Teaching Literary Elements With Favorite Chapter Books

It makes perfect sense to use favorite books to learn about literary elements. Students will learn about character as they read Amber Brown is Not a Crayon, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Holes. How to Eat Fried Worms, Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Bud, Not Buddy are used to teach plot. Sarah, Plain and Tall, Knights of the Kitchen Table, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler help students understand setting. Theme is taught using StoneFox, The Whipping Boy, The Prince of the Pond, and Shiloh (books are not included).

Each section of this book includes an explanation of the literary element, its importance to the story, an example of its use in the featured book, and a lesson for each book. Within each lesson you will find a story summary, learning goals, discussion starters, and activities (2 per story) to be completed, such as graphic organizers, writing exercises, making games, and a variety of other activities. For example, after students read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory they make their own tourist brochure highlighting the interesting parts of the chocolate factory. Students make a snapshot timeline for the events of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Encourage a love of reading and learning through the content of this book. Activity pages are reproducible for classroom or family use. 96 pages, pb. ~ Donna