 Setting
 Characters
 Conflict
 Plot
 Point
of View
 Tone
 Mood
 Theme
 Where
it takes place
 When it takes place—time of day, season, era
We left the home place
behind, mile by slow mile, heading
 To create a mood or
for the mountains, across the prairie
atmosphere
where the wind blew forever.
At first there were four of us
 To show a reader a
one horse wagon and its skimpy
different way of life with
load. Pa and I walked, because I
was a big boy of eleven. My two
 To make action
little sisters romped and trotted
seem more real
until they got tired and had to be
boosted up to the wagon bed.
 To be the source of
That was no covered
conflict or struggle
Conestoga, like Pa’s folks came West
 To symbolize an idea in, but just an old farm wagon,
drawn by one weary horse, creaking
and rumbling westward to the
mountains, toward the little woods
town where Pa thought he had an
old uncle who owned a little two-bit
sawmill.
Taken from “The Day the Sun Came Out” by D.
Johnson
Characters
are the people
in the story.
A writer reveals what a character is like and how
the character changes throughout the story.
 Two primary methods of characterization:
Direct- writer tells what the character is like

ex. He is tall.
Indirect- when the reader infers character traits
ex. He had to duck to enter through the
door, so his head wouldn’t hit the doorjam.
…And
I don’t play the dozens or
believe in standing around with
somebody in my face doing a lot of
talking. I much rather just knock you
down and take my chances even if I’m a
little girl with skinny arms and a squeaky
voice, which is how I got the name
Squeaky.
From “Raymond’s Run” by T. Bambara
The old man bowed to all of
us in the room. Then he
removed his hat and gloves,
slowly and carefully. Chaplin
once did that in a picture, in a
bank--he was the janitor.
From “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by J. Sedillo
A writer reveals what a character is like and how
the character changes throughout the story.
 Four primary types of character:
 Flat- reveals only one or two traits.
 Round- reveals varied and sometimes
contradictory traits.
 Static- Do not change
 Dynamic- Change throughout the story to
gain a higher understanding of life.

 Are
one dimensional. Good guy =Hero
 Have
many sides to them; complex
 Many traits
 Never
change
 Change
during the story
 Main character
 Emotions
are
temporary.
 Emotions are
feelings, reactions
to situations and
people.
 Happy,
sad,
frustrated, jealous,
tired etc.
 Traits
are
permanent.
 Traits are physical
and personality.
 One’s trait can
dictate their
emotions.
 Tall,
intelligent,
resourceful,
volatile, negative,
wacky, daring,
impulsive, cautious
etc.
 Name
the four types of characters
Superman
Flat
Santa
Professor Snape
Static
Types of
Characters
Dynamic
Edward, Bella
Round
Fall into one of these three
categories…
 Protagonist
 Antagonist
 Foil
Main
character
Opposition
Protagonist
of
Character
who provides
contrast to Protagonist
Physical appearance of character
 Personality
 Background/personal history
 Motivation
 Relationships
 Conflict
 Does character change?

 Sequence
of events
 Give Structure
Exposition
Rising
Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Beginning
of the
story
“Once upon a time”
Introduced
to characters,
setting and major conflict
Sets
up conflict
Builds tension
Turning
point
Major shift/change occurs
Helps to show
the theme
Wrapping
up story
Immediately after climax
Point
of closure
Ending
Theme is often stated
 Where
does each
part fit?
 A.
Rising Action
 B. Falling Action
 C. Climax
 D. Exposition
 A.
Rising Action
 B. Exposition
 C. Climax
 D. Falling Action
 A.
Climax
 B. Ending
 C. Beginning
 D. Builds tension
 A.
Falling action
 B. Climax
 C. Rising Action
 D. Exposition
Conflict
a fight.
is more than just
 Two
humans in confrontation
 Internal
conflict, struggle
 Facing
the elements or animals
 Going
against social norms
 Central
concept
 Author’s observation
Vantage
text
point of the
As
if you are telling a
story
I, me, my
Story
told from an
observer
See, Hear
He, she, her, him
Sees
into the mind of a
character
Told
by a person who
knows everything about
everyone in the story.
Hints
or clues on what’s
to come
Contrast
between what
appears true and what
really is.
Verbal
Situational
Dramatic
What
is said vs. what is
meant
Something
surprising
occurs; opposite of what’s
expected
Reader
knows something the
characters don’t know
 Author’s
attitude toward a subject
 Author’s
attitude
 Pessimism
 Optimism
 Bitterness
 Joyful
 Humorous
 Earnestness
* The feeling or climate of a story, as felt by
the reader
 Setting
 Objects
 Details
 Images
 Words
Influence the Mood
Language
that goes
beyond literal meaning
 comparison
as
of two unlike things using like or
Implied
comparison of two
things
“Juliet is the sun”
 Exaggerated
terms
 “I read it a million times!”
 Words
that mimic sounds
 BANG!
POW!
 Reference
to literature, history or art
 Helps
the reader to make connections to
form a deeper understanding.
 They
are like Romeo and Juliet.
 Like Cain did Able.
 Repeated
initial sound:
 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
 Giving
inanimate objects human traits.
 What can people do that things cannot?
 Think, laugh, breathe, sigh, yawn, giggle,
scream, yell, retort, flirt…
 The
butterfly flirted with the flower.
A symbol is when an object, color, number or
name represents another idea; symbols help us
to figure out the theme.