Short Story

Ingredients

100

The time and place of a story. 

SETTING 

200

The problem within a story. 

CONFLICT 

300

The narrator's position in relation to the story being told.

POINT OF VIEW 

400

The sequence of events in a story.

PLOT 

500

Point of view that allows the narrator to only know the thoughts and feelings of one character.

THIRD PERSON LIMITED

What am I?

100

What Point of View am I? 

Because we visited the museum yesterday, we learned so much valuable information for our project.  

1ST PERSON POINT OF VIEW

200

What conflict am I? 

We stared at the tornado as it tore through the city.  How were we going to survive this night?  

MAN VS NATURE (CHARACTER VS NATURE) 

300

What type of characterization am I? 

Mr. Boyles never smiled in class.  He would sit at his desk and frown; when students asked questions, he would grimace before answering.  

INDIRECT

400

What point on the plot pyramid am I? 

This is where everything is tied up and concluded (either happily, sadly or open ended).

RESOLUTION

500

DAILY DOUBLE  

DENOTATION

Elements

100

What three things do we learn in the exposition?

SETTING

CHARACTERS

CONFLICT 

200

What point of the plot pyramid is the highest point of conflict?

CLIMAX

300

Name the 5 points of the plot pyramid.

EXPOSITION, RISING ACTION, CLIMAX, FALLING ACTION, RESOLUTION

400

At what point on the plot pyramid does the majority of the plot happen?  

RISING ACTION

500

The point in the plot pyramid when we, as readers, see what what happens as the conflict is being resolved. 

FALLING ACTION

Examples

100

Yesterday she watched her coach show everyone the proper way to throw a strike.  She really wanted to be the pitcher this year, so she paid very close attention.  Her teammates were all thinking the same thing.  This year, almost everyone wanted to try out for pitcher. 

The point of view of this passage is...

3RD PERSON OMNISCIENT

200

Someday Martin would learn his lesson. He was so stubborn and refused to budge on any situation.  His boss had had it with his bad attitude and inability to work with a group.  

What type of characterization is being used here? 

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

300

First, you need to take 2 cups of flour and add it to your pan.  Next, you should mix the eggs in a separate bowl before adding them to your flour.

What point of view is being used here?

2ND PERSON 

400

DAILY DOUBLE

THEME

500

What type of conflict is this:  

I don't know if I'll ever be good in school.  I try so hard in class, but I can never pass any test that I take.  I guess I could study more, but I hate having homework.  I'm not sure what I should do.

MAN VS SELF (CHARACTER VS SELF) 

Misc.

100

What are the four types of Conflict? 

Man vs Man, Man vs Self, Man vs Society, Man vs Nature 

200

This type of Point of View allows the narrator to know the thoughts and feelings of more than one character.

3rd PERSON OMNISCIENT 

300

What pronoun do we look for with 2nd person point of view?

YOU

400

This type of characterization "shows" the reader character traits rather than "telling" 

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

500

The emotional element of a word. 

CONNOTATION