Teaching Teaching For For Understanding Understanding In In Fictio Fictio n n Presented by Angela Maie Angelamaiers.com Omaha Public Schools January 13, 2009
Character Analysis: emotion, intentions, qualities,
actions
Feelings and Traits
Writers Craft
Form, Structure, Genre
Characteristics of Language: rhyme, rhythm, repetition
Figurative Language
Metaphor, Simile, Hyperbole
Identify theme and moral of text
Authors message, purpose, intention
AND SO ON.
AND SO ON.
AND SO ON
Put the following elements of plot in order by the way they
appear in a story: Resolution, Theme, Climax, Conclusion, Falling
Action, Introduction, Rising Action, Problem, Mood
What significant information does a reader learn in the
introduction of a story, and how does this influence their reading
during the rest of the text?
How would you define conflict to your students in a way they
could identify it in a story?
Describe the differences between the rising and falling
action?
How does a reader identify the climax of the story so that it
is not confused with other story events?
How is point of view defined fiction text and what is the
significance of it?
7. Define theme and name two ways that writers of fiction leave
clues to the theme of the story.
Big Ideas in Fiction
the part of a book, magazine, argument, film, poem, text, etc
that articulates the authors message or ideas about the underlying
topic or theme which may or may not be explicitly stated. BIG
IDEA
Inferring Imaging Questioning Monitoring Synthesizing Using
Schema Det. Importance
Life Story Book Story (THEME) Fiction = Stories of Life
Considering Genre...
U nderstanding Literary Elements
Plot
Characterization
Setting
Point of View
Climax
Resolution
Conclusion
Theme
C C C C S
P P
CON
R
*
Plot Structure Plot is the literary element that describes the
structure of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement of events
and actions within a story.
Plot: Introduction: Problem: (Issue, desire, focused interest
or character flaw that impacts the main character) * (this will
sometimes include elements from the rising action and the climax;
when students understand this framework well, then move them to
differentiate between rising action and climax) Resolution: (this
may sometimes appear on the last page with the conclusion, but it
is more common to be before; rememberthis is what has transitioned
with the problem) Conclusion: (remember this is the last physical
thing you visually available at the end of the text) 2 3 4 5 6 8 7
Characters: Setting: 1
Role Cards for Retelling Plot Structure: Type, Variations,
Craft Characterization: Types, Feelings, Traits Introduction:
Chara, Setting, Set Up Literary Devices Problem /Conflict Explored
Viewpoint/Tone Mood Re s olution /Conclusion Language Elements:
Word Choices, Style, I think the author wrote this story to show
us... (THEME)
Teaching FICTION
Plot
Characterization
Conflict
Theme
Plot Structure Plot is the literary element that describes the
structure of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement of events
and actions within a story.
Types of Plots
Plots can be told in
Circular Episodic Chronological order Flashback In media res (in
the middle of things) when the story starts in the middle of the
action without exposition
Getting To Know the Character
Character 4-Square
Facts About the Character Actions Conversations Thoughts and
Feelings
Book ________________________________
Character_____________________________ Character Evaluation Page #
CharacterTraits Like Myself? Like a Friend? Like someone from
another story?
Character Sketch Name: Live: Friends/Family Physical
Description: What do they want more than anything? ( deep desires)
Fears Character Traits
Story Development Chart Chapter___ Chapter___ Chapter___
Chapter___ Chapter___ Characters focused on during this chapter...
Techniques used by the author to clarify events or create visual
images... Traits and/or feelings revealed about main character...
Traits or understandings revealed about others... Conflict or
issues revealed... I believe the main problem the character is
dealing with is... Purpose of this chapter or the main idea that
moves the story forward...
Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a
story. Without conflict, there is no plot.
Types of Conflict Person vs. Fate Person vs Nature Person vs
Society Person vs Self Person vs Person
1. Below are three boxes that contain the three basic types of
fiction. In each box, write anything you know about that genre that
makes it different from the other two. Realism Fantasy Traditional
Tales 3. Write what you understand about the following terms.
Characters: Setting: Plot: Antagonist: Protagonist: Static:
Dynamic: 4. What is the difference between the author and the
illustrator? 2. Look in the books provided and select one title to
represent each type of fiction above. Use a post-it-note to label
each book according to the type of fiction. What I Know About
Fiction
Koesel 2003 May be copied for classroom use by teachers
Immerse yourself within the genre as an ADULT reader
Read, reflect, and document the essential elements worth
pointing out to students
Gather a range of texts and levels for student exploration and
practice
Set your goals and map out a plan for the study period
Instead of
Fiction 2.0
There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but
there have been no societies that did not tell stories.
-Ursula LeGuin-
It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly from hen house to
pigpen to smokehouse that the days
had never been as beautiful as these. The air held a keenness
that made her nose twitch. The
harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts and squash, made
each day a golden surprise that
caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws.
Myop carried a short, knobby stick. She struck out at random at
chickens she liked, and worked out
the beat of a song on the fence around the pigpen. She felt
light and good in the warm sun. She
was ten, and nothing existed for her but her song, the stick
clutched in her dark brown hand, and
the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment,
Turning her back on the rusty boards of her family's
sharecropper cabin, Myop walked along the
fence till it ran into the stream made by rooted. Myop watched
the tiny white bubbles disrupt the thin
black scale of soil and the water that silently rose and slid
away down the stream.She had explored
the woods behind the house many times. Often, in late autumn,
her mother took her to gather nuts
among the fallen leaves.
Today she made her own path, bouncing this way and that way,
vaguely keeping an eye out for
snakes. She found, in addition to various common but pretty
ferns and leaves, an armful of strange
blue flowers with velvety ridges and a sweet suds bush full of
the brown, fragrant buds.
By twelve o'clock, her arms laden with sprigs of her findings,
she was a mile or more from home.
She had often been as far before, but the strangeness of the
land made it not as pleasant as her
usual haunts. It seemed gloomy in the little cove in which she
found
herself. The air was damp, the silence close and deep.
Myop began to circle back to the house, back to the
peacefulness of the
morning. It was then she stepped smack into his eyes. Her
only when she saw his naked grin that she gave a little yelp of
surprise.
He had been a tall man. From feet to neck covered a long space.
His head lay
beside him. When she pushed back the leaves and layers of earth
and debris
Myop saw that he'd had large white teeth, all of them cracked
or broken, long
fingers, and very big bones. All his clothes had rotted away
except some
threads of blue denim from his overalls. The buckles of the
overall had turned
green.
Myop gazed around the spot with interest. Very near where she'd
stepped into
the head was a wild pink rose. As she picked it to add to her
bundle she noticed
a raised mound, a ring, around the rose's root. It was the
rotted remains of a
noose, a bit of shredding plowline, now blending benignly into
the soil. Around
an overhanging limb of a great spreading oak clung another
piece. Frayed,
rotted, bleached, and frazzled--barely there--but spinning
restlessly in the
breeze. Myop laid down her flowers.
And the summer was over.
Fairy Tale
Characters, which may have magical abilities, often are
distinguished as good or evil.
Plot often leads to the defeat of evil.
Setting may take place long, long ago.
Theme is often a lesson learned about good and evil.
Realistic Fiction
Characters are fictional, yet could be real.
Plot of the story is fictional, but could happen in real
life.
Problems often present modern-day issues.
Settings present real-life times and places.
Historical Fiction
Characters are fictional, but may be based on real people.
Real, famous characters may enter the story.
Plot often includes real events or the past mixed with
fictional events.
Setting may be in a known historical place.
An accurate historical time period is portrayed.
Mystery
Characters are all involved with the mystery in some way.
Problem centers on a mystery or a puzzle that needs a
solution.
Plot contains clues to lead and mislead the reader.
Setting is realistic and recognizable to readers.
Fantasy
Fictional characters may have magical or supernatural
powers.
Plot stretches the readers imagination and is not
scientifically possible.
Setting is modern and realistic in many ways, although at times
it takes a fantastical turn.
Science Fiction
Characters often solve problems through their knowledge and use
of science and technology.
Plots revolve around events that may actually happen based on
scientific facts, although it is fantasy.
Setting often takes place in the future in a world of modern
science and technology.
Fable
Characters are fictional and may be portrayed as animals with
human traits.
Plot builds a short tale.
The setting may not be important in order to make the story
universal.
Theme presents a moral lesson.
Plot A definition of plot in secondary institutions is more
detailed than that of elementary texts. It is much more concrete
not only for students, but also for teachers. Plot includes
specific elements from beginning of a story to the end but are
labeled more specifically than sequence of events. Below you will
find a brief definition of each part of the plot structure.
Introduction : Specific things we want readers to notice about the
introduction include: who is introduced in the beginning and what
the setting is during the opening of this story. Things we can have
students reflect on after the reading of the text include analysis
of these characters to determine their roles and significance as
well as the importance of any other characters introduced later in
the text. We can have them also consider the importance of the
setting and any changes that occur. Problem: The problem in a text
is a conflict or struggle that the main character(s) is(are)
facing. It can stem from something that the character desperately
wants or could reflect character flaws. The problem in a text
usually comes within the first few pages of a picture book or the
first chapter of a novel. It is this problem that throws the
progression of the rising action into full force. Rising Action:
The major events that move the story forward are the events. This
is the part of the story in which tension is built. Understanding
problem and resolution help a reader determine importance of these
events. We must be careful about having students find three major
events. Putting an exact number on this can give students a false
understanding about what they are to identify. They focus on three
instead of sifting through the information and justifying for
themselves what seems to be critical.
Climax: The climax is the Aha! or turning point of a story. For
students, however, this definition by itself is still intangible.
It is the place in the story where they can find the most critical
event that creates the environment for the resolution. Resolution:
Commonly called the solution, although the definition is really a
bit deeper than the characters problem being solved or going away.
When we as readers can understand this element of plot on a deeper
level, we begin to get a strong sense of the authors message.
Sometimes a problem is solved on a very simplistic scale. This is
reflective of some early reader texts. However, more often than
not, resolution is about coming to terms with a particular conflict
or achieving something that was strongly desired. Stories with good
plot structure include characters who walk away from the story
changed in some manner. They become more aware of themselves and
the relationships they encounter throughout the journey of the
text. Conclusion: The conclusion of a story is the last scene
within the story. It is the final picture we have before the
curtain falls at the end of the performance. There are three basic
types of conclusions: closed, open and cliffhanger. Closed Endings:
These are the endings that give us the warm fuzzy at the end of a
story. There is a definite closure that allows us to leave the book
feeling satisfied with the outcome. Open Endings: A story may end
without a clear feeling of closure. The reader has to infer the
outcomes based on the information given in the book. ?
Cliffhangers: We find these endings at the end of chapters or
novels that will have a sequel. They abruptly end at a very intense
part of the plot, possibly without a clear resolution to entice the
reader to want to read more.
Theme: Universal understandings that authors write about in
their stories. growing up jealousy making friends success fear
siblings romance trickery failure change overcoming injustice power
arrogance death superficial love courage acceptance selfishness
being ordinary moving on family relationships (beginning, ending,
trials within) wealth
Alliteration- repetition of identical consonant sounds. Usually
at the beginnings of words - such as The infamous killer fought for
his freedom, wanting not flesh but retreat. Analogy - a comparison
between two things to show their similarities by comparing
something unfamiliar to something familiar Anecdote- short account
of a true event in a persons life used to raise points, explain
ideas or describe personalities. Antagonist- person or force that
opposes the protagonist Autobiography- story of a persons life
written by that person. A diary is a from that gives day by day
events. Character- person in a literary work static- remains the
same through out the work dynamic- changes due to the influence of
events or other people flat - reveals one personality trait round-
shows a variety of complex and sometimes contradictory traits. foil
- a character that exhibits traits completely opposite of the main
character Literary Terms
Characterization- personality of character and the method the
author uses to create this personality. direct - writer states
facts about the character indirect -character revealed through
physical appearance, the way they move, the way they talk, what
they say and what other characters say about them. Climax- point of
highest tension and excitement in a narrative - the turning point
of the story Colloquial language- everyday language used in
conversation Conflict - struggle between two opposing forces,
center of plot Internal - within a person person vs. self External
- character struggles with an outside force, such as nature, a
person, society, and fate Connotation - all suggested meanings and
associations a word brings to mind beyond its denotation or literal
meaning Literary Terms
Connotation - all suggested meanings and associations a word
brings to mind beyond its denotation or literal meaning Description
- writing that creates an impression of a person, place or thing to
enhance poems, stories, and nonfiction Dialect - type of speech
that differs from the standard form of language, occurring in
pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar Dialogue - conversation
between characters in drama, fiction, non- fiction, epic, or
dramatic poemreveals characters thoughts nd opinions and allows for
interplay of ideas Diary - individuals personal day-by-day account
of impressions of events, may be chronicled in a journal-less
intimate than a diary Diction - choice of words to fit a character,
theme, setting, or subject of a poem, story, essay, or playused to
express what is intended Figurative Language - language not meant
to be interpreted literally, but used in a special way to create a
special effect: analogy, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, simile,
idioms Literary Terms
Flashback - interruption to relate events that occurred
earlier, used in stream of consciousness and conventional
narratives Foreshadowing - use of clues by the author to prepare
reader for events to come Genre - is the French word for the type
of literature biography fables fairy tales fantasy folk tales
historical non-fiction realistic fiction science fiction fiction
legends/myths Imagery- words or phrases that evoke sensory images
in the readers mind, Visual is most common, but others occur.
Interior Monologue- internal speech by a single speaker provided by
the narrator to explain a characters personalities or to reveal
their thoughts. Journal- daily record of events kept by an
individual who is a participant or witness in the events - used toe
learn about people and history Literary Terms
Lead- opening sentences that introduce a piece of writing and
gain the readers attention: the hook Legend- traditional tale,
handed down, that is based on history: King Arthur Mood- emotional
feeling and atmosphere in a work of literature, created by
description, actions of characters, and setting eerie playful tense
mysterious serious exciting sad tumultuous Narrative- writing that
tells a story in chronological order, has evolved into the novel
Narrator- storyteller stated - announced explicitly implied-
revealed indirectly Tone- the attitude the writer expresses towards
the subject ad reader. May be casual, angry, amused or indifferent.
Literary Terms
Narrative Hook - point in the story, novel or play where the
author catches the readers attention by presenting an interesting
problem or situation that begins the conflict Onomatopoeia - words
with sounds that imitate or suggest their meanings: thump, crack
Personification -figure of speech where human traits are given to
inanimate objects, animals or ideas Plot structure in which fiction
is framed around; relates to the struggles the main character goes
through ; begins with introduction , then narrative hook (problem
is announced), rising action, climax, falling action and resolution
, conclusion Point of View - relationship of the narrator to the
story 1st person - story told by one of the characters 3rd person -
story told by someone outside of the story omniscient - told as if
the writer is able to read the minds of all of the characters
Literary Terms
Protagonist - central character of the story who usually
receives the readers sympathies Style - authors choice and
arrangement of words in any kind of writing to convey
individuality, theme and purpose Theme - main idea of story,
usually expressed as a statement about life Literary Terms
