Text Reading and Comprehension: Plot and Sequence

We are going to read this book today. Who can point to the title? Read the title aloud. Then ask students to read it with you. There are two names on the book. Point to and read the author’s name. Who is this person? Why is her name here? (She is the author. She wrote the words in the book.) Point to the illustrator’s name. Illustrated by Jason Dove: Who can tell me what this means? (He drew the pictures in the book.) Point to the illustration on the cover.

Is this book a storybook or a book with facts? (storybook) Tell me and show me how you know. (Students may use the cover illustration to explain that real crabs don’t smile and laugh. They don’t have large human-like eyes. They don’t call themselves human names, like Hermie.) That’s right, this is a storybook. It is about made-up characters.

Now let’s look at the pictures in this book together. As you turn the pages, prompt students to describe what they see and to predict what this book is about. Record predictions on the board or a chart. Then, invite students to share if they have ever seen animals and shells on a beach or if they have ever seen a hermit crab.

Now let’s look at some words that you will find in this book. Write the words bark, clean, gentle, nodded, ocean, opening, pairs, peeked, reached, safe, salty, and sorry on the board or a projector. Circle the word bark. Explain that this word has more than one meaning. Invite students to share their understandings of the word. (a sound a dog makes; the covering on a tree).

I’m going to read (tell) the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Listen carefully. Think about what happens in the story. Then we’ll make a story map. Read or retell the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Afterward, draw a timeline on the board or a chart to serve as a story map. Mark the line into Beginning, Middle, and End. Ask questions to help students retell events and order them correctly on the story map. Keep this map for use later in the lesson.

When we read our story, I want you to think about what happens and whether those things happen in the beginning, middle, or end of the story. We will talk more about this later in our lesson.

Now that I have read the story one time, let’s read the story again. I will ask some questions along the way. Include the following in your discussion. Add others, depending on your students’ needs and the available instructional time.

How did Hermie and his friends reach the shore? (The gentle waves carried them.) Why didn’t the crabs know what to do? (This was their first time on land. They had just been born in the ocean.)

Why is Brayden important in the story? (He is an experienced crab. He tells the crabs that they need to find new homes.)

Do you agree with Brayden that it is best if the crabs work in pairs? (Invite students to offer their opinions.)

Which pair of crabs will search for shells together? (Pearl and Hermie)

Earlier in this lesson, we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Refer to the story map you made earlier. Goldilocks went for a walk in the forest. She knocked on the bears’ door, but nobody answered. So, she went inside. This started all of the things that happened next. Let’s use our story map to remember what happened. Prompt students to use the story map to recall major events in the order they happened.

Now let’s make a story map for Hermie the Crab. Draw a new timeline on the board with the labels Beginning, Middle, and End. Turn to page 2. Read the text. Our story has just begun. The baby crabs have landed. Now what must they do? (find homes) Turn to page 4. Read the text. What do the crabs do first? (form pairs)

Do you remember our new words? Point to the words you wrote or projected. To understand some of these words better, let’s play a game. We’ll use our vocabulary cards again. I’m going to give each one of you a card. I’m going to take one, too. Think about what the word on your card means. Then turn your card over. Write a word that means the opposite of the word on your card. Write an antonym for your word, and give students time to finish writing their words. Collect and shuffle the students’ cards. Keep yours to model the game. The following vocabulary words have antonyms: clean (dirty); gentle (rough); opening (closing); pairs (ones); peeked (stared); safe (unsafe); salty (sweet). You might want to focus on these words with students.

I’m going to show you a card. Read the word on the card with me. Then tell me which vocabulary word means the opposite of the word we read. The first person to get the correct answer gets to keep the card. At the end of the game, the person with the most cards wins. I’ll start. Use your word card to start the game. Encourage students to refer to the list of vocabulary or use their books if they need help.

Now that we have read the book more carefully, let’s talk about the main characters in the story. Brayden was one. Who were the others? (Pearl and Hermie) What happened at the beginning of the story? (The young crabs arrived on a beach.) What problem did the young crabs have? (They needed to find homes.) How did they solve this problem? (The crabs went searching for homes.) What made a shell “just right”? (It wasn’t too small. It wasn’t too large.) What happened in the middle of the story? (Pearl found her home.) What happened at the end of the story? (Hermie found his home.) What lesson do you think Hermie might have learned from his experiences? (Students may suggest that if you keep trying, you’ll eventually find what you need.) Now let’s say your friend who has never read this story wanted you to describe what happens in it, but you have less than a minute to do it, what would you tell him or her? Ask students to summarize the story in 1-2 sentences. Use students’ answers and explanations to determine individual understanding.

Let’s think about our story maps again. Goldilocks and Hermie have similar experiences. What are they? (Goldilocks tries eating bowls of porridge, sitting in chairs, and sleeping in beds until she finds “just the right one.” Hermie searches for “just the right” shell.) Ask questions to help students find other similarities and differences in the two plots, settings, and characters.

Now we are going to draw and write, too. Let’s look again at our story map for our book Hermie the Crab. What happens to Hermie in the story? Support students as they use the story map to recall the order of events. Think about one thing that happened to Hermie. Draw a picture to show what happened. Write a sentence to tell what happened. Then write another sentence to tell how you think Hermie felt about what happened. Give students time to complete the activity. Prompt and support them in their work. If time permits, encourage students to share and explain their work.