In this engaging, literacy-based lesson, students will read aviation-themed picture books to explore narrative structure and improve reading comprehension. Students will identify key story elements – characters, setting, and plot (beginning, middle, and end) – using a graphic organizer and classroom discussion. This lesson combines imagination, career awareness, and literacy development, sparking interest in aviation while building foundational reading skills.
Learning Targets & Objectives
In the completion of this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify characters, setting, and general plot structure(beginning, middle, end).
- Explain what happens in a story using a story map.
- Make connections between the story and real-life careers in aviation.
Student Baseline Knowledge & Skills
Students should:
- Be familiar with listening to or reading stories.
- Understand basic story elements (characters, setting, beginning, middle, end).
- Have experience working with graphic organizers or story maps.
- Have basice fine motor skills to draw or write their responses (can be scaffolded with dictation or group sharing as needed).
Formative Assessment
- Students will complete a Story Map worksheet, identifying characters, setting, and plot (beginning, middle, and end).
- Students will also share their answers in a group or partners discussion to demonstrate understanding verbally.
- The teacher will observe participation and accuracy for informal assessment.
Materials & Resources
- One or more aviation-themed picture books, such as the following:
- DreamFlight Story Map Worksheet
- Chart Paper or Whiteboard (Optional)
- Pencils, Markers, or Crayons
Lesson Procedure
- Anticipatory Set/Engagement (5-10 Minutes)
- Begin with a question: “What do you think it would be like to fly an airplane?” or “Have you ever thought about being a pilot, engineer, or someone who builds airplanes?”
- Show images or models of aircraft or utilize this quick video from DreamFlight Charities.
- Briefly introduce aviation as a career and explain that today’s story will help us imagine what it’s like to fly or invent flying machines.
- Read Aloud (15-20 Minutes)
- Choose a book and, while reading, pause to ask guiding questions:
- Who is the main character?
- Where does the story take place?
- What problem does the character face?
- What happens first? Then what? How does it end?
- Guided Story Mapping (10-15 Minutes)
- Model how to fill out the Story Map worksheet using one example on the board or projector.
- Hand out worksheets and allow students to complete individually or in pairs.
- Offer scaffolds: sentence stems, drawing options, or small group discussion.
- Sharing and Reflection (5-10 Minutes)
- Invite a few students to share their story maps.
- Ask: “What did the character do that reminded you of a real pilot or engineer?”
- Close by tying the story back to aviation and career exploration.
- Optional Extensions:
- Utilize DreamFlight’s Paper Pilots activity for a STEM tie-in and encourage students to write a report about their flight and findings.
- Show DreamFlight’s “Careers in Aviation” video that features various professions like being a pilot or engineer.
- Use the “What’s Your Mission” worksheet alongside The Littlest Airplane to discuss aircraft types while encouraging students to write or draw about what kind of flying machine they would design or want to fly.
As we’re sure you already know, storytelling is a great way to expose students to aviation while building literary comprehension skills. From identifying types of aircraft and their unique designs to encouraging resiliency in observing characters overcome challenges, your students will continue to hone their literary skills while discovering the exciting world of flight!