Unit Plan 19 (Grade 1 ELA): Central Message, Lesson, or Moral
Grade 1 reading unit: students retell fables and folktales with key details, identify the central message or moral, and use story evidence to explain their reasoning.
Focus: Retell stories; identify message with evidence
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Literature)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Stories—especially fables and folktales—teach a central message/lesson/moral. This week, students will retell stories with key details, then name the message and point to evidence (events/words) that show it. They’ll practice asking/answering who/what/why/how questions to deepen understanding and read/listen to short texts appropriate for Grade 1.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Retell a story (beginning–middle–end) using characters, setting, and major events (RL.1.2).
- Identify the central message/lesson of a fable/folktale and cite story evidence (events/words) that support it (RL.1.2; RL.1.1).
- Ask and answer questions about key details to clarify the message (RL.1.1).
- With prompting/support, read or listen to on-level prose/poems and discuss the message (RL.1.10).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 1
- RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
- RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- RL.1.10 With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can retell the story with beginning, middle, end and the important events.
- I can say the lesson in my own words.
- I can give two story details that prove the lesson (e.g., “because the hare fell asleep…”).
- I can ask or answer a who/what/why/how question using a complete sentence.