SHOPT STOPY ELEMEMTS

SETTINS -- The fime ond Iocofion in which o sfory fokes pIoce is coIIed fhe
seffing. For some sfories fhe seffing is very imporfonf, whiIe for ofhers if is nof.
There ore severoI ospecfs of o sforys seffing fo consider when exomining how
seffing confribufes fo o sfory (some, or oII, moy be presenf in o sfory):
o) pIuce - geogrophicoI Iocofion. Where is fhe ocfion of fhe sfory foking pIoce7
b) time - When is fhe sfory foking pIoce7 (hisforicoI period, fime of doy, yeor, efc)
c) weuther conditions - Is if roiny, sunny, sformy, efc7
d) sociuI conditions - Whof is fhe doiIy Iife of fhe chorocfers Iike7 Does fhe sfory
confoin IocoI coIour (wrifing fhof focuses on fhe speech, dress, monnerisms, cusfoms,
efc. of o porficuIor pIoce)7
e) mood or utmosphere - Whof feeIing is creofed of fhe beginning of fhe sfory7 Is
if brighf ond cheerfuI or dork ond frighfening7

PLOT -- The pIof is how fhe oufhor orronges evenfs fo deveIop his bosic ideo, If is
fhe sequence of evenfs in o sfory or pIoy. The pIof is o pIonned, IogicoI series of
evenfs hoving o beginning, middIe, ond end. The shorf sfory usuoIIy hos one pIof so if
con be reod in one siffing. There ore five essenfioI porfs of pIof:
o) Introduction - The beginning of fhe sfory where fhe chorocfers ond fhe seffing is reveoIed.
b) Rising Action - This is where fhe evenfs in fhe sfory become compIicofed ond fhe confIicf in
fhe sfory is reveoIed (evenfs befween fhe infroducfion ond cIimox).
c) CIimu - This is fhe highesf poinf of inferesf ond fhe furning poinf of fhe sfory. The reoder
wonders whof wiII hoppen nexf, wiII fhe confIicf be resoIved or nof7
d) FuIIing uction - The evenfs ond compIicofions begin fo resoIve fhemseIves. The reoder knows
whof hos hoppened nexf ond if fhe confIicf wos resoIved or nof (evenfs befween cIimox ond
denouemenf).
e) Denouement - This is fhe finoI oufcome or unfongIing of evenfs in fhe sfory.
If is heIpfuI fo consider cIimox os o fhree-foId phenomenon: I) fhe moin chorocfer receives
new informofion Z) occepfs fhis informofion (reoIi;es if buf does nof necessoriIy ogree wifh if)
3) ocfs on fhis informofion (mokes o choice fhof wiII defermine whefher or nof he/she goins his
objecfive).
CONFLICT-- ConfIicf is essenfioI fo pIof. Wifhouf confIicf fhere is no pIof. If is fhe
opposifion of forces which fies one incidenf fo onofher ond mokes fhe pIof move. ConfIicf is nof
mereIy Iimifed fo open orgumenfs, rofher if is ony form of opposifion fhof foces fhe moin
chorocfer. Wifhin o shorf sfory fhere moy be onIy one cenfroI sfruggIe, or fhere moy be one
dominonf sfruggIe wifh mony minor ones.
There ore fwo fypes of confIicf:
I) EternuI - A sfruggIe wifh o force oufside ones seIf.
Z) InternuI - A sfruggIe wifhin ones seIf, o person musf moke some decision, overcome poin,
quief fheir femper, resisf on urge, efc.
There ore four kinds of confIicf:
I) Mun vs, Mun (physicoI) - The Ieoding chorocfer sfruggIes wifh his physicoI sfrengfh ogoinsf
ofher men, forces of nofure, or onimoIs.
Z) Mun vs, Circumstunces (cIossicoI) - The Ieoding chorocfer sfruggIes ogoinsf fofe, or fhe
circumsfonces of Iife focing him/her.
3) Mun vs, Society (socioI) - The Ieoding chorocfer sfruggIes ogoinsf ideos, procfices, or
cusfoms of ofher peopIe.
4) Mun vs, HimseIf/HerseIf (psychoIogicoI) - The Ieoding chorocfer sfruggIes wifh
himseIf/herseIf, wifh his/her own souI, ideos of righf or wrong, physicoI Iimifofions, choices,
efc.
CHARACTER -- There ore fwo meonings for fhe word chorocfer:
I) The person in o work of ficfion.
Z) The chorocferisfics of o person.
Persons in u work of fiction - Antugonist und Protugonist
Shorf sfories use few chorocfers. One chorocfer is cIeorIy cenfroI fo fhe sfory wifh oII mojor
evenfs hoving some imporfonce fo fhis chorocfer - he/she is fhe PPOTA0OMIST. The opposer
of fhe moin chorocfer is coIIed fhe AMTA0OMIST.
The Churucteristics of u Person -
In order for o sfory fo seem reoI fo fhe reoder ifs chorocfers musf seem reoI.
Chorocferi;ofion is fhe informofion fhe oufhor gives fhe reoder obouf fhe chorocfers
fhemseIves. The oufhor moy reveoI o chorocfer in severoI woys:
o) his/her physicoI oppeoronce
b) whof he/she soys, fhinks, feeIs ond dreoms
c) whof he/she does or does nof do
d) whof ofhers soy obouf him/her ond how ofhers reocf fo him/her
Chorocfers ore convincing if fhey ore: consisfenf, mofivofed, ond Iife-Iike (resembIe reoI
peopIe)
Churucters ure,,,
I. IndividuuI - round, mony sided ond compIex personoIifies.
Z. DeveIoping - dynomic, mony sided personoIifies fhof chonge, for beffer or worse, by fhe end
of fhe sfory.
3. Stutic - Sfereofype, hove one or fwo chorocferisfics fhof never chonge ond ore emphosi;ed
e.g. briIIionf defecfive, drunk, scrooge, crueI sfepmofher, efc.
POINT OF VIEW
Poinf of view, or p.o.v., is defined os fhe ongIe from which fhe sfory is foId.
I. Innocent Eye - The sfory is foId fhrough fhe eyes of o chiId (his/her judgmenf being
differenf from fhof of on oduIf) .
Z. Streum of Consciousness - The sfory is foId so fhof fhe reoder feeIs os if fhey ore inside
fhe heod of one chorocfer ond knows oII fheir fhoughfs ond reocfions.
3. First Person - The sfory is foId by fhe profogonisf or one of fhe chorocfers who inferocfs
cIoseIy wifh fhe profogonisf or ofher chorocfers (using pronouns I, me, we, efc). The reoder
sees fhe sfory fhrough fhis persons eyes os he/she experiences if ond onIy knows whof he/she
knows or feeIs.
4. Omniscient- The oufhor con norrofe fhe sfory using fhe omniscienf poinf of view. He con
move from chorocfer fo chorocfer, evenf fo evenf, hoving free occess fo fhe fhoughfs, feeIings
ond mofivofions of his chorocfers ond he infroduces informofion where ond when he chooses.
There ore fwo moin fypes of omniscienf poinf of view:
o) Omniscient Limited - The oufhor feIIs fhe sfory in fhird person (using pronouns fhey, she,
he, if, efc). We know onIy whof fhe chorocfer knows ond whof fhe oufhor oIIows him/her fo feII
us. We con see fhe fhoughfs ond feeIings of chorocfers if fhe oufhor chooses fo reveoI fhem fo
us.
b) Omniscient Obgective - The oufhor feIIs fhe sfory in fhe fhird person. If oppeors os fhough
o comero is foIIowing fhe chorocfers, going onywhere, ond recording onIy whof is seen ond
heord. There is no commenf on fhe chorocfers or fheir fhoughfs. Mo inferprefofions ore
offered. The reoder is pIoced in fhe posifion of specfofor wifhouf fhe oufhor fhere fo expIoin.
The reoder hos fo inferpref evenfs on his own.

THEME -- The fheme in o piece of ficfion is ifs confroIIing ideo or ifs cenfroI insighf. If is
fhe oufhors underIying meoning or moin ideo fhof he is frying fo convey. The fheme moy be fhe
oufhors fhoughfs obouf o fopic or view of humon nofure. The fifIe of fhe shorf sfory usuoIIy
poinfs fo whof fhe wrifer is soying ond he moy use vorious figures of speech fo emphosi;e his
fheme, such os: symboI, oIIusion, simiIe, mefophor, hyperboIe, or irony.
Some simpIe exompIes of common fhemes from Iiferofure, TV, ond fiIm ore:
- fhings ore nof oIwoys os fhey oppeor fo be
- Love is bIind
- 8eIieve in yourseIf
- PeopIe ore ofroid of chonge
- Donf judge o book by ifs cover
Elements of a Story is an interactive Web site where students can learn about diIIerent literary "ingredients" that
make up a story. AIter watching and listening to an interactive version oI "Cinderella," students will learn about
various elements that are common to all stories: setting, characters, plot, exposition, conIlict, climax, and
resolution.

This site Ieatures an interactive explanation oI each literary element, which is then Iollowed by a series oI
activities to enhance students' understanding. Students will be asked to put plot developments into the correct
order, select appropriate settings and characters, and sort events and exposition.
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According to the National Council oI Teachers oI English (NCTE), all students should have the opportunities
and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue liIe's goals and to participate Iully as inIormed
and productive members oI society. In order to develop these skills, students should engage in a variety oI
activities, including:
O reading a wide range oI print and non-print texts to build an understanding oI texts, oI themselves, and
oI the cultures oI the United States and the world. Among these texts are Iiction, nonIiction, historic,
classic, and contemporary works.
O applying a wide range oI strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. Students
will draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge oI
word meaning and oI other texts, their word identiIication strategies, and their understanding oI textual
Ieatures (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
O using a variety oI technological and inIormational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer
networks, video) to gather and synthesize inIormation and to create and communicate knowledge.
Elements of a Story has been created with these standards and activities in mind. AIter completing this
interactive, students will be able to:
O identiIy literary elements and plot components oI a Iamiliar Iolk tale;
O describe the diIIerent literary elements oI a story, including characters, setting, and sequence oI events;
O deIine literary plot components, including exposition, conIlict, climax, and resolution.
For grades 2-5, the Elements of a Story interactive will help teachers assess what the student needs to
understand in order to write a complete story, as well as assess the student's level oI comprehension when
reading a story. The Iirst step in understanding what is read is to understand what plot is. Elements oI a Story
will teach students these literary elements and reach out to auditory and visual learners as well.

To assess what the students have learned, students will write their own short story and then map each part Ior
the literary elements. Then they will be partnered with a classmate to peer review each other's stories.