English Grade 8 Quarter 1 Lesson 1 Notes

Lesson Exemplar for English

This lesson exemplar focuses on analyzing the structural context of Afro-Asian short stories, including plot elements, conflict, and point of view.

I. Curriculum Content, Standards, and Lesson Competencies

A. Content Standards

The learners demonstrate multiliteracies and communicative competence in evaluating Afro-Asian literature (poetry and prose) for clarity of meaning, purpose, and target audience as a foundation for publishing original literary texts that reflect their expanding cultural identity.

B. Performance Standards

The learners analyze the style, form, and features of Afro-Asian literature (poetry and prose); evaluate literary texts for clarity of meaning, purpose, and target audience; and compose and publish an original multimodal literary text (poem or prose) that represents their meaning, purpose, and target audience, and reflects their expanding cultural identity.

C. Learning Competencies

1. Identify the plot elements of an Afro-Asian short story that follows a linear or parallel plot structure.
2. Determine the different types of conflict in an Afro-Asian short story.
3. Distinguish the different points of view of narration of an Afro-Asian short story.

D. Content Topic

Topic 1: Analyzing the structural context of an Afro-Asian short story

Subtopics:

• Plot elements
• Conflict
• Point of view

E. Integration

• SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels

II. Learning Resources

*Edwards, G. (2020). 7 Types of Conflict in Literature: How to Use Them (with Examples). https://prowritingaid.com/art/1366/what-are-the-7-types-of-conflict-in-literature.aspx
*Lu, B. J. (4, August 2023). Strengthening filial piety, shared values for harmonious society. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/729-strengthening-filial-piety-shared-values-for-harmonious-society#:~:text=Filial%20piety%2C%20deeply%20ingrained%20in,community%2C%20nation%20and%20the%20world
*Martynets, D. (n.d.). Art for board game "Ali Baba". https://www.behance.net/gallery/55148195/Art-for-board-game-Ali-Baba?trackingsource=searchprojects|ali+baba+treasure&l=37
*Mishra, S. (2022, December 23). Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Story for children with moral for kids. Firstcry Intelli Education. https://www.firstcry.com/intelli/articles/ali-baba-and-the-forty-thieves-story-with-moral-for-kids/
*Pook Press. (2021, September 6). Arabian Nights - A history of “One Thousand and One Nights.” https://www.pookpress.co.uk/project/arabian-nights-one-thousand-and-one-nights/
*Richmond County School System. (n.d.). Five elements of fiction: Plot, setting, character, point of view, theme. https://www.rcboe.org/cms/lib010/GA01903614/Centricity/Domain/4395/Elements%20of%20a%20Story.pdf
*The aged mother. (n.d.). https://americanliterature.com/author/matsuo-basho/short-story/the-aged-mother
*ThinkFamily. (2010, June 14). Filial Piety: Father and Son (Eng subtitles) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybxNkpS5q-g
*Vedantu. (n.d.). The Mouse Maiden: A Panchatantra story for kids. https://www.vedantu.com/stories/the-mouse-maiden

III. Teaching and Learning Procedure

A. Activating Prior Knowledge (Day 1)

• Short Review: An Excerpt from The Mouse Maiden from Panchatantra
• The teacher asks the students to recall the previous lesson by asking them to read an excerpt from The Mouse Maiden, one of the tales in Panchatantra, and answer the questions that follow.
  1. Who are the characters in the excerpt?
  2. Describe the priest and the daughter. Cite lines to prove your answer.
  3. How are the characters revealed in the excerpt?
• Feedback: How do we characterize characters in a literary text?

B. Establishing Lesson Purpose

In the previous lesson, students learned about characters and their roles. This lesson focuses on the sequence of events, main struggles, and narration perspectives in a story. Understanding the plot, conflict, and points of view will deepen understanding of a short story.

C. Developing and Deepening Understanding

1. Explicitation

• Activity: Watch a video clip showing filial piety. Filial piety emphasizes the value of honoring and taking care of one's parents, elders, and ancestors. It is deeply rooted in both Chinese and Filipino cultures.
• A short story in Chinese literature which shows filial piety is The Soul of the Great Bell by Lafcadio Hearn.
• Guide Questions:
  1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe them.
  2. When and where does the story happen?
  3. What is the problem in the story?
  4. How is the problem addressed? What is the solution to the problem?
  5. What happened after the problem is solved?
  6. How does the story end?

2. Worked Example (Day 2)

• Plot Elements
  • Plot refers to how the author arranges events to develop the basic idea; it is the sequence of events in a story or play.
  • A short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.
  • In a pyramidic or linear structure of a story plot, there are six essential parts of events:
    1. Exposition (introduction) – This is the beginning of the story where the characters and setting are revealed.
    2. Inciting Incident or Complication – This is a small, single event that gives birth or leads to the conflict. Without this, the conflict will not be developed in the rising action.
    3. Rising Action – As the story unfolds, the events become complicated; the conflict is gradually developed. These events happen between the introduction and climax.
    4. Climax – This refers to the turning and highest point of the story. Readers wonder what will happen next: will the conflict be resolved or not?
       • Main character receives new information.
       • Main character accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it).
       • Main character acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not the objective is met).
    5. Falling action – In this part, the resolution begins; events and complications start to fall into place. These are the events between climax and denouement.
    6. Resolution (Conclusion) – This is the final outcome of events in the story.
• Conflict
  • Essential to plot, opposition ties incidents together and moves the plot.
  • Can be any struggle the main character faces.
  • There may be only one central struggle, or there may be many minor obstacles within a dominant struggle.
  • Two general types of conflict:
    • Internal Conflict: Struggle within oneself
      • Character vs. Self - Struggles with own soul, physical limitations, choices, etc.
    • External Conflict: Struggle with a force outside oneself
      • Character vs. Character - Struggles against other people.
      • Character vs. Nature - Struggles against animals, weather, environment, etc.
      • Character vs. Society - Struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of others
• Activity: Place answers to guide questions to its corresponding part in the story map.

Conflict is the main struggle that a character faces. There are general and specific types of conflict in a story.

• Activity: Read the story The Soul of the Great Bell by Lafcadio Hearn. Identify the conflicts and type of conflicts present in the story. Cite scenes from the text to support answer.

• Discussion Questions:
  1. What is the conflict in the story?
  2. What type of conflict is this? How did you know?
  3. Cite lines from the text and explain your answer.
• Reflection Question: If you could solve the conflict in the story in your own ways, how would you do it?

3. Lesson Activity (Day 3)

• Another story in Afro-Asian literature which shows filial piety is the Japanese folktale The Aged Mother written by Matsuo Basho.
  • A. Story Map: Identify the plot elements of the story using a story map.
  • B. Identify the conflicts and type of conflicts present in the story. Cite scenes from the text to support your answer.
    1. What conflicts are presented in the story?
    2. What types of conflict are employed in the problems?
    3. Cite lines from the text to support your answer.

Guide Questions:

1. Explicitation

• A. Look at a picture of a cave full of treasure. What would you do if you found it?
• B. Read the origins of the Arabian Nights.
• C. Read the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• Guide Questions:
  1. Who are the characters? Describe them.
  2. When and where does the story happen?
  3. What is the problem in the story?
  4. How is the problem addressed? What is the solution to the problem?
  5. What happened after the problem is solved?
  6. How does the story end?

2. Worked Example (Day 4)

• Point of View – This refers to the angle or perspective from which the story is told.

  1. First Person POV – The story is told by the protagonist or a character who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters. Speaker uses the pronouns "I", "me", "we".
  2. Second Person POV – The story is told by a narrator who addresses the reader using the pronoun "you"; speaker uses pronouns "you", "your", and "yours".
  3. Third Person POV – The story is told by a narrator who sees all of the action; speaker uses the pronouns "he", "she", "it", "they", "his", "hers", "its", and "theirs".
     • Limited – The narrator describes the action of events through the eyes of a single character; readers only see what the character sees, feels, or thinks.
     • Omniscient – The narrator can enter into the character’s consciousness, describe their motives, feelings, and actions, and predict likely events to happen. The narrator can move from one character's mind to another and knows and sees everything.

• Activity: Identify the type of point of view used in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Cite the lines/scenes from the story that show the POV used in the story.

1. Lesson Activity

• Changing Perspectives: Retell the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves from Ali Baba’s Point of View (1st Person Point of View).

B. Making Generalizations (Day 4)

• Discuss the types of conflict and the different points of view in a short story.
• Why do we need to identify the conflict and points of view a short story?

IV. Evaluating Learning: Formative Assessment and Teacher’s Reflection

A. Evaluating Learning (Day 4)

1. is a type of third person point of view where the narrator knows everything.
2. refers to the main struggle that a character faces in a story.
3. pertains to the sequential arrangement of events in the story.
4. is the turning and highest point of event in the story.
5. shows the final outcome of the story in which the solution to the problem is achieved.

Answer key:

1. Omniscient
2. Conflict
3. Plot
4. Climax
5. Resolution/Denouement