Plot Elements & Devices
This is the highest point of the story, when the conflict reaches its peak and something major changes.
Climax
This STEAL element focuses on what and how a character talks to others; you’ll see quotation marks or italics.
Speak
Sentences describing a photo
Captions
The acronym for Restate, Answer, Cite Evidence, Explain
RACE
This text structure describes a topic and gives specific examples. Signal words include “for example,” “specifically,” and “to illustrate.”
Description/Example
This is the time and place where a story happens. You can spot it when the author describes the time, place, or culture.
Setting
This STEAL element looks at a character’s physical appearance, including clothing and body language descriptions.
Looks
This is a quotation from or reference to another author or source, often used in research or scholarly work.
Citation
The punctuation marks that every cited evidence needs in a RACE response.
Quotation marks
This structure puts events in time order using words like “first,” “then,” “next,” and “finally.”
Sequence and Chronological
This part of the plot includes the series of events that build suspense and develop the conflict, leading up to the climax.
Rising Action
This STEAL element reveals a character’s internal emotions, beliefs, values, and motivations.
Thoughts
Labeled picture that shows the part of something
Diagram
This structure shows similarities and differences using words like “both,” “similarly,” “however,” and “on the other hand.”
Compare and Contrast
This part of the plot happens at the beginning and introduces the setting, characters, and background information.
Exposition
This STEAL element shows how a character behaves and reacts to people and events, including body language.
Actions
Bold words that state what the paragraph or section is about
Heading / Subheading
The difference between Citing evidence and Explaining it.
Cite = pull evidence from the text
Explain = how or why that evidence proves your answer
This structure explains reasons and results using words like “because,” “since,” “as a result,” and “consequently.”
Cause and Effect
Name the plot element that includes the events after the climax that begin to resolve the conflict
Falling Action
This STEAL element is about how other characters react to or treat the character and what their relationships are like.
Effects on Others / Relationships
Stated or implied main point of text
Thesis
A student uses correct evidence, but their explanation repeats the evidence instead of analyzing it. Why is this an ineffective RACE Response?
It doesn't show HOW or WHY the evidence supports the A.
This structure presents an issue and then explains how it can be fixed, using words like “problem,” “solution,” “therefore,” and “due to.”
Problem and Solution