Ready, Set, Action!

Designed by: Ashley Norton     School: Rosewood

Grade Level: 5          Subject: Language Arts

Core Curriculum Objective:  Sequence events and/or steps in a process using dramatizations, retelling, pictures, charts, media (5-CM-5)

Overview: Students will work in groups of 6 to create a sequential dramatization of a piece of children's literature of their choice. Student groups will use a digital camera and a video camera to record their dramatizations. During the first activity, group members will work together to plan their sequential dramatization. Students will record their information on the culminating assessment included with this lesson. During the second activity, group members will act out and record their scenes. They will act out 4 to 6 scenes in sequential order. A group member will videotape the dramatization. One member from each group will use the digital camera to take one picture of each scene. They will use a computer to print out their digital camera pictures. These pictures will be used to create a poster. The members will mix-up the pictures on the poster and will write a one-sentence description under each picture. The posters will be stapled to a designated bulletin board in the classroom. Activity three will include the entire class watching the videotaped dramatizations from each group. Then, the students will go to the posters and choose two dramatizations to place in sequential order using the culminating assessment. The teacher will evaluate each student's performance using the evaluation rubric found in this lesson.

Focus Question: How can you sequence events in a story using dramatizations, retelling, pictures, charts, and/or media?

Time Frame: Three 60-minute class periods

Resources: 
Approximately 30 children's literature picture books (the number may vary according to the number of students in a class)

 various props relevant to the selected stories 

video camera 

videotape 

television 

VCR 

Aver Key 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

Props for the teacher to act out this book 

digital camera 

computer disk 

computer 

printer 

various clothing and props to depict characters in the book 

pencils 

posterboard 

markers 

scissors 

glue 

bulletin board stapler 

clipboards for each student 

one copy of the culminating assessment for each student

Culminating Assessment:

Planning Sheet:

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Names of Group Members:___________________________________________

Date:______________________________________________________________ 

Title of the Book ____________________________________________________

Author: ____________________________________________________________

Choose at least 4 steps but no more than 6 steps from your book that can be placed in sequential order. Write down the steps you plan to act out for the class in sequential order using your selected book.

Decide what props your group will need to demonstrate the steps in sequential order and write them down on the lines below. 

Decide who will act out the parts in your demonstration and who will operate the video camera and digital camera. 

Actors and scenes: 

Video Camera:

Digital Camera: 

Create a poster display: Your group is responsible for using the digital camera pictures to create a poster display for your classmates. Mix-up the pictures and write one sentence under each picture stating what is happening in that scene. Make sure you write the title of your book, the author, and the names of your group members on the poster. Your poster will be displayed for your classmates to correctly identify and label the steps of your story in sequential order.

Name:__________________________________________________________

 Date: ___________________________________________________________

Title of First Chosen Book: 

Author:

Group Members in this production:

Each picture has a sentence written underneath it to explain what is happening in that scene. Use the pictures and sentences to correctly identify and write the steps of the scene in sequential order.

Step 1: 

Step 2: 

Step 3: 

Step 4: 

Step 5: (if applicable) 

Step 6: (if applicable) 

Title of Second Chosen Book: 

Author:

Group Members in this production:

Each picture has a sentence written underneath it to explain what is happening in that scene. Use the pictures and sentences to correctly identify and write the steps of the scene in sequential order.

Step 1: 

Step 2: 

Step 3: 4: 

Step 5: (if applicable) 

Step 6: (if applicable) 

Evaluation Rubric:

Planning sheet

Student acted out scene in sequential order (if applicable).

Student took digital camera or video pictures during production depicting the steps in sequential order (if applicable).

Student created display where pictures are mixed up so classmates could correctly identify steps in sequential order.

Did the student correctly identify and label the sequential steps for the first chosen story?

Did the student correctly identify and label the sequential steps for the second chosen story?

Instructional Activities:

NOTE: This lesson assumes students have been taught sequential order. This lesson reinforces this skill. Before teaching this lesson, the teacher should act out 4 to 6 scenes from The Very Hungry Caterpillar using various props. (Suggested scenes include: a little egg sitting on a leaf and hatching, the worm eating many foods, the worm making a cocoon, and the cocoon opening to reveal a beautiful butterfly.) A colleague should use the digital camera to take one picture of each scene. The teacher should store the pictures on a disk to use during Activity One. Before teaching this lesson, the teacher should gather enough books for each group of 6 students to have several to choose from for the assignment. Each book should contain at least one part where events can be sequenced. (For example, in The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, the caterpillar goes through many changes. The students would be able to arrange the events sequentially according to the story.) The teacher should read each of these books to have a general understanding of the plot and sequence of events. The teacher should gather some props relevant to the stories (for example, magic wands, baseball caps, empty food containers, etc.) to use for acting out the stories. These props should be placed in an area accessible to all the groups. The teacher may want to reserve the library for videotaping during the second day of this lesson. The video camera, digital camera, blank disk, and blank videotape should be set up before taping the dramatizations.

Activity 1:

Each student should be given a copy of the culminating assessment so they will be familiar with the teacher's expectations and the grading scale. The teacher and students should review sequential order by discussing the previous lesson when the teacher taught sequential order. Next, the teacher should go over the culminating assessment activities and evaluation rubric. The students should have a clear understanding of the assignment when the teacher finishes explaining the culminating assessment. The teacher should provide an example of this lesson's expectations by acting out Eric Carl's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The teacher should choose 4 to 6 parts of the story and act them out for the students. The teacher should use the Aver Key, computer, and television to display the pictures taken prior to the lesson. The pictures should not be shown in sequential order. The students should raise their hands to tell in what order the pictures should be displayed. The teacher should make sure the students understand this concept before continuing this lesson.

The students should divide themselves into groups of 6 to work on this assignment. The students should choose several books to look through and should decide on one book to use for this assignment. The teacher will explain that the students are to read the book and find a minimum of 4 scenes and a maximum of 6 scenes to act out in sequential order. Four students will act out the scenes and the others will operate the video camera or the digital camera. The students should decide who will be responsible for these parts. Then, the group members will decide which scenes to act out and will look through the props available to use for the dramatization. The teacher as well as other group members will be available for assistance as needed. Next, each student should fill out the planning sheet found in the culminating assessment. The students should practice their scenes using their props and should decide which parts will be photographed using the digital camera. (One photograph will be taken for each of the 4 to 6 scenes.)

Activity 2:

The group members will act out their dramatizations. The teacher may want the groups to videotape in the library if it is available. Volunteers may go first with the remaining groups going in alphabetical order according to chosen book author's last name. The students should be ready with their props to act out the chosen scenes. The teacher will be available to assist as needed. The students should act out their scenes according to their planning sheets with one member videotaping the entire dramatization and one member taking the planned pictures with the digital camera. The other groups may watch the videotaping or may continue to quietly practice their scenes. As soon as a group finishes the dramatization, the members should go to the computer and print out the pictures taken with the digital camera. The members should quietly create their poster while the other groups are videotaping. Each picture should be cut out and glued to the poster in a mixed-up order from how the scenes actually occur. The posters should have a sentence written underneath each picture describing the scene. All of the groups should continue until they have all completed taping their dramatizations and created their posters. The students should staple their posters to the designated bulletin board when they return to class.

Activity 3:

The students should attach their culminating assessments to a clipboard for this activity. The teacher should have already set up the television and VCR. The teacher should explain that the students are to watch the videotaped dramatizations for each group. Then, they are to choose two dramatizations to sequence the events using the culminating assessment. The students should go to the bulletin board with their culminating assessments. They should use the posters and the sentences written underneath to individually complete the culminating assessment. The culminating assessments should be turned into the teacher. The teacher should use the evaluation rubric to evaluate each students performance. Students should be given an opportunity to revise their work if the teacher decides it is necessary.