5th Grade Not In The Stars Lesson Plan

Topic: Not in the Stars

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to understand the theme of "Not in the Stars" and analyze the characters' decisions and feelings in relation to the theme.

Materials

• Copies of the book "Not in the Stars" for each student
• Post-it notes or sticky notes
• Pencils or pens

Warm-Up

• Ask students if they have ever made a decision that affected their lives in a big way. Ask them to share their experiences with the class.
• Explain that sometimes our decisions can have positive or negative consequences, and sometimes we make decisions without knowing what the outcome will be.

Unit Introduction

• Tell students that today they will be discussing a book called "Not in the Stars," which is about a girl whose father has been killed in battle, and she has to make the difficult decision of whether to stay in her home country with her mother or move to a new country with her grandfather.
• Ask students if they have ever had to make a difficult decision, and what the outcome was. Encourage students to share their experiences with the class.
• Ask students what they know about the theme of "Not in the Stars" and what it might mean. Allow students to share their thoughts.
• Introduce the rest of the class to the book by reading the title and the back cover summary. Ask students if they have any questions about the book based on what they have heard so far.
• Ask students to take out their copies of "Not in the Stars" and turn to the first page.

Guided Reading:

• Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a chapter to read.
• Have each group choose a leader to read their chapter aloud to the group, taking time to pause and discuss any issues or questions as they come up.
• As a group, have students jot down any questions or thoughts they have about what they have read.
• After each group has finished reading their chapter, invite them to share their questions and thoughts with the class.

Independent Reading:

• Have students choose one of the characters from the story to focus on for independent reading.
• Have students read through their chosen character's chapters in the book, taking time to jot down any thoughts or questions they have.
• Have students write a short reflection on their chosen character, including any new information they learned, how the character has impacted their view of the story, and any questions they still have.

Closure

• Have students share their reflections with the class.
• As a class, discuss any new insights or questions that arose from independent reading.
• Reaffirm the importance of individual thought and the value of asking questions.

Assessment

• Observe the students during independent reading and note their interest level and participation in the group activity.
• Evaluate the students' book reports and class participation in the reflection activity.