![]() Pixar paired up with Khan Academy to teach kids about storytelling. Pixar in a Box: Introduction to Storytelling They can watch at their own pace, taking notes as they go. This is one of the longer story element videos, and it gives students plenty of useful information. Take a trip to Plot Mountain with this cute song! We love this for upper elementary kids, who might just want to sing along. The second half allows you and your students to determine the story elements on your own. The first half of the video lays out the map. See a plot map in action with entertaining Pixar shorts. Follow it up with the next video, which shows a story map in action. Learn a story map with this video from Khan Academy. Kids will learn they need to read all the way through before they can identify theme. This engaging watch focuses on theme in a way that’s terrific for older elementary students. Students often struggle to understand theme. There’s no talking, just informative text presented in an engaging way. Short Story ElementsĪssign this video to upper elementary and middle school students for a deeper dive into story elements. Then, write your own tale! This one’s best for younger elementary students, and you can get a free printable on the YouTube page. Learn how you can determine story elements from an illustration too. Stories Are Like TacosĪuthor and teacher Matthew Landis breaks down story elements in a truly delicious way! Middle school students will really get into this one. ![]() It’s repetitive, but that helps kids learn important terms they need to know. Sweet Cocoon: Story Elements, Drawing ConclusionsĬhanging Batteries: Drawing Conclusions, Inferring (This one is sad too.Here’s another catchy tune to explore story elements. Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou: Compare and Contrast Joy and Heron: Problem/Solution, Story Elements, Lesson/Message (Compare with "Dustin") Kiwi!: Drawing Conclusions (Warning- this one is sad.)ĭustin: Inferring, Conflict, Conflict Resolution (Compare with "Joy and Heron") Home Sweet Home: Asking Questions This short is a bit long (10 minutes). We continued to practice during guided reading, and spiraled back to theme as we read throughout the year.įor the Birds: Infer, Predictions or Cause and Effect Discussions got pretty deep, which made my teacher heart happy ) To support my beginning ELLs, I printed pictures of the different scenes that symbolized love (couples- turtles, birds, whales, clouds).īy the end of the lesson my students had a good understanding of the skill, and they were ready to practice looking for a theme in their own reading. After the second viewing they shared many of the symbols of love, and they noticed that the song lyrics sang about having hope. This time I set the purpose to look for symbols of love, and evidence of hope. Then I asked, "What do you think the message or big idea was in this film?" They shared lots of thoughts, and I noted the common ideas the group came up, which were love and hope. After their first viewing, I asked them to share what they noticed about the film. The first time was simply to enjoy the story. For this lesson, my students watched the film twice. I then share common themes found in stories, such as, perseverance, family, friendship, hope, honesty, self determination, courage, etc. I describe theme as the heart of the story. One of my absolute favorite lessons to teach is "theme." Last year, my fifth graders were having trouble grasping the concept, so I searched for a good short film to visually "show" them theme, and I found the perfect one! Learning what the skill looks like visually, and practicing with a media kids are already familiar with, is an effective first step in students applying the skill to their reading. Just about ANY reading skill can be taught with shorts: making connections, asking questions, sequencing, predictions, drawing conclusions, plot, character development, theme, and this list goes on and on! Which reading skills can be taught using shorts? You don't want any unexpected surprises! Also, sometimes there is an advertisement to get through at the beginning, so I always set it up beforehand, that way it's all ready to go for the lesson. Be careful to always view films before showing them in class. ![]() My go to place to find great shorts is YouTube. My students, regardless of their level of language proficiency, "get" the lesson more easily because the shorts are visual. Most shorts do not have dialogue, they're all action. Show a short film and students are engaged! Visual learners and students who typically struggle with reading comprehension, including English language learners (ELLs), have greater success practicing comprehension skills with shorts.
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