Unit: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo

Students will be able to define and use vocabulary words from the text to help them better comprehend the story.

Students will be able to state the definition of the fantasy genre and provide evidence as to why "The Tale of Despereaux" is a fantasy story.

Students will be able to identify details within “The Tale of Despereaux” and begin to sequence them on a time line.

Students will be able to use the details in the story to identify the main idea of the chapter.

Students will be able to analyze the characters of Despereaux and Princess Pea and provide evidence to these traits in order to better understand their place in the story.

Students will be able to describe a character's feeling by imagining how they (the student) would feel if they were experiencing what the character goes through in the story.

Students will be able to identify the main idea for Book I and graphically depict the main idea to be compile a "Tale of Despereaux" picture book/graphic novelette.

Readers notice contradictions in a character by looking at how the character thinks, acts, and what the character says.

Students will be able to identify and analyze the details in the story and be able to draw conclusions based on the those details.

Students will be able to identify a chain of events within the story and be able to explain how one event will lead to another and continue a cycle of causes and effects.

Students will be able to explain why it is important to learn a character’s background in order to understand how they will act in the future.

Students will be able to determine a character's motivations by learning what the character wants and how they try to get what they want in the story.

Students will be able to identify the main idea for Book I and graphically depict the main idea to be compile a "Tale of Despereaux" picture book/graphic novelette.

Students will write a summary paragraph for a fiction story by identifying the most important events in the story.

Students will make inferences about character actions using “It says, I say, and So” and explain the importance of making inferences when reading.

Students will explain how a character can change throughout a fiction story.

Student will be able to analyze and describe different types of conflict in a fiction story.

Students will be able to identify the main idea for Book IV and graphically depict the main idea to be compile a "Tale of Despereaux" picture book/graphic novelette.

Students will be able to present an alternative ending to "The Tale of Despereaux" based on their knowledge of Character Traits, sequencing, Change in character, mail idea, detail analysis, Cause and effect, and genre.