Analyzing the Structure of Stories

1. Analyzing the Structure of Stories Test Prep Tuesday: March 11

2. Have you ever wondered how authors plan their stories? When authors write, they think about the following: • story or plot structure, or a series of events • the conflict, or problem • the conflict’s resolution • the setting, which is the time and place where the story takes place • the characters

3. Copy the diagram below and define each term underneath the word Setting: Characters: Conflict

4. Pulling it all together... Finally the writer must think about how all of these parts will work together to develop the theme, or message that the writer wants to get across to the reader.

5. Copy the chart below into your notes

6. How do the images and text in the cartoon set up the story’s conflict?

7. Analyzing these details can help you understand the conflict

8. Good readers pay attention to all of the elements of a story as they read. When you read a story, think about how every sentence or paragraph contributes to the setting, plot, or theme. This can help you to avoid missing any of the important points the writer is trying to make.

9. Copy the chart below:

10. A Moose Encounter Jill quietly slipped out of the faded orange tent and into the cool fall air of a Minnesota morning. Though the sun had just begun to rise, she could hear woodland creatures scurrying on the ground. Jill glanced back to make sure her father was still asleep inside. He had told her not to wander around alone, but she had to see a moose. They had been making this camping trip for three years now, and though this was supposed to be moose territory, they had yet to actually see one. Jill was determined to change that. Moving swiftly, she made her way toward the river.

11. A Moose Encounter A short time later, Jill saw a brown animal in the distance, and she held her breath as the creature approached. It was a moose calf! Grinning broadly, Jill began walking toward it, but before she could get very far, a giant female moose appeared out of nowhere and came charging toward her.

12. How does each paragraph help develop the structure of the story? What paragraph includes the climax of the story? Which paragraph contains descriptions of the setting?

13. Copy and complete the chart below:

14. A Moose Encounter (continued) Petrified, Jill could only stare as the animal galloped closer and closer. She knew the worst place to be was between a mother animal and her young, especially an animal as massive as a moose. Suddenly, Jill felt herself being yanked out of the moose's path, and she held on tightly as her father pulled her behind some trees to hide from the moose’s view. They watched as the mother became distracted by her calf, and Jill sighed in relief. Later, when she had finally returned to the safety of the campsite, Jill was full of apologies. “I learned my lesson,” she vowed to her father. “No more moose encounters for me.”

15. Which statement best describes the role the second paragraph plays in the story’s plot? A. It details the story’s turning point, when Jill’s father scolds her B. It presents a new problem that Jill and her father must face C. It shows that Jill has learned to always listen to her father D. It explains how Jill’s father saves her and sets up the resolution

16. Answers to Multiple Choice

17. Question #1 A. Incorrect; the food Brian imagines in the sack may suggest that BRain needs foods, but in the dream Terry points to the fire, suggesting Brian needs fire to survive, not food B. Incorrect; Although seeing Terry make a barbecue might reflect something in Brain’s normal life, it doesn't contribute to eh plot, which is about Brian’s survival C. Incorrect; dreaming about Terry may reveal that Brian is lonely, but it doesn’t contribute to the plot D. Correct; although Brian is puzzled by the dream at first, he realizes that Terry is trying to explain how to make a fire--something he needs to survive

18. Question #2 A. Correct; the story is about Brian’s survival in the wilderness. He needs fire to survive. The description of the rock wall shows how Brian discovers he can strike the wall with his hatchet to make fire B. C. & D. Incorrect; Although they may be true statements about the cave, they are not supported by details in the text

19. Question #3 A. Incorrect; the resolution tells what happens after the conflict is solved, and it hasn’t been solved yet B. Incorrect; the sentence describes the conflict getting better, not worse C. Correct; the climax is the story’s turning point. The rock exploding in fire is a turning point that begins to solve Brian’s problem of needing fire D. Incorrect; the falling action is described after this sentence when Brian realizes he will have a fire in the cave