The Night Diary
The author of "The Night Diary"?
(first and last name)
Who is Verra Hiranandani?
What does character trait mean?
A part or aspect of a character's personality.
True or False -- Every story, TV show, or movie has at least one theme.
True!
And there are usually a few different themes in EVERY type of story.
T / F. Every story has some type of conflict or problem.
True
T / F . The plot is different from the events in the story.
False.
The plot is the series of events of the story.
"The Night Diary" is which genre (meaning type or classification).
What is historical fiction?
After you make a claim about a character's personality (character trait), what must you include in your answer?
At least two (2) pieces of evidence from the text to support your answer.
What is the theme of a story?
The theme is the message,
the moral of the story,
or a lesson learned.
Why do authors always give their characters some type of conflict, problem, or struggle?
It makes the story more interesting, and/or it keeps us reading to find out what will happen.
T / F . The main 'goal' of the plot is to show how characters are changed by events in the story.
True! The plot events are closely linked to the characters' feelings, actions, and thoughts.
The story takes place a few years after this war?
World War 2
After supporting your claim about character change with two pieces of text evidence, what do you add to your answer to EXCEED standard?
Analysis -- a sentence that explains what the evidence makes you think, feel, wonder, etc.
Why do authors make sure their stories have themes?
Because they want their stories to have meaning, important ideas, or to bring out feelings from their readers.
When in the story do we usually get introduced to the conflict or problem?
After the introduction
T / F. The plot of a story does not necessarily need all of the five following parts:
Intro, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and conclusion.
False! It does need all these parts in order be organized well and satisfying to the reader.
The story takes place on which continent.
What is the continent of Asia?
Which statement is not a strong claim.
1. Michael is an impolite person. 2. Michael is very conceited in this story. 3. Michael is at recess and starts a game.
2. Michael is at recess and starts a game. This is an event doesn't say anything about his personality.
What simple question or statement helps us find the theme of a story?
The author is trying to teach us that ___________
________________________________________.
T / F. Stories usually have one big conflict and other, smaller conflicts at the same time.
True. There is a large conflict, and then several other, smaller issues faced by each of the characters.
To summarize a plot, you should BRIEFLY state what happens in the beginning, the middle and the end of the story, and then state the theme or lesson learned by the characters.
Summarize the story of "The Three Little Pigs".
Three little pigs all built different houses to protect themselves from the big bad wolf. The first pig built a house of straw that the wolf easily blew down. The second pig built a house of sticks/wood that the wolf also was able to blow down even though it protected him longer. The third pig built a very strong house of bricks that protected him from the wolf who couldn't blow it down. The theme is that it's best and safest to do something the 'right way' even if it takes more effort and time.
The tactic used by Gandhi when he was trying to force social change.
What is a refusal to eat/hunger strike? (also accept nonviolent protest).
Which type of evidence should NOT be used to support a claim?
1. Your excellent opinion about the character.
2. Explaining exactly what a character did or said.
3. A direct quote from the text.
1. Your opinion about the character was your claim!
You don't support a claim with an opinion, but you do use examples of behavior, his/her inner thinking, or a direct quote of dialogue from the text.
Name two themes from "The Night Diary"
Life is not always fair, War is difficult for people to experience, Loosing loved ones is one of life's biggest challenges, Even the people we know well (like family members) can surprise us, People change during difficult situations, Humans are often fearful of people who aren't like them, Some problems are very difficult to solve.
What is the large conflict or problem in "The Night Diary" and two smaller conflicts/problems faced by individual characters in the story.
The main conflict or problem is that Muslim and Hindus are fighting and citizens are not allowed to live in the same areas anymore. Smaller conflicts are: Nisha longs to know her deceased mother, Nisha has trouble talking to people, Amil is artistic & unconventional, Amil is always angering their father, Papa has grief over loosing his wife, Papa didn't know how to show love to his kids, Kazi must leave the family, The kids love Kazi, Dadi is elderly and sick, ... others answers are okay as long as they show conflict.
Summarize the plot of a show or movie people in your group have seen. Use BMET -- B (beginning), M (middle), E (ending) and T (theme) to help keep your answer brief but complete by listing just a few important events.
Answers will vary but must include:
B (beginning), M (middle), E (ending), and T (theme)