Goals and Objectives:

Instructional Goals:

• Students will interpret the setting of a story
• Students will infer the connections between setting and character

Learning Objectives:

• Students will identify the time and place of the story
• Students will explain why that setting is important to the story
• Students will explain how setting affects a character's actions

Motivational Goals:

• Students will appreciate the importance of the setting to the story
• Students will value the author's choice of setting as an integral part of the story

Materials:

• Text- Sing Down the Moon
• Chart paper with model of graphic organizer
• Graphic organizer

Procedures:

Introduction:

Teacher will think aloud while raeding story to students to model how she is keying into setting details that are important to the plot.  Contrast the two settings in the story and talk about the Navaho people's relationship with and experiences in each location.  For example, point out that Navaho traditions like respect for elders were strong at the beginning of the book, when they lived in Canyon de Chelly, but when the Navaho are taken to Fort sumner they act differently.  They seem to lose their spirit and give up.  They are no longer the same people in this new setting.  Teacher will chart these ideas on a model of graphic organizer on chart paper.

Body:

Students will work within book clubs to discuss how the setting of the story they are reading influences the characters' feelings and actions.  They will complete a graphic organizer on which they will identify the book title, important characters, time and place of the story, importance of each, and the influence on the main character.

Conclusion:

Students will present their findings on the settings of their stories to class.