Today’s Warm-Up
• Study the action and dialogue in each comic
strip panel.
• Look for clues that would help you
determine the correct order of the panels.
• Arrange your comic strip panels in order.
Today’s Warm-Up
How the Action Unfolds in a Story
Today’s Standards
LA.6.2.1.2
Students will locate and analyze the
elements of plot structure, including
exposition, setting, character
development, rising/falling action,
conflict/resolution, and theme.
Today’s Learning Goals
• Recognize how plot structure helps
readers understand the action in a story.
• Identify the five stages of a plot:
– Exposition
– Rising Action
– Climax
– Falling Action
– Resolution
Out of Order?
The Story Lady was on her way to
the library when she dropped all of
her pages.
She tried to pick them up
and put them in order.
She was in a hurry and
may have made mistakes.
Out of Order?
therewith
was an evil queen, so
Snow White foundOnce
a cottage
jealous
her stepchild’s beauty
He couldn’t do it,seven
so hedwarfs
told her
living
there.ofThey
she
ordered the girl killed.
about the queen’s
evilshe
plan.
Hestaythat
said
could
with
them.
warned her not to return home.
Out of Order?
therewith
was an evil queen, so
Snow White foundOnce
a cottage
jealous
her stepchild’s beauty
He couldn’t do it,seven
so hedwarfs
told her
living
there.ofThey
she
ordered the girl killed.
about the queen’s
evilshe
plan.
Hestaythat
said
could
with
them.
warned her not to return home.
Out of Order?
• If the events in a story are told out of
order, they don’t make sense.
• Every story follows a pattern, a specific
sequence of events.
• In elementary school, you probably
learned that the usual story sequence is:
beginning, middle, and end.
Sequence of Events
BEGINNING
END
Sequence of Events
A more sophisticated way to discuss how
events occur in a story is to talk about the
story’s plot.
Copy this definition :
Plot – The series of events in a story.
Stages of a Plot
Think of plot structure as a mountain.
Stages of a Plot
Most plots have five stages, detailed in the
plot diagram below.
Climax
Rising Action
Exposition
Falling Action
Resolution
Stages of Plot
Copy this definition :
Exposition – introduces the
story’s characters, setting, and
basic situation.
Exposition
Stages of Plot
Copy this definition :
Rising Action – events that
develop and build the conflict;
increase reader interest.
Rising Action
Exposition
Stages of Plot
Copy this definition :
Climax – the turning point;
where tension is the greatest
Climax
Rising Action
Exposition
Stages of a Plot
Copy this definition :
Falling Action – events that
result from the decision or
action of the climax
Climax
Rising Action
Exposition
Falling Action
Stages of a Plot
Copy this definition :
Resolution – the final
outcome in the story Climax
Rising Action
Exposition
…And they
Falling Action
lived happily
ever after.
Resolution
Guided Practice
Once upon a time there was a frog.
One day when he was sitting on his
lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess
sitting by the pond. He hopped in the
water, swam over to her, and poked his
head out of the weeds.
“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he
said in his most sad and pathetic voice.
“I wonder if you could help me.”
(Continued)
Guided Practice
The princess was about to jump up
and run, but she felt sorry for the frog
with the sad and pathetic voice.
She asked, “What can I do to help
you little frog?”
“Well,” said the frog, “I’m not really
a frog, but a handsome prince who was
turned into a frog by a wicked witch’s
spell. The spell can only be broken by
the kiss of a beautiful princess.”
(Continued)
Guided Practice
The princess thought about this for a
second, then lifted the frog from the pond
and kissed him – right on his warty, green
frog lips.
“I was just kidding,” said the frog.
The frog jumped back into the pond
and the princess wiped the frog slime off
her mouth.

Guided Practice
Once upon a time there was a frog.
One day when he was sitting on his
lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess
sitting by the pond. He hopped in the
water, swam over to her, and poked his
head out of the weeds.
“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he
said in his most sad and pathetic voice.
“I wonder if you could help me.”
(Continued)
Guided Practice
Once upon a time there was a frog.
One day when he was sitting on his
lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess
sitting by the pond. He hopped in the
water, swam over to her, and poked his
head out ofExposition
the weeds.
• Introduces
the characters
“Pardon
me, beautiful
princess,” he
(frog
and
princess)
said in his most
sad
and
pathetic voice.
• Introduces the setting
“I wonder if you
could
help
me.”
(once upon a time, pond)
(Continued)
Guided Practice
Once upon a time there was a frog.
One day when he was sitting on his
lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess
Conflict
sitting by
the pond. He hopped in the
The frog
says
he needs
help his
water, swam
over
to her,
and poked
head out of the weeds.
“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he
said in his most sad and pathetic voice.
“I wonder if you could help me.”
(Continued)
Guided Practice
The princess
about to jump up
Risingwas
Action
Thefelt
princess
discovers
the
and run, but• she
sorry for
the frog
frog’s
problem
with the sad and
pathetic
voice.
She asked, “What can I do to help
you little frog?”
“Well,” said the frog, “I’m not really
a frog, but a handsome prince who was
turned into a frog by a wicked witch’s
spell. The spell can only be broken by
the kiss of a beautiful princess.”
(Continued)
Guided Practice
The princess thought about this for a
second, then lifted the frog from the pond
and kissed him – right on his warty, green
frog lips.
“I was just kidding,” said the frog.
The frogRising
jumpedAction
back into the pond
• The
princess
discovers
and the princess
wiped
the frog
slimethe
off
frog’s problem.
her mouth.
• She decides to help him.

Guided Practice
The princess thought about this for a
second, then lifted the frog from the pond
and kissed him – right on his warty, green
frog lips.
“I was just kidding,” said the frog.
The frog jumped back into the pond
and the princess wiped the frog slime off
Climax
her mouth. The frog reveals the truth.

Guided Practice
The princess thought about this for a
second, then lifted the frog from the pond
and kissed
him –Action
right on his warty, green
Falling
frog lips.
The frog makes a quick getaway.
“I was just kidding,” said the frog.
The frog jumped back into the pond
and the princess wiped the frog slime off
her mouth.

Guided Practice
The princess thought about this for a
Resolution
second,
then lifted the frog from the pond
• The frog goes back to life as usual.
and kissed
him
– rightdeals
on his
warty,
green
• The
princess
with
the fact
frog lips.that she kissed a frog.
“I was just kidding,” said the frog.
The frog jumped back into the pond
and the princess wiped the frog slime off
her mouth.

Stages of a Plot
Let’s map the story on a plot diagram.
Climax:
The frog reveals
Rising Action:
the truth.
Falling Action:
The princess
Climax The frog makes a
learns the frog’s
quick getaway.
problem and
Resolution:
Rising
Action
decides to help.
Falling
Action
Frog
gets
on with
Exposition:
life, while the
A frog and a princess
princess deals
meet at a pond. The
with kissing him.
frog
has a problem.
Exposition
Conflict:
The frog says he needs help.
Resolution
Individual Assignment
• Read “The School Play” by Gary Soto
(page 24).
• Identify its parts of plot.
• Create a plot diagram like the ones we
working on together in class.
• If you need help, look at the example and
definitions on pages 22-23.