Central Message Lesson

Central Message or Lesson

RL.3.2

Objective:

I can use the key details and events of a story to determine the central message or lesson.

Purpose:

This will help me understand what lesson the author wants to share with readers.

Vocabulary:

• central message - a lesson the author wants to share

• moral - the lesson about right and wrong learned from a story or event

• key details - an important fact, example, or other piece of information in a text that helps explain a main idea

Sentence Frames:

• The central message is _________.

  
  

• Some key details that support the central message are _________ and _________.

This week we will be reading fables to determine the central message.

Poll

Have you ever read a fable? Can you recall any of the following fables? Select all that apply.

• The Fox and the Crow

• The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs

• The Tortoise and the Hare

• The Boy Who Cried Wolf

• None of these

When you read fables you can learn important lessons that are true for everyone not just the characters in the story.

This is called the central message (also referred to as a moral).

Let's watch the video on the next slide to learn more!

To find the central message or lesson, ask yourself:

• What is the problem?

• What does the character or characters do about the problem?

• What lesson does the character learn?

• What lesson does the author want readers to learn?

Look at the cartoon. Think about a lesson the boy learns at the end.

Open Ended

What would be a good title for this cartoon?

Guiding Question:

What did the character learn from the problem he faced?

The boy learned how to ride a bike in the cartoon, but imagine he was learning how to roller skate or skateboard.

What lesson does the author of the cartoon want EVERYONE to learn?

Let's look at the key details from the beginning, middle, and end of the cartoon to help determine the the central message or lesson that could be applied to all of us.

• The boy does not want mom to stop helping him.

• Mom secretly lets the boy try on his own.

• The boy realizes that he is doing it all on his own.

Open Ended

The central message is the lesson the author wants to share with the reader that can be applied to every reader. Some of us may already know how to ride a bicycle, so what lesson do you think the author wants all of us to learn based on the details in the cartoon?

In the beginning the boy is afraid. He thinks his mother with let go of the bike and he will fall. Then, he realizes he can ride the bike on his own and he is full of pride.

A possible central message is that you can do more than you think you can do.

Exit Ticket (RL.3.2)

Objective: I can use the key details and events of a story to determine the central message or lesson.

Listen to each short fable. Think, what is the problem? What does the character or characters do about the problem? What lesson does the character learn? What lesson does the author want readers to learn?

Multiple Choice

The Fox and the Crow

One warm day, a crow was sitting in a tree, holding a bit of cheese in his beak. A fox walked by just then. The smell of the cheese made his mouth water.

"Why, Master Crow, how pretty you look!" said the sly fox. "If your voice is as fine as your feathers, you must be the grandest bird in all these woods!"

Now the crow was an ugly bird, with messy feathers and a harsh voice. The fox's praise thrilled him. He was proud of his feathers and voice. He opened his beak to sing, and the cheese fell out.

"Ha, ha!" laughed the fox, snapping up the cheese. "That will teach you!"

What is the central message of the story?

• A. Sharing is the right thing to do

• B. Don't believe everything you hear

• C. Be confident

• D. Always do your best

Multiple Choice

The Fox and the Stork

One day, a fox invited a stork for supper. He started making some soup. It smelled so good that he wished could eat it all himself.

When the stork arrived, the mean fox served the soup in flat bowls. Poor Stork! She tried to sip the soup with her long beak, but the bowl was too shallow. The fox lapped up all his broth in a minute. The stork couldn't eat at all!

A few days later, the stork invited the fox to supper. He hurried over to her house, sniffing at the smell of tasty stew in the air.

"Here you are!" said the stork. With a little smile, she served the stew in tall glass jars. The fox couldn't eat any, but the stork easily ate all of hers with her long beak.

The fox realized that the stork was teaching him a lesson. He hung his head. He was ashamed of how greedy and mean he had been. He knew that if he had been nice, Stork would have been nice to him.

What is the central message of the story?

• A. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• B. Foxes and storks shouldn't eat together.

• C. Never give up.

• D. Take your time.

Multiple Choice

The Hen Who Laid Golden Eggs

Once upon a time, a man had a wonderful hen that laid a golden egg every day. But he wasn't happy with this. He thought that the hen must have a treasure inside her.

He killed the hen and cut her open, only to find that she was just like other chickens inside. Now he was very unhappy.

What is the central message of the story?

• A. Chickens are all alike.

• B. Be happy with what you have.

• C. Big problems can be solved.

• D. Good farmers take care of their hens.

Multiple Choice

This is the ____________________ of the story, it is what the author wants you to learn from reading.

• A. topic

• B. details

• C. main idea

• D. central message

Multiple Choice

What is a short story with animals as characters and was created to teach a lesson?

• A. fable

• B. fiction

• C. fairy tale

• D. informational text

Lesson Closure:

We will focus on central message for the rest of the week. Remember, when you read fables you can learn important lessons that are true for everyone not just the characters in the story.