Story Elements
The person or voice who is telling the story to the audience.
Narrator
Sets the stage, introduces main characters, defines the setting.
Exposition (Introduction)
Compare things using "like" or "as."
example: Busy as a bee
Simile
Visual aids that help readers understand concepts.
Photographs and Illustrations
pictures and drawings
A word having a similar meaning.
example: cold, chilly
Synonym
The main character in a story - the "hero."
Protagonist
A series of events and complications that build tension, and lead towards the climax.
Rising Action
An extreme, intentional exaggeration
example: I've told you a million times.
Hyperbole
A labeled drawing or chart that shows how something works or its parts.
Diagram
The moral of a story. The lesson learned by the protagonist.
Theme
The sequence of events that make up the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
Plot
The turning point, highest point of tension, or most dramatic moment where the protagonist confronts the main conflict.
Climax
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
example: The flowers begged for water.
Personification
A small group of words beneath a picture that explains what is happening.
Caption
Use of details from the five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, feel) to appeal to the reader.
Sensory Language
The main problem or struggle that the characters must face.
Conflict
The part after the climax where consequences play out and the story begins to wind down.
Falling Action
A word that sounds like the sound it describes
example: Boom, Sizzle, Pop
Onomatopoeia
A short title at the top of a section that explains what the text is about.
Heading
The verbal interaction (talking) between two or more characters in a story.
Dialogue
The place and time in which the story happens.
example: on a farm in 1975
Setting
The final outcome of the story, where loose ends are tied up and a "new normal" is established for the characters.
Resolution
When multiple words in a row start with the same consonant sound.
example: Terrible Tiger Tore the Towel
Alliteration
An alphabetical list of difficult words and their meanings found at the end of a book.
Glossary
A type of literature.
Examples: Science Fiction, Biography, Realistic Fiction, Fantasy
Genre