LESSON for students - Understanding the elements of a story

Drama and Comedy to the Greeks was just as important as politics. The literal meaning for drama is "action" or "performance". Comedy in Greek translates to "komodia" derived from its root word "komos" meaning festival. They created a vocabulary dedicated solely to the theatre if not to emphasize the value, then at least to clearly describe the effects the theater can have on our lives. Not only will you witness this in the first person as the organizer for a festival, but you too will feel the cathartic results it brings to a collective consciousness. We humans need drama and comedy in our lives, to inspire us, to reflect us, to stir laughter, or simply just to get away from it all. Film is our modern day amphitheater; it is food for the soul. And your festival is just as the Greeks would have it, a 'festive performance'.SHORT STORY ELEMENTS

SETTING PLOT CONFLICT CHARACTER POINT OF VIEW THEME

SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story):
a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place? b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc) c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc? d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)? e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?BACK TO TOP
PLOT -- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot:
a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).
e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.
It is helpful to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1) the main character receives new information 2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it) 3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she gains his objective). BACK TO TOP
CONFLICT-- Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.
There are two types of conflict: 1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
There are four kinds of conflict: 1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.
3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.
4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc. BACK TO TOP
CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character: 1) The person in a work of fiction. 2) The characteristics of a person.
Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST. The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.
The Characteristics of a Person - In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways: a) his/her physical appearance b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c) what he/she does or does not do d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)
Characters are... 1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities. 2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story. 3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc. BACK TO TOP
POINT OF VIEW
Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
1. Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult) .
2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.
3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.
4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view:
a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
b) Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own. BACK TO TOP
THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - things are not always as they appear to be - Love is blind - Believe in yourself - People are afraid of change- Don't judge a book by its coverBACK TO TOP Understanding the elements of a story
Students will read a story, understand the elements of the story, analyze characters, and complete research about good and evil.
Related pagesWriting and English as a Second Language: Strategies for helping English Language Learners throughout the writing process.Do you really believe in magic?: Students are introduced to the genre (or mode) of Magical Realism in World Literature by reading Gabriel Garcia-Marquez's short story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." This lesson plan is modified for an English Language Learner (ELL) at the Intermediate Low (IL) proficiency level.
Funds of knowledge: Teachers can use "funds of knowledge," the knowledge students gain from their family and cultural backgrounds, to make their classrooms more inclusive.
Related topics
Learn more about English language learners, journaling, language arts, and stories.
Learning outcomes
Students will:
learn the elements of a story setting, plot, theme, conflict, mood, and resolution.
analyze characters in a story.
deepen their understanding of good and evil.
Materials/resources
Story and a spiral notebook for each student.
Technology resources
Computer Lab with access to internet. Each student should have one computer.
Pre-activities
1st day: Write a journal entry in which you express sadness because of the death of a family member. Share your journal with a partner.
2nd day: Think of a movie or a story in which there was a good character and an evil (bad) character. Write all that you remember about their conflict. Share your journal with your partner.
3rd day: Write about how the conflict was resolved. Share with your partner.
Activities
After the students share their journal, the teacher reads the first part of the story and explains the setting and the events in the beginning of the story. After reading each section of the story, students write a double-entry journal or a reading response journal, in which they record all that they understand about the story as well as their pertinent questions.
Second Day: Students read the middle section of the story, and write about the story in their journal.
Third Day: Students will read the last section of the story.
Assessment
Teacher will ask short answer questions about the setting, events, characters, mood, and check response journal.
Supplemental information
Modifications
Use of language dictionary to write the meanings of critical vocabulary. Use vocabulary words in sentences (Ex: Use “torment” in a sentence). Students write short sentences and phrases about events, characters, opinions, questions about the story. After reading each section of the story, students write a double-entry journal or a reading response journal in which they record all that they understand about the story as well as their pertinent questions and opinions. A spiral notebook can be used for their journal.
Alternative assessments
Teacher assigns a grade to their responses by assigning numbers as follows: 5: excellent; 4: very good; 3: good; 2: fair; 1: poor Teacher continues to have a dialogue with the students and write assignments in their journals to clarify the understanding of their story. Then assign a grade of A, B, C or D accordingly. How- ever, it’s the quality of comments that is important in encouraging the students, to improve their understanding of the story .
Critical vocabulary
setting, mood, plot, conflict, resolution, torment.
Click here info. on figures of speech & figurative language
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This lesson plan will help teacher in imparting knowledge about how to write a story and also will be helpful Limited English Proficient students.Goal 2: The learner will explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions to inform an audience.Objective 2.01: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print informational texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
selecting, monitoring, and modifying as necessary reading strategies appropriate to readers' purpose.
identifying and analyzing text components (such as organizational structures, story elements, organizational features) and evaluating their impact on the text.
providing textual evidence to support understanding of and reader's response to text.
demonstrating comprehension of main idea and supporting details.
summarizing key events and/or points from text.
making inferences, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on text.
identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical or cultural influences, contexts, or biases.
making connections between works, self and related topics.
analyzing and evaluating the effects of author's craft and style.
analyzing and evaluating the connections or relationships between and among ideas, concepts, characters and/or experiences.
identifying and analyzing elements of informational environment found in text in light of purpose, audience, and context.Objective 0.04: Demonstrate an increased knowledge of academic content vocabulary.Objective 0.04: Produce written expressions of opinion and reactions to information from a variety of media.Objective 0.07: Respond, with occasional difficulty, when participating in group discourse by adapting language and communication behaviors to the situation to accomplish a specific purpose.Objective 0.12: Identify literary elements (e.g., plot, setting, theme, mood).