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Lesson 3: “Your Brain Forms Memories Differently Based on How Stories Are Told”
50 min
California CCSS: Focus Standards
California CCSS: Supporting Standards
ELD Standards
Student Lesson
Lesson 3: “Your Brain Forms Memories Differently Based on How Stories Are Told”
Student Learning Objectives
1
Content
Students will analyze information about how our brains respond to different kinds of stories and consider how this information can be used to improve memory.
2
Language
Students will use evidence connectors to explain relationships among memory, storytelling, and identity.
Essential Question
How does memory help us understand who we are, and what is lost when memory disappears?
How do stories help communities survive change and imagine a future worth building?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building:
Students build on their learning about storytelling and its connections to cultural memory and shared knowledge by studying how the brain remembers stories.
Enduring Understanding:
Stories shape how humans remember the past and imagine the future.
Future Lessons:
In Lessons 4 and 5, students read and analyze the exposition (Chapters 1–5) of The Last Cuentista.
Unit Performance Task:
Students can use this informational knowledge about storytelling and the brain when developing their own narratives for the performance task.
Lesson Pacing
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch15 Minutes | Students discuss why stories matter and how they connect to memory. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Learning in Action: Part A: Making Connections Between Story and the Brain (RI.8.1, RI.8.3) Students reread and annotate the article with partners to identify key details about how different kinds of stories activate the brain and support memory. Learning in Action B: Synthesizing Ideas About Stories and the Brain (RI.8.1, RI.8.3) Students synthesize ideas in a whole-class discussion about why storytelling supports memory, identity, and cultural survival. |
Look Back5 Minutes | Students reflect in writing on why storytelling matters and what is lost when stories disappear. |
Material List
- The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
- Unit 4 Lesson 3 Student Edition
Routines
- Think-Pair-Share
- Close Read and Annotation Protocol
- Quick Write
Lesson Sequence
Lesson Texts
Short-Form Text
Your Brain Forms Memories Differently Based on How Stories Are Told
Standard News Bureau
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