Lesson Plan
You're the Author: Finding Our Story
Students will be able to work as a class to brainstorm and select a common school-based conflict to turn into a script.
This lesson helps students recognize and address everyday conflicts, fostering collaboration and creative problem-solving skills they can use in real life.
Audience
3rd Grade
Time
25 Minutes
Approach
Through guided discussion and collaborative brainstorming, students will collectively choose a school conflict and outline key story elements.
Materials
Slide Deck: Let's Write Our Story, Story Idea Web Worksheet, and Teacher Script: You're the Author
Prep
Review Materials
10 Minutes
Review the Lesson Plan: You're the Author: Finding Our Story, Slide Deck: Let's Write Our Story, Story Idea Web Worksheet, and Teacher Script: You're the Author to familiarize yourself with the content and flow. Prepare to project the slide deck and have copies of the worksheet ready for each student.
Step 1
Connect: Common Problems (5 minutes)
5 Minutes
Begin by asking students to think about and share common, small problems they might encounter at school. Encourage a variety of responses, from playground disagreements to classroom challenges. Use the Slide Deck: Let's Write Our Story to guide this discussion. (See Teacher Script: You're the Author)
Step 2
Learn: Introducing Our Story (5 minutes)
5 Minutes
Introduce the exciting goal for the class: to work together to write a script that solves one of these common school problems. Explain that they will be 'authors' and 'scriptwriters.' Emphasize the fun and importance of collaborative storytelling and problem-solving. (See Teacher Script: You're the Author)
Step 3
Practice: Brainstorming Our Scenario (10 minutes)
10 Minutes
As a class, revisit the list of common school problems. Guide students to collaboratively choose one problem that resonates with them the most. Once a problem is selected, use the Story Idea Web Worksheet as a visual aid on the board (or project it) to brainstorm key elements for their script: characters involved, the setting, and the initial conflict. Encourage all students to contribute ideas. (See Teacher Script: You're the Author)
Step 4
Reflect: My Script Idea (5 minutes)
5 Minutes
Distribute the Story Idea Web Worksheet to each student. Ask them to individually write down one idea they have for the class script, specifically focusing on how the problem they chose might be solved, or a specific character they envision. Collect these worksheets as a quick 'exit ticket' or for future reference. (See Teacher Script: You're the Author)
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Slide Deck
You're the Author: Finding Our Story
Let's write a script together!
Welcome students! Introduce the exciting title of the lesson. Explain that today, they will begin a journey to become authors and scriptwriters, working together to create a story.
School Day Challenges
What are some small problems you sometimes see or experience at school?
- Sharing toys?
- Taking turns?
- Loud voices?
- Feeling left out?
Connect: Ask students to brainstorm common, small problems they encounter at school. Write their ideas on the board or chart paper. Encourage them to think about things like playground arguments, sharing toys, waiting in line, or small classroom disagreements. No idea is too small!
Our Mission: Write a Script!
We are going to be authors and scriptwriters!
- Choose one school problem.
- Create characters.
- Write a story to solve the problem!
- Work together as a class.
Learn: Introduce the main goal. Explain that as a class, they will choose one of these problems and write a short script about how the characters solve it. Emphasize that a script is like a play, with characters talking and acting. Highlight the fun of creating something together.
Choosing Our Problem & Building Our World
Let's pick ONE problem from our list.
Then, let's think:
- Who are our characters?
- Where does our story happen?
Practice: Now that students have brainstormed problems, guide them to vote or collaboratively decide on one problem from the list to focus on for their script. Once chosen, use the Story Idea Web Worksheet (projected on the board) to brainstorm characters and setting for this specific problem. Ask: "Who are the characters involved? Where does this story take place?"
My Contribution
On your worksheet, write down one idea you have for our class script.
- A character?
- A place?
- How the problem gets solved?
Reflect: Distribute the Story Idea Web Worksheet to each student. Ask them to think about the chosen problem and brainstorm one idea for the class script on their own worksheet. This could be a character idea, a solution idea, or a setting detail. Collect them as an exit ticket.
Worksheet
Story Idea Web Worksheet
Our Class Story: Finding Our Solution
The School Problem We Chose (from our class discussion):
Characters for Our Story:
- Who are the main people or animals in our story?
- What are they like?
Setting for Our Story:
- Where does our story take place at school?
- What does it look like there?
My Idea for Our Script:
- What is one idea you have for our class script? (Think about a character, a setting, or how the problem might be solved!)
Script
Teacher Script: You're the Author
Introduction (Before Slide 1)
"Good morning, future authors and scriptwriters! Today, we're going on an exciting adventure where you get to create a story. We're going to work together to write something truly special, something that helps us understand and solve problems right here at school!"
Connect: School Day Challenges (Slide 2)
"Let's start by thinking about our school day. Sometimes, small problems pop up, right? Maybe on the playground, in the lunchroom, or even in our classroom. I want you to think about some small, common problems you might see or even experience at school."
"Don't worry, we're not talking about huge problems, just little bumps in the road. What comes to mind? Maybe sharing toys? Taking turns? Sometimes voices get a little loud? Or maybe someone feels left out during a game?"
(Give students a moment to think. Call on a few students to share, writing their ideas on the board or chart paper. Encourage a variety of responses and affirm all contributions.)
"Those are great examples! It's totally normal for these little problems to happen, and part of being a good friend and a good citizen is figuring out how to solve them."
Learn: Our Mission: Write a Script! (Slide 3)
"Now for the super exciting part! Our mission today is to start writing our very own script! Has anyone ever heard of a script before?"
(Pause for responses. Explain briefly if needed: "A script is like the words for a play or a movie. It tells characters what to say and sometimes what to do!")
"As a class, we are going to choose one of those school problems we just talked about. Then, we will create characters, decide where our story happens, and start thinking about how our characters can solve that problem! We'll be working together, just like real writers do! How cool is that?"
Practice: Choosing Our Problem & Building Our World (Slide 4)
"Okay, look at the list of problems we brainstormed. From this list, what is one problem that you think would be really interesting to write a story about? Let's try to pick one that many of us feel is important."
(Guide the class to collaboratively choose one problem. This could be by a quick show of hands, or simply by guiding consensus on the most popular or impactful idea. Circle or highlight the chosen problem on the board.)
"Fantastic! We've chosen our problem. Now, let's start building our story's world. For a script, we need two very important things: Who are our characters? And Where does our story happen?"
"Let's think about who might be involved in this problem. Are they students? Teachers? Maybe even a friendly school mascot? What are they like? Are they silly? Brave? Quiet?"
*(Write down character ideas on the projected Story Idea Web Worksheet.)
"And where does our story take place? Is it on the playground? In the art room? At the library? Think about a specific spot at school that would be perfect for our story."
*(Write down setting ideas on the projected Story Idea Web Worksheet.)
"Excellent ideas, everyone! We have a problem, some characters, and a setting! We are truly becoming authors!"
Reflect: My Contribution (Slide 5)
"For our last task today, I want each of you to become an individual author for a moment. I'm going to give you your own Story Idea Web Worksheet. On this worksheet, I want you to write down one idea you have for our class script."
"This could be an idea for a new character, a specific detail about our setting, or even a super creative way you think our characters could solve the problem we chose. It's your chance to add your unique spark to our class story!"
(Distribute the worksheets. Give students 3-4 minutes to write. Circulate and assist as needed.)
"When you're done, please bring your worksheet up and place it in this basket/stack. These ideas will help us continue writing our script next time! Thank you for being such creative thinkers today!"