Elements of Plot
The TIME and LOCATION that a story takes place is its what?
Setting
Which of the following is an example of THEME?
a. Carry your laptops with two hands at all times.
b. Cereal is the healthiest food you can eat.
c. You can severely break your leg while crossing the street.
d. Life is short; make the most of it.
d. Life is short; make the most of it.
What are the best questions to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?
What is the topic? What does the author want me to know about the topic?
Explain the difference between internal and external conflict.
Internal conflict is a struggle that a character faces within him/her self while external conflict is a problem that a character has with other characters.
What type of characters are Evil Stepmother, Jafar, and the Big Bad Wolf?
Antagonist
Provides BACKGROUND INFORMATION about the SETTING and CHARACTERS to the audience.
Exposition
Define theme.
Lesson/moral of the story.
Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700's. He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires. He also invented the Franklin stove. The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel. He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals. This new kind of glasses helped people read better.
Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700's.
Two Irish boys have to hide their friendship from their families because one is Catholic and the other is Protestant.
Man vs society
A character who changes during the course of a story or novel.
Dynamic character
A related SERIES of EVENTS that BUILD TOWARD the point of greatest interest or THE CLIMAX.
Rising Action
What could be an example of a theme?
a. Friendship
b. Being prepared often leads to success.
c. How to bake chocolate chip cookies
d. Helping others
b. Being prepared often leads to success.
Not all animals that live in the water are fish. Frogs and tadpoles, for example, spend part of their lives in water. They are amphibians, not true fish. Whales and seals are warm-blooded mammals. Some snakes live partly in water too.
Not all animals that live in the water are fish.
A star figure-skater must conquer her fear and get back on the ice after a terrifying accident.
Man vs. Self
This type of character is not complex. He or she has only one or two main ideas or emotions.
Flat character
A sequence or series of events that create a story is called
Plot
Jim was stacking boxes at work. There was a certain height he had to reach. He stretched his body, but could not reach to place the final box at the top. Bill happened to see Jim struggling and came to his rescue, since he was a foot taller.
What is the theme?
Teamwork can help accomplish a goal.
When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length. Seaweeds are also of other colors. Some are red. Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet! These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter.
Seaweed comes in many colors and sizes.
When his father is badly hurt during hike deep in the Montana wilderness, a young boy must make his way back to civilization to get help.
Man vs. Nature
Throughout a story, a Static Character...
stays the same.
Read the passage. Which plot element is italicized?
It was dark and creepy by the campfire where Jonas and his friends were huddled. They were telling ghost stories and trying to make each story scarier than the last. Suddenly, they heard a loud crack in the woods. "What's that?" whispered Jonas. He didn't want to admit it, but he was really scared now. He could see a large shadowy figure holding a knife. "Thought you might want to toast some marshmallows," Jonas' father quietly said as he stepped into the light of the fire. He held up a bag of marshmallows in one hand and metal skewers - not a knife - in the other. Jonas and his friends were relieved. His father taught the group how to make s'mores, and they enjoyed the rest of the night.
Climax
During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision.
It pays to be honest.
Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information very quickly. That's why they use pictures! The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.
Weather reporters use pictures to help them get their point across.
It's the year 1847 and Hallie is tired of being treated as a second-class citizen. As a married woman, she does not have the right to own property and she has no legal claim to any money that she earns. She and a group of concerned activists, including Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, hold a convention in Seneca Falls, New York with a plan to change the world. Join Hallie as she marches, lobbies, and struggles to win equal rights for her gender, one mind at a time.
Man vs. Society
A character that is so detailed that he or she could be a real person.
Round Character