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| Overview |
 There’s more to plot than identifying the series of events in a story. After viewing
a PowerPoint presentation on plot structure, students identify the significant
events that shape the structure of a familiar fairy tale, “Jack and the
Beanstalk,” using an online graphic
organizer. Students then read short stories as a whole class, in small groups,
and, finally, individually, analyzing the plot of three different short stories
using an online graphic organizer to diagram the structures.
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| From Theory to Practice |
As Carol Jago explains, “It’s easy to ‘teach’ literary
terminology and
devise quizzes on the terms, but to make the language
of literature useful to readers, students need
to practice using academic vocabulary in ways that
deepen their understanding of how stories work” (51). Emphasizing
the connection between reading and writing, this lesson combines collaborative,
small-group, and individual learning activities using literature circles and
group investigations, as suggested by Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar, to
give students the opportunity to apply the literary terminology related to
plot structures to short stories that they read together and individually.
Further Reading
Daniels, Harvey, and Marilyn Bizar. 1998. Methods That Matter. York, Maine: Stenhouse.
Jago, Carol. “Stop
Pretending and Think about Plot.” Voices
from the Middle 11.4 (May 2004): 50-51.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- review the characteristics of plot.
- work in whole class, cooperative groups,
and individually to read short stories.
- demonstrate an understanding of plot structure by analyzing a several short
stories.
- use Plot Diagram interactive as prewriting activity for essay tracing
plot structure in a short story.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Introduce students to plot structure, using the Elements of Plot PowerPoint
Presentation (see notes on the slides).
- Work as class to create plot
pyramid for “Jack in the BeanStalk.” While this may seem elementary, fairy tales are frequently used at the secondary
level to help students more easily see plot structure. Students can also work
in small groups in the computer lab. If Internet access is limited, the teacher
can read aloud the tale, students can brainstorm events, and the class can
diagram the plot on the board or on paper.
- As a class, read “The
Flowers” by Alice Walker (or short story of choice).
- Ask students to brainstorm the significant events in the story. As students
make suggestions, write the events on the board.
- When students finish making suggestions, review the list. Ask students to
look for any items which have been omitted or items which should be combined.
- Discuss the difference between significant events and the other events in
the story. Remind students of the information from the Elements of Plot
PowerPoint Presentation, particularly the connections between the plot
and the conflict in the story.
- Display the Reader’s
Guide to Understanding Plot Development and
work as a group to structure the events into the specific plot structures.
- As a class, arrange the events of the plot, using the Plot
Diagram Student Interactive, and discussing the literary terms of exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Session Two
- Review the literary terms from the previous session, including plot, exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
- Answer any questions that students have regarding the elements.
- Divide students into groups of three each. In small groups ask students to
read “Marigolds” by
Eugenia Collier.
- When groups have finished exploring the stories, ask them to work through
the story, identifying the significant events using the Reader’s
Guide to Understanding Plot Development.
- Next, have groups arrange the significant events as they relate to the plot
structures of exposition and so forth by completing the Plot
Diagram Student Interactive.
- Ask groups to print the plot diagram and share with class.
- Compare the diagrams completed by the groups, looking for similarities and
differences. Ask students to explain the decisions that they made as they completed
the diagram.
- If there are significant differences among groups’ diagrams, ask students
to account for the differences—are the differences supportable? can the
story have more than one climax, depending upon the reader’s perspective?
- For homework or in the time remaining, ask students to assess and reflect
upon their group work by completing a reflective journal entry in response
to the Reflective
Journal Instructions.
Session Three
- Ask students to refer to their Reflective Journal responses and
share any observations or questions that they recorded as they reflected on
their group exploration.
- Review the literary terms from the previous session, including
plot, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
- Answer
any questions that students have regarding the elements.
- Individually, ask students to each choose and read a short story.
- After they finish reading, ask students to work through the story, identifying
the significant events using the Reader’s
Guide to Understanding Plot Development.
- Next, have students arrange the significant events of the
plot structures by completing the Plot
Diagram Student Interactive.
- Students print plot diagram, share with class, and post on bulletin boards.
- Again, compare the diagrams completed by the groups, looking for similarities
and differences.
- Look for plots that show significant differences. For instance, some
stories have a long rising action and then a very short, fast falling action
after the climax. Other plots may follow Aristotle’s unified structure
with rising and falling actions of similar length.
- Discuss the differences among the structures, asking students to consider
how the differences in the structure relate to the kind of story and its
theme.
Session Four
- Using the printouts from the Plot
Diagram Student Interactive created in the previous session, ask students
to write a paper that analyzes the plot of
the story that they chose and read.
- Share the Writing Rubric with students and discuss the requirements
for the paper.
- Discuss the difference between a paper that analyzes plot and one that
summarizes the story. The plot is composed of the cause-and-effect events that
explain why the story happens. Summary includes all the events without any
attention to how the story events lead to the story’s conclusion or support
the story’s theme.
- If students need reinforcement of the difference, remind
students that plot focuses on the significant events in the story.
- During the remainder of the session, students can begin work on their essays,
sharing with peers as desired. Circulate among students providing support as
they work.
- Collect assignments at the end of the session, or if desired, allow students
additional time to work on the papers and collect them during a later session.
Web Resources
- Genre Study: The Short Story
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/course/course1/unit/shortstory.shtml
- Glencoe’s interactive exercise invites students to arrange plot elements
in “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
- The Elements of Plot Development
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/literature/read/plot1.html
- This site explains basic types of literary plot.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Review the reflective journal entries that students write in response
to the Reflective Journal Instructions to gauge their understanding
of plot structures during Session Two. Ideally, review these entries before
Session Three so that you can identify any concepts that need more exploration.
Read both for specific details that indicate that students understand and can
define the literary terms covered in the first session and for students’
tone as an indication of their confidence in their knowledge.
Assess the final essay students compose using the Writing Rubric. Focus
your attention on evidence that students understand the difference between summarizing
the story and its analyzing plot. Additionally ensure that students understand
the key literary terms introduced during the lesson (exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action, resolution). |
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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