Middle School Language Arts, Middle School Reading

Teaching Plot Structure as a Skill in Middle School

Linda Asaro
December 6, 2023

This is the first in a mini-series on how to teach reading skills, specifically teaching plot structure.

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills. Teaching plot structure is going to be a definite skill for kids to have in their reading arsenal. Read here for tips on how to teach reading skills, specifically plot structure, in middle school.

blog post on teaching plot structure in middle school — Read here for tips on teaching plot structure.

Why Teach Plot When You Teach Reading Skills

If you are a language arts teacher it is obvious to teach plot when you teach reading skills. However, it’s so obvious that it’s one of those things that teachers assume kids know already. I work in a pretty good district, but even I never assume kids know a skill. And, they might know it, but they might not know it at the level that I am expecting. As with any time that I teach reading skills, I find it imperative to lay it all out and show them exactly what I want them to know.

Plot is something that they will need for not only reading but for writing as well. You can’t overteach it. It is one of the first lessons I teach for the year, and kids know that they need to know it for theyear.

General Tips on How to Teach Reading Skills

When you teach reading skills, you will want to use some consistency with your students so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. For me, I use a reading workshop model of instruction. I have a whole series of blog posts on reading workshop which you might like to check out. Please know that I adapted my reading workshop from the “true” model to be more skills-based.

General Reading Workshop Guidelines

Teach the mini-lesson – keep it brief…10-15 minutes
Student workshop time- this is when kids work on something in their reading that you taught in the mini-lesson
Conference – meet with kids to check in with their reading and how they are doing with the skills you are teaching
Share- meet at the end of class to briefly share something from their reading
What to Include When Teaching Plot Structure

What to Include in a Mini-Lesson for Plot

I have an entire blog post related to this. Read here for more info. Here is a shortened version:

Each mini-lesson follows a pattern. In this way, students not only know what to expect but you will have a “blueprint” for when you begin to create. Here are the components:
Connect: Here you link what you have learned to where you are going in the lesson. Example: you might say, “When we last met we talked about how an author develops a story by getting into the setting and conflict. Today we will discuss how the author continues this with rising action, where the character is trying to solve their problem.”
Teaching Objective: It is crucial to explicitly state to your students what you want them to learn. Example: “Today’s goal is to understand the components of a plotline and how to recognize them in your reading.”
Strategies: Here you will give kids a strategy or strategies to meet the objective. Example: “As you are reading, be on the lookout for when the main character has tried but failed to solve their problem. This is rising action.”
Engagement: This is where you want to show a real-life example and then have students practice during the lesson. Use “turn and talk” here so that students use their skill in a partnership. Example: “Turn and talk to your partner about a time in your life when you failed to solve a problem. This is considered rising action in a story.”
Student Objective: This is very important; it’s where students are given their directions for their workshop time. Keep it brief and specific. It is always best to note that students should be doing this every time they read, not just in this lesson. Example: “Today and every time you are reading a novel, notice when the main character is trying to solve a problem. You will keep a record of this in your reader’s notebook for this specific novel.”

Practice with Plot Structure – Activities for Kids

Once kids have learned the skill, it’s time to practice. This is the portion of reading workshop where students go off to work and do something to apply the skill you taught in the mini-lesson to their reading. Be careful not to “kill the skill”…you are looking for application, not a bunch of extra work for your kids.

What practice should NOT look like:

Random worksheets – “skill and drill” style are not conducive to truly learning and applying reading skills
Unrelated exercises – kids should be applying it to the reading they are doing now, or to a mentor text (a short story that is in the same genre as your current unit of study, for example- a short historical fiction story if you are in a historical fiction unit)
Work that is too long – you don’t want kids doing skill work that takes a long time; you want them getting into their reading

What practice SHOULD look like:

Mentor text work: Having a mentor text to refer to throughout a unit is key. You’ll want one that is in the same genre and contains skills that you will be teaching. For example, if you are in a realistic fiction unit and are teaching plot, symbolism, theme, dialogue, and internal monologue, you’ll want a short story to do that. It should be a high-interest story. I love the story “Stray” by Cynthia Rylant for plot structure. I would have kids create a plot line of this story, perhaps on sentence strips and with a partner. You can break up the work so it doesn’t suck up a whole period…remember, you want to get kids reading in a reading workshop, not just doing tasks.
Reading application: As you progress in the unit and kids are reading novels, have them keep a page in their reading notebook on the plot. Have them fill in the components (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and ending).
Debate: Climax is a difficult item to pinpoint at times. I have seen countless teaching Facebook Groups asking “What is the actual climax of…” whatever story/book they have. It is important to remind kids that it is not only the high point of action but the time when the character’s problem begins to be solved.
Centers: Having kids do centers on a specific skill towards the end of a unit to show what they know and to extend their learning is ideal. It can also help them to prepare for an upcoming assessment. I have centers for plot structure available in my TPT store. Click here for Plot Structure Centers

plot structure reading centers for middle school — Grab these plot structure reading centers!

doodle notes for teaching plot structure in middle school — Doodle Notes® are perfect for retaining information and keeping students focused. Grab these as a companion when teaching plot structure.

Want Help? Try My FREE Video Lesson!

Try my plot structure video lesson! It’s free on YouTube, and you can grab the guided notes on TPT. I’ll teach your class, and you can take a breather.

Link to YouTube Lesson

Guided Notes

Free Plot Structure Mini Lesson

Need help starting? You are in luck! I have a FREE Plot Structure Mini Lesson (it also covers literary terms). The work has been done for you, so you can teach and go. Click here to grab your free plot structure mini-lesson.