomatopoeia,

alliteration).

Essential Questions:

• What are the elements of fiction writing that make it interesting to read? • How does David Adler use literary elements to write an exciting mystery?

Enduring Understandings:

• Authors use plot, characters, setting, foreshadowing, and suspense to make their writing interesting to readers.

• Adler’s Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery includes a mysterious problem and solution, interesting characters and setting, and a suspenseful plot that make it a successful mystery story.

Students will know that:

• An interesting piece of fiction typically has well-developed characters, an exciting plot with a problem or situation that needs resolving, an established setting, and engaging details.

Students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the characters, setting, and main events, and genre of a work of fiction • Listen to and remember the events of a chapter book read aloud over several days.


Stage 2- Assessment

Pre-Assessment:

• Participation in concept web discussion • Reasonable and appropriate predictions of the book’s content based on discussion of

mysteries, title, cover picture, etc.

Formative:

• Participation in daily recap discussions • Reasonable and appropriate predictions based on prior content • Character descriptions

Summative:

• Successful completion of 5 elements quiz • Possible extension:Letter to David Adler

Stage 3- Learning Plans

Materials:

• David Adler’s Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery

• Prediction sheets • Character descriptions sheets • Chart Paper

• Markers • “Meet the Author” sheet • Five Elements quiz • Memory matching game sheets

Day 1 (45 minutes)

• The teacher will explain to the class that they will be reading a mystery story together and learning more about what makes fiction writing worth reading.

• The teacher will introduce the concept web, with “mystery” being the center theme. The teacher will prompt students to volunteer what they think they know about the characteristics of mysteries, what makes a good mystery, and any other mysteries they have heard of, and record these responses on the web.

• The teacher will distribute the Five Elements of a Mystery sheet to each student and read it aloud while the students follow along. The teacher will review the five elements and inform the class they will discover these elements in the book and talk about them later in the week.

• The teacher will introduce the mystery vocabulary words and prompt the students to define them in their own words: clue, deduce, escape, evidence, hunch, motive, suspect, and


witness. The teacher will record these responses on chart paper and fill in gaps in knowledge as necessary.

• The teacher will distribute a prediction sheet to the class and prompt the student to write down everything they know about the book from the cover alone, and any prediction they might have about the story. Target answers: the book is a mystery, it involves a snake, it involves a girl, a boy, and a man, a character in the book is named Cam Jansen, it is written by David Adler, it is illustrated by Susanna Natti, etc.

• The teacher will read aloud the “Meet the Author” excerpt.

o Possible extension: The teacher will explain that each student will have the opportunity to write a letter to David Adler, telling him if they think his book was a good mystery and what elements helped to make it exciting and interesting.

• The teacher will read aloud the first chapter of the book, stopping periodically to encourage the students to describe the characters and events, as well as make predictions for what may happen next.

• Possible extension: students can work on letter to David Adler

Day 2 (45 minutes)

• The teacher will prompt student volunteers to contribute details to recap the first chapter of the book. The teacher will record these responses on the board.

• The teacher will prompt the students to make any additions to the mystery concept web in light of the book content.

• The teacher will read aloud the second and third chapters of the book, stopping periodically to encourage the students to describe the characters and events, as well as make predictions for what may happen next.

• The teacher will distribute the character worksheets and provide the students time to work in pairs or individually.

• The class will review their descriptions of the characters and create a Venn diagram comparing Eric and Cam.

• The teacher will encourage the students to offer the elements in the book they feel make it interesting and exciting. The teacher will record these answers on a chart paper titled: What makes a good story?



Day 3 (30 minutes)

• The teacher will prompt student volunteers to contribute details to recap the book thus far and predict the next part of the book. The teacher will record these responses on the board.

• The teacher will read aloud the fourth and fifth chapters of the book, stopping periodically to encourage the students to describe the characters and events, as well as make predictions for what may happen next.

• The teacher will pair the students to play memory matching games.


Day 4 (70 minutes)

• The teacher will prompt student volunteers to contribute details to recap the book thus far and predict the next part of the book. The teacher will record these responses on the board.

• The teacher will read aloud the seventh and eighth chapters of the book, stopping periodically to encourage the students to describe the characters and events, as well as make predictions for what may happen next.

• The teacher will lead the class in discussing the causes and effects that occur in the story, recording student responses on chart paper.

• The teacher will distribute the Five Elements quiz and allow for individual work time.


• Possible extension: The students may create their own mystery story using the five elements of a good mystery.


Appendix A: Prediction Sheet


Appendix B: Character Sheet

Name: Date:

My Character is


Appendix C: Sample Concept Web


Appendix D: Student Work Samples


For additional resources (5 elements sheet and quiz, About the Author, memory games, word search, etc.) see: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/mysteries/printable/55163.html

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/mysteries/printable/55163.html

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