Warm-Up*
Who do you think is your greatest
competition? A sibling? A friend?
Yourself? Why is that? What factors
create that competiveness?
*Warm-Ups can be completed in a spiral notebook or on
loose-leaf paper; make sure to date each of your entries
Warm-Up*
Do you think teachers understand what is
going on in the lives of their students?
Why or why not?
Elements of a Story
Short Story Vocabulary
 PLOT - The plot is a
planned, logical series of
events having a beginning,
middle, and end.
 A short story usually has one
plot so it can be read in one
sitting, while a play or novel
could have many plots going
on simultaneously.
Short Story Vocabulary
SETTING
 Tells the reader where and when
the story takes place
 place - geographical location
 time - When is the story taking
place? (historical period, time of
day, year, etc)
 weather conditions - Is it rainy,
sunny, stormy, etc?
 social conditions - What is the
daily life of the character's like?
 mood or atmosphere - What
feeling is created at the beginning
of the story?
5 Essential Parts of Plot
 1) EXPOSITION - The beginning of the story
where the characters and the setting is
revealed.
 2) RISING ACTION - This is where the events
in the story become complicated and the conflict
in the story is revealed.
5 Essential Parts of Plot
3) CLIMAX - This is the highest point of interest and the turning
point of the story. Everything changes. This often could be a
final battle or life changing moment for our hero.
The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict
be resolved or not?
 the main character often receives and acts on new
information in the climatic scene
5 Essential Parts of Plot
 4) FALLING ACTION - The events and complications
begin to resolve themselves. The story begins to
wind down.
 5) DENOUEMENT - This is the final resolution or
“happily ever after” in the story.
Short Story Vocabulary
 RESOLUTION – The story’s action after the climax
 THEME - controlling idea or central insight in a piece of
fiction.
 It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is
trying to convey. The main lesson he or she is trying to get
you to learn through the story.
 Often is a statement regarding human nature or life lessons
 Cannot be only one word (“triumph of the underdog”, “love
conquers all”, “don’t be ashamed of who you are”)
Short Story Vocabulary
 CONFLICT - It is the opposition
of forces which ties one incident
to another and makes the plot
move.
 Conflict is essential to plot.
 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.
Conflict
 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.
Short Story Vocabulary
 POINT OF VIEW - 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.
Short Story Vocabulary
 CHARACTER - The person
in a work of fiction.
Two types of characters:
1. PROTAGONIST - character is
clearly central to the story with all
major events having some
importance to this character, the
hero
2. ANTAGONIST - The opposition
to the main character
A Few More…
Tone – The author’s feeling toward a
subject, the characters, the scene, etc.
“He uses a humorous tone when
describing the child”
Mood – The feeling created in the reader
while reading the text, watching the movie,
etc. “That book was really depressing!”
A few more…
 Allusion – a reference to a mythological, literary,
or historical person, place or thing.
“Brad was such a Scrooge. He didn’t like to
give any of his money away to serve other
people in need.”
“Until I see a burning bush I am not going to
make any big decisions”
“Do you think he’s pulling a Tiger Woods?”
The Main Bits
Elements of a Short
Story:
Plot
1. Setting
2. Characterization
Climax
3. Plot
4. Conflict
Rising
Falling
Action
Action
5. Climax
6. Resolution
7. Theme
8. Point of View
Setting
Resolution
9. Tone
Exposition
Denouement
10. Mood
“Be who you were born to be”
What is the common theme?
This movie makes me feel…
 Emotional
 Elated
 Stunned
 Empathic
 Nostalgic
 Entertained
 Sad
What kind of conflict is this?
Is this conflict internal or external?
What type of conflict is this?
Examples of _________
Examples of _____________
Partner Lit Terms Practice
Track though each stage of the plot
chart using a movie / book you both
have seen. What happens in each
scene?
Climax
Rising
Falling
Action
Action
(Setting)
(Resolution)
Exposition
Denouement
On the Back of Your Paper…
 Setting
 Protagonist / Antagonist
 Conflict (internal? external? which kinds?)
 What is the theme?
 What is the mood and tone of the story?
Be prepared to share your plot chart after the test on
Friday