Greek/Latin Roots
The Latin root 'port' means this, as in the words 'portable' and 'transport.'
What is 'to carry'?
The root 'port' comes from Latin and means 'to carry.' A portable device can be carried around, and transport means to carry across.
This genre includes magical elements, imaginary creatures, and worlds that don't exist in reality.
What is fantasy?
Fantasy is a genre that features magical or supernatural elements, imaginary creatures, and invented worlds, like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
This is the part of the plot where the main character's problem is introduced.
What is the initiating event (or inciting incident/problem)?
The initiating event, or the problem, is the moment in the story when the main problem or conflict begins, setting the plot in motion.
This character opposes or creates obstacles for the main character.
What is the antagonist?
The antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist (main character) and creates conflict or obstacles in the story.
When a story is told using the pronouns 'I' and 'me,' it uses this point of view.
What is first-person point of view?
First-person point of view means the narrator is a character in the story telling their own experience using 'I' and 'me.'
The Greek root 'bio' means this, as seen in words like 'biology' and 'biography.'
What is 'life'?
The root 'bio' comes from Greek and means 'life.' Biology is the study of life, and a biography is a written account of someone's life.
This is the main message or lesson that the author wants readers to understand from a story.
What is theme (or central theme)?
The theme is the central message or insight about life that the author conveys through the story's characters, plot, and details.
These are the seven parts of plot structure in order: exposition, initiating event, central conflict, rising action, this part, falling action, and resolution.
What is the climax?
The climax is the turning point or most intense moment in the story, coming after the rising action and before the falling action and resolution.
This is the main character in a story who drives the plot forward.
What is the protagonist?
The protagonist is the central character in the story whose journey and decisions drive the plot events forward.
This point of view uses 'he,' 'she,' and 'they' and tells the story from outside the characters.
What is third-person point of view?
Third-person point of view means the narrator is outside the story and refers to characters as 'he,' 'she,' or 'they.'
If 'aqua' means water and 'duct' means to lead, this word means a structure that carries water.
What is an aqueduct?
An aqueduct combines 'aqua' (water) and 'duct' (to lead) to create a structure that leads or carries water, often used in ancient Roman architecture.
These two types of conflict describe struggles: one happens inside a character's mind, and the other happens between a character and outside forces.
What are internal and external conflicts?
Internal conflict occurs within a character (individual vs. self), while external conflict occurs between a character and outside forces (individual vs. individual, nature, society, or technology).
This part of the plot provides background information about characters, setting, and situation before the main conflict begins.
What is the exposition?
The exposition is the beginning of the story where the author introduces the characters, setting, and background information needed to understand the story.
This type of character changes and grows throughout the story, while the opposite type stays the same.
What is a dynamic character (static is the opposite)?
A dynamic character undergoes significant internal change or growth during the story. A static character remains essentially the same from beginning to end.
In this type of third-person point of view, the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
What is third-person limited?
Third-person limited means the narrator tells the story from outside but only reveals the inner thoughts and feelings of one character, limiting the reader's knowledge.
The prefix 'mis-' combined with the root 'dict' (to say) creates this word meaning to say incorrectly.
When you add 'mis-' (wrongly) to words with the root 'dict' (to say/speak), you create words meaning to say something incorrectly or wrongly.
When summarizing a story, you should include the central theme and these types of details that help convey it.
What are specific details?
A good summary includes the central theme and the specific details from the text that help convey or show that theme.
During this part of the plot, complications and obstacles increase tension and lead toward the story's most intense moment.
What is rising action?
Rising action includes all the events and complications that build tension after the initiating event and lead up to the climax of the story.
Explain the difference between 'individual vs. self' and 'individual vs. individual' conflicts and give an example of each.
What is: Individual vs. self is internal struggle (like battling fear or making a tough decision), while individual vs. individual is external conflict between two characters (like a hero fighting a villain)?
Individual vs. self is an internal conflict where a character struggles with their own emotions, decisions, or beliefs. Individual vs. individual is an external conflict between two or more characters.
In this type of third-person point of view, the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.
What is third-person omniscient?
Third-person omniscient means the narrator is all-knowing and can reveal the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of all characters in the story.
Using your knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, predict the meaning of 'chronological' if 'chrono' means time and 'log' means word or study.
What is 'arranged in time order' or 'related to the order of time'?
Chronological combines 'chrono' (time) and 'log' (study/order) to mean arranged in the order that events happened in time.
This genre tells made-up stories set in real historical time periods, blending factual events with fictional characters or situations.
What is historical fiction?
Historical fiction is a genre that combines real historical settings, events, and sometimes real people with fictional characters and plot lines, helping readers learn about the past through storytelling.
Describe how the central conflict connects to the other parts of plot structure and impacts the overall story development.
What is: The central conflict drives the rising action, creates tension leading to the climax, and must be resolved by the end, impacting all plot elements?
The central conflict is the main problem in the story. It emerges after the initiating event, drives all the rising action, reaches its peak at the climax, and gets resolved in the falling action/resolution. Understanding the central conflict helps you understand the entire plot structure.
Explain how a dynamic character's development can impact the plot, using your knowledge of both characterization and plot structure.
What is: A dynamic character's internal changes often drive plot events, their growth can lead to the climax and resolution, and their transformation affects how conflicts are resolved?
Dynamic characters impact plot by making different choices as they grow, which drives events forward. Their character development often leads to the climax (where they make a crucial choice) and affects how the central conflict is resolved. Their transformation is connected to the theme.
Explain how an author's choice of point of view influences how events are described and what information readers receive.
What is: Point of view determines whose perspective readers experience, what information is revealed or hidden, and how events are interpreted or described with potential bias?
An author's choice of point of view shapes the entire reading experience. First-person creates intimacy but limits knowledge. Third-person limited focuses on one character's experience. Third-person omniscient provides broader knowledge. Each choice affects how events are described, what readers know, and how they interpret the story.