Setting is the element of a story that I find the least-challenging and the least-rewarding to teach. Usually students have grasped the basic idea of setting by the end of elementary school. They understand that setting is where the action takes place, and, with a little prodding, that setting is the background against which the characters act and the plot propels forward. I was underwhelmed with the materials and learning expectations for setting. None of my curricular materials delved any deeper into setting than that brief explanation. The skill my curriculum wanted developed was just identifying the setting, not analyzing how it played into the story at all, how setting could affect the plot, or how it could affect characterization and mood. With my 10th and 11th grade class, which has been doing very well developing their higher-level thinking skills the past couple of years, I wanted to go deeper.
We are reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a class right now. The first four chapters of the book each take place in a different setting. Then, in chapter five, the characters move through seven different settings. I decided to use these chapters to take a closer look at how important the background of a story can be.
Lesson Plan Overview:
Anticipatory Set: Review definition and student understanding of setting as a class.
Scaffolding: Setting Presentation - Direct instruction/class discussion
Check for Understanding: Come up with a new working definition of setting as a class
Assignment 1 (to be completed after reading Chapters 1-4)- Aspects of Setting- In partners or small groups, students look at the physical, temporal, and social aspects of the setting of one of the chapters. We did Part I- Chapter 1 as a class together. I wrote a sample paragraph for Part II- Chapter 1 to model my expectations.
Assignment 2 (to be completed after reading Chapter 5)- Setting Map In partners, students plan and create a map that includes all the physical places in Chapter 5. For each location, include a caption that briefly describes the physical aspect, the temporal aspect, and the social aspect of each setting.My sample template for the Setting Map is posted below.
Closure: I planned to have students present their maps to the class. But you all know how it goes-- we did not get to it before we were too excited to read the next chapter! We will revisit setting using our new working definition and understanding of the aspects of the setting as we continue through the book. I think taking this deeper look at this story element is going to improve their critical reading skills overall.
Lesson Plan Overview:
Anticipatory Set: Review definition and student understanding of setting as a class.
Scaffolding: Setting Presentation - Direct instruction/class discussion
Check for Understanding: Come up with a new working definition of setting as a class
Assignment 1 (to be completed after reading Chapters 1-4)- Aspects of Setting- In partners or small groups, students look at the physical, temporal, and social aspects of the setting of one of the chapters. We did Part I- Chapter 1 as a class together. I wrote a sample paragraph for Part II- Chapter 1 to model my expectations.
Assignment 2 (to be completed after reading Chapter 5)- Setting Map In partners, students plan and create a map that includes all the physical places in Chapter 5. For each location, include a caption that briefly describes the physical aspect, the temporal aspect, and the social aspect of each setting.My sample template for the Setting Map is posted below.
Closure: I planned to have students present their maps to the class. But you all know how it goes-- we did not get to it before we were too excited to read the next chapter! We will revisit setting using our new working definition and understanding of the aspects of the setting as we continue through the book. I think taking this deeper look at this story element is going to improve their critical reading skills overall.
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