Lower Elementary Literacy Programs
Thanks for being a part of the PEN Network. We’d like to offer our members a special series of virtual programs for lower elementary school students, focused on literacy subjects. Each of the programs includes:
- One video presentation on the topic
- A pre-test to gauge students’ knowledge prior to the program
- An activity sheet (back side of pretest) that students will need for the program
- A post-test so that you can assess students’ understanding of the content
The titles below include a list of the educational content covered by the program and buttons for the downloadable test and activity documents. These shows were originally streamed live to schools and there was an option for students to send in questions. Although that featured has been disabled, please contact us at [email protected] if your students do have any questions they would like answered. Enjoy!
1. Why Read
- Reading helps you develop creativity skills and gain a deeper understanding of the world.
- Concentration levels improve when you read.
- Reading improves your social skills and interaction.
- Reading helps you perform better academically in other subject areas.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
2. Fun with Fiction
- Fiction is a story that is not real, but created by an author’s imagination.
- Nonfiction is factual stories based on actual events and people.
- Fiction can have some parts of the story that are based on true events.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
3. Author’s Purpose
- How to interpret the author’s purpose.
- Entertaining, informing and/or persuading the reader as different methods of storytelling and evoking emotions.
- Informative writing and its role in educating the reader about the world.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
4. Just the Facts
- Nonfiction is factual stories based on actual events and people.
- A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true.
- An opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on knowledge.
- A story can include both facts and opinions.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
5. The Main Message
- How to detect a story’s main idea.
- How to describe characters, settings and major events in a story using key details.
- Discover how the supporting details reinforce the main message.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
6. Points of View
- Stories can be told with different perspectives, or points of view.
- First person point of view is when the narrator is a character in the story.
- Third person point of view is when the narrator exists outside the events of the story.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
7. What a Character!
- The main character is who or what the story is mostly about.
- The protagonist is the main character.
- Characters can be realistic or fictional.
- Stories can have more than one character.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
8. Set the Scene
- The setting is where and when a story takes place.
- The setting is often described in the very beginning of a story.
- The physical location, time period and time of day are part of the setting.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
9. The Plot Thickens
- The plot is the beginning, middle and end of a story.
- A plot is made up of a sequence of events.
- lots usually have a problem for the character(s) to solve.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
10. Feeling Conflicted
- Conflict is a problem the character(s) face in the story.
- A conflict is not always a physical altercation.
- Not every conflict in a story has a resolution.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
11. Making Connections
- A connection you can make with the story is called text-to-self.
- A connection made from one story to another is called text-to-text.
- How the story connects to events taking place around the world is called a text-to-world connection.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
12. Drawing Conclusions
- An inference is an idea or conclusion that is drawn from a story.
- Predictions are educated guesses a reader can make about the story.
- A conclusion is drawn using context clues from the story.
Watch Video
Pre-test and Activity
Post-test
13. Legends and laughter
- A genre is the name for a category given to the story.
- A legend is a genre of folklore featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in history.
- The different ways humor is used to help with storytelling.
Watch Video
Pre-test, Post-test and Activity
14. Mysteries and Magic
- A genre is the name for a category given to the story.
- A mystery is a genre whose stories focus on a puzzling crime, situation or circumstance that needs to be solved.
- Fantasies are characterized by imaginary and unrealistic elements, typically involving supernatural powers and magical creatures.
Watch Video
Pre-test, Post-test and Activity
15. Write it Yourself
- Writing can directly benefit your reading skills.
- Writing improves reading fluency.
- Writing improves reading comprehension.
- Writing is a critical communication skill.
Watch Video
Pre-test, Post-test and Activity
16. History and Heroes
- A genre is the name for a category given to the story.
- Historical fiction includes a plot that takes place in a setting relating to past events, but is fictional.
- Mythology is fictional stories based on historical beliefs of ancient people.
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