Plot Elements 1
Define exposition:
This is the beginning of a story.
What is the Exposition of the story?
The boy and his father are fisherman. They live in a small fishing village and depend on their fishing net to live.
Finish the sentence:
The whale was tangled in a fishing net, but it was ______.
Alive!
Which sentence shows Abelardo is worried about the whale?
a. “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
b. “But … what about the whale?”
c. “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
d. “How will we live?”
e. “Don’t do anything foolish.”
B: “But … what about the whale?”
Who said: “The whale’s alive!”
Abelardo
Define rising action:
This is the part of the story where things start to happen.
What is the Rising Action of the story?
The father and son find a whale tangled in their net. The net is ruined, and the father leaves to borrow another net, but the boy keeps thinking about the whale and wants to help it.
Finish the sentence:
The boy remembers getting caught in a net and feeling ______.
Helpless!
Which sentence shows the father is worried about the family’s well-being?
a. “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
b. “But … what about the whale?”
c. “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
d. “How will we live?”
e. “Don’t do anything foolish.”
D: “How will we live?”
Who said: “It destroyed our net!”
The father
Define climax:
The climax is the most intense and exciting part of the story.
What is the Climax of the story?
The boy dives into the water and cuts the net with a knife to free the whale.
Finish the sentence:
The boy used a ______ to cut the fishing net.
Knife!
Which sentence shows the father does not agree with Abelardo?
a. “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
b. “But … what about the whale?”
c. “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
d. “How will we live?”
e. “Don’t do anything foolish.”
E: “Don’t do anything foolish.”
Who said: “I’m going to see my uncle.”
The father
Define falling action:
After the climax, the falling action is where the story starts to wind down.
What is the Falling Action of the story?
The whale is freed and jumps into the air full of excitement.
Finish the sentence:
The boy was starting to get ______.
Tired!
Which sentence shows Abelardo understands the whale?
a. “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
b. “But … what about the whale?”
c. “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
d. “How will we live?”
e. “Don’t do anything foolish.”
A: “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
Who freed the whale?
Abelardo
Define Resolution:
The end of the story.
What is the Resolution of the story?
The father is upset because the boy did not obey him, but he is also proud of his son for doing the right thing.
Finish the sentence:
The whale swam ______ the boy when it was free.
away from
Which sentence shows it is hard for Abelardo to disobey his father?
a. “I remembered being caught in the net, feeling helpless, and the awful fear.”
b. “But … what about the whale?”
c. “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
d. “How will we live?”
e. “Don’t do anything foolish.”
C: “I couldn’t free it myself. If I tried, Papa would be very angry.”
What did the father tell the son at the end of the story?
"You disobeyed me, it was incredibly foolish"