Notes from the stories
Plot Diagram
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
“Charles”
Exposition includes:
Rising Action:
“The Marble Champ”
Climax:
Falling Action:
“The Bet”
Resolution:
Theme:
“All Summer in a
Day”
Point of View
Notes from the stories
Point of view is the perspective
from which the story is told.
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
1st Person
“Charles”
3rd Person
“The Marble Champ”
Omniscient
Limited
“The Bet”
Dialogue
“All Summer in a
Day”
Characterization is the process by which
authors communicate their characters to readers.
In the best stories, characters come alive. We
Care about their dreams, fears, and frustration
Just as if they were real people in our own lives.
Notes from the stories
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
“Charles”
Protagonist:
Antagonist:
Round:
“The Marble Champ”
Flat:
Static:
“The Bet”
Dynamic:
Motive:
“All Summer in a
Day”
Notes from the stories
CONFLICT!
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Conflict provides the tension
and drama that stories are built
upon. It involves the “story
problem” that must be resolved.
“Charles”
Common types of Conflict:
Internal
Person vs. Self
External
“The Marble Champ”
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Nature
“The Bet”
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Unknown
Person vs. Supernatural
“All Summer in a
Day”
Plot Development Techniques
Suspense :
Notes from the stories
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Foreshadowing:
“Charles”
Flashback:
“The Marble Champ”
Tone/Mood:
“The Bet”
“All Summer in a
Day”
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
Notes from the story
_____ 1. What happened first in the plot of the short story?
A. The narrator slipped into the room and turned on the
lantern.
B. The narrator grabbed his chair and banged it on the floor
C. Three police officers appeared at the door.
_____ 2. Which word best characterizes the narrator:
A. generous
B. helpful
C. mad
_____ 3. Because of the author’s style of writing, the story
may be
characterized as a
A. mystery story.
B. love story.
C. tale of horror.
____ 4. Which sentence best tells the theme of the story?
A. A murderer, haunted by his deed, finally confesses to the
crime.
B. When an old man hears a noise in his room at night, he sits
up in
bed listening.
C. Police officers search a house because screams have been
heard.
_____ 5. The first paragraph of the story indicates that the
narrator was
A. in perfect health.
B. suffering from some kind of disease.
C. upset about what he had done.
About the author:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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Vocabulary
resembled:
distinctly:
cunning:
hideous:
“Charles” by Shirley Jackson
Notes from the story
_____ 1. Where is the story set?
A. at the home of Laurie’s teacher
B. in a school gymnasium
C. at Laurie’s home and his school.
About the author:
___________________________________________________
_____ 2. What happened last in the plot of the story?
___________________________________________________
A. Charles was so fresh, he was not permitted to do homework.
B. Laurie’s mother met Laurie’s teacher at the Parent-Teacher meeting.
C. The teacher washed a girl’s mouth out with soap
_____ 3. Which sentence best characterizes Charles.
A. He is high-spirited and wild.
B. He is usually helpful and quiet.
C. He is very concerned about the other children’s feelings.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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_____ 4. Which one of the following best describes the style of the story?
A. It is very suspenseful.
B. It has a great deal of dialogue.
C. It is very poetic.
_____ 5. We may infer that Laurie was
A. looking forward to starting kindergarten.
B. not eager to start kindergarten.
C. one of the best students in the class.
_____ 6. Evidence in the story indicates that Charles
A. often spoke to Laurie at school.
B. made friends with all the students in class.
C. was Laurie.
___________________________________________________
“The Marble Champ” by Gary Soto
Notes from the story
About the author:
____ 1. Who is the main character in the story?
___________________________________________________
A. Mr. Medrano
B. Lupe
C. Rachel
_____ 2. What happened last in the plot of the story?
___________________________________________________
A. The referee stopped the game and asked the onlookers to move back.
B. Lupe beat Alfonso, who was supposed to be a champ.
C. In the privacy of her bedroom, Lupe placed the trophies on her shelf.
_____ 3. What was Lupe’s motive for entering the marbles competition?
A. She wanted to win something- anything, in sports.
B. She hoped that winning would make her more popular at school.
C. Her family forced her to sign up.
_____ 4. Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?
A. If you are really good at something, it is not necessary to put much
effort into it to succeed.
B. A star athlete easily wins a marbles championship..
C. Through determination and practice, a girl who has never done well in
athletics becomes a marbles champion.
___________________________________________________
_____ 5. We may infer that if Lupe had lost the championship, she would
have
A. accepted defeat graciously.
B. complained about the referee.
C. argued with the winner..
_____ 6. Dialogue: Alfonso said of Lupe, “Man, she’s bad!” By this he
meant that she was
A. a terrible player.
B. a poor sport.
C. very good.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Vocabulary:
slivers
reluctantly
entranced
“The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
Notes from the story
_____ 1. Where was the story set?
About the author:
A. in a Russia more than one hundred years ago
B. in the United States
C. in France about twenty years ago
___________________________________________________
_____ 2. What happened last in the plot of the story?
A. A lively argument erupted at a dinner party.
B. The prisoner climbed through a window and ran off.
C. The banker decided to murder the prisoner..
_____ 3. The conflict between the banker and the lawyer arises from?
A. a fight over honor.
B. the fact that they had been rivals since their youth.
C. differences in ideas and values.
_____ 4. Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?
A. A man discovers over a period of time that there are things in life
that are more meaningful than money.
B. To be happy, one must be wealthy.
C. Time passes very slowly if you do not have a radio or television set.
_____ 5. We may infer that the banker
A. told all his friends about the prisoner’s last letter.
B. did not discuss the prisoner’s last letter.
C. gave the lawyer the money.
_____ 6. The banker’s actions at the resolution of the story suggest that he
A. thought that the lawyer was planning to borrow money from him.
B. had lost respect for the lawyer.
C. realized that the prisoner was a nobler and more honorable person than
he.
___________________________________________________
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“All Summer in a Day”
by Ray Bradbury
Notes from the story
About the author:
_____ 1. Where was the story set?
___________________________________________________
A. Venus, some time in the future
___________________________________________________
B. Earth fifty years from now
___________________________________________________
C. the moon at the present time
___________________________________________________
_____ 2. What happened last in the plot of the story?
C. William gave Margot a shove.
_____ 3. The conflict in the story stems from the fact that the children
A. were much older than Margot.
B. were better athletes than Margot.
C. considered Margot to be different from them.
_____ 4. What is the mood of the story?
A. cheerful
B. humorous
C. frightening
_____ 5. In the story, the author, Ray Bradbury, suggests that
A. it is usually bright and sunny on Venus.
B. it rains almost all the time on Venus.
C. the inhabitants of Venus are very happy people.
_____ 6. Clues in the story suggest that the children were
A. jealous of Margot.
B. smarter than Margot.
C. wealthier than Margot.
___________________________________________________
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Vocabulary:
slackened
surged
tumultuously