Snapshot 6.1. Summary and Analysis of Stories
Designated ELD Connected to ELA in Grade SixIn English language arts, students in Ms. Chanthavong’s sixth-grade class summarize
and analyze stories in a variety of ways (e.g., during a teacher-led lesson, during writers’
workshop, with a peer). During the analysis, students focus on the overall structure of stories,
how elements such as setting and plot interact, the development and point of view of the
characters, and the theme or central idea.
During designated ELD time, Ms. Chanthavong continues to promote summary and
analysis of stories by expanding the pool of language resources her ELs draw upon during
their oral discussions and written analyses. She shows her students how, in the different
stages of narratives (e.g., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution),
authors use linking words or transitional phrases to guide readers through the story. She
explains how these language resources are also useful for retelling stories, writing original
stories, and for writing analyses of stories (i.e., literary criticism). For example, in exposition,
adverbial phrases referring to time and place serve to orient the reader to the setting (e.g.,
in a faraway land, one day in late summer, on the vast plains). In the rising action and climax
stages, words and phrases suggesting manner or mood can be used to introduce conflicts
or plot twists (e.g., unexpectedly, out of the blue, all of a sudden). In the falling action and
resolution stages of narratives, writers can employ words and phrases that suggest conflict
resolution and relationships between events (e.g., consequently, ultimately). The teacher
supports her students’ understanding of how these words and phrases create cohesion
by helping students locate relevant examples of such usage in the texts they read, and
subsequently encouraging students to use these strategic language resources in their own
writing.
Ms. Chanthavong also helps her students build language resources to summarize and
analyze a story’s elements. For example, she builds students’ vocabulary for expressing their
ideas and opinions by creating word banks (e.g., synonyms for think might include believe,
interpret, propose, come to the conclusion while a word bank for says might include phrases
and words like suggests that, indicates, demonstrates). She creates similar word banks for
adjectives describing characters (e.g., jealous, courageous, empathetic) or adverbials that
indicate time, manner, or place (e.g., throughout the winter, fearlessly, along the coast). The
teacher often co-constructs word banks with her students and teaches some vocabulary
explicitly (especially general academic vocabulary) so that students can refer back to the word
banks as they discuss and compose texts.
During designated ELD, Ms. Chanthavong provides additional structured opportunities for
her students to practice using these new language resources so that during ELA they will be
able to use the language more confidently when summarizing and analyzing texts.CA ELD Standards: ELD.PI.6.6b, 8, 10, 12; ELD.PII.6.2b, 3–5
CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy: RL.6.2–4; W.6.3; SL.6.4; L.6.6Text-dependent questions, as developed by Kilgo (2003), is another research-based strategy
that can be used to promote meaning making with various types of complex text. In this approach,
teachers analyze the text and develop questions to help students comprehend the text at increasingly
levels of depth. The questions encourage close reading of the text and support students as they write
about the ideas from the text. Students craft their own questions to strengthen comprehension as
well. The following are characteristics of these questions:
550 | Chapter 6 Grade 6