Elements of Fiction
Language Arts
7th Grade
Objectives: After viewing the presentation,
students will be able to understand, recognize
and define the five elements of fiction.*
*Ohio Academic Content Standard: Students will be able to define characteristics of literary forms
and genres, including poetry, drama, myths, biographies, autobiographies,
science fiction, fiction and non-fiction.
Follow the directions on each of the slides, they will
guide you through the process of learning and
understanding the five elements of fiction.
Pay close attention to the information on the slides;
at the end of the presentation there will be an
assessment of what you learned!
After completing this Power Point presentation and
the assessment, you will be able to understand,
recognize and define the five elements of fiction!
What is fiction?
The dictionary tells us that fiction is a
story,
novel
or any piece of writing
that is made up or imagined by the author.
Some famous works of fiction are...
Harry Potter
Ink Heart
A Wrinkle in
Time Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Holes
The Outsiders
There are five elements which make up a
fictional story:
1. Plot
3. Setting
2.
Characte
4. Point of View
r
5. Theme
Click on each of the elements in order to learn more
about them!
Elements of Fiction Homepage
Click on each of the elements in order (from 1 to 5) to
learn more about them!
1. Plot
2.
3. Setting 4.Characte
Point of View
r
5. Theme
When you are finished learning about all of the elements click here
to take the quiz!
Plot

or
What's it all about?
The plot is the action of the story!
The plot Consists of a sequence of events with a
beginning, middle and end.

The plot helps the readers understand the events of the
story in a logical order.


There are five essential parts to a plot:
1. Introduction
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Denouement
Click the arrow to
learn more about
the five essential
parts of a plot!
Five Parts of a Plot
1.Exposition
(Introduction):
The beginning of the story
where characters and
setting are revealed.
4. Falling
action:
The events and
complications
begin to resolve
themselves. The
reader knows
what has
happened next
and if the
conflict was
resolved or not
(events between
climax and
denouement).
2. Rising Action:
Where the events in the story
become complicated and the
conflict in the story is
revealed (events between
introduction and climax).
3. Climax:
The highest point of
interest and usually the
turning point of the story.
Readers are left wondering
what will happen next and
whether or not the conflict
will be resolved.
5. Resolution
(Denouement):
This is the final
outcome or
resolution of the
story's events.
Click on the circular arrow
to head back to the
Elements of Fiction
homepage!
Character or Who's in the story?
Characters in fiction can be animals, people or any made
up thing! They can be any kind of personage whose
actions (good, bad or neutral) somehow add to the story.

There are as many different types of characters in
fiction as there are people in the world! The following
are some of the most common types of characters in
fiction:

Round

Flat
Dynamic

Static
Protagonists

Antagonists

Click the arrow to
learn more about the
different types of
characters in fiction!
Types
of
Characters
Static:

Dynamic:

Characters who
change significantly
(for better or worse)
throughout the
course of the story.
Changes may include
personal values,
attitudes, insight or
outlook on life.
However, all changes
must reflect a change
in self (i.e. not
physical).
Protagonist:

The main character
of the story; the
character around
whom much of the
story's plot revolves.
Protagonists are
often the heroes of
fictional stories.
Characters who
do not change
significantly
throughout course
of the story. They
are essentially the
same character at
the end of the
story as they were
at the beginning.
Round:


Flat:
Characters who
lack deep
personalities,
which are often
described as
having only one or
two sides, just like
a coin (flat with
only two sides).
Characters who are
complex and have
many sides of their
personalities. Their
personalities are
deep and imitate
qualities found in real
people.
Antagonist:

A character or group of
characters who represent
the Protagonist's
opposition; these
characters try to keep the
protagonist from
accomplishing his or her
objectives. Often times
antagonists are seen as
villains of fictional stories.
Click on the circular
arrow to head back to the
Elements of Fiction
homepage!
Setting or Where's the story taking place?
The setting is the time and place in which the action of the story
occurs.


The setting of a story can include:
Time Period
Type of building or room
Weather
Location
Season
Who is present
Setting also helps to create the atmosphere or mood of the
story.

Atmosphere/Mood: The feeling of the
story. Is it happy, bright and sunny? Is
it scary, dark and nighttime? The mood
of a story tells us a lot about what the
piece has in store for us.
Click on the circular
arrow to head back to
the Elements of Fiction
homepage!
Point of View or Who's telling the story?
Point of View refers to the narrator and his or her
relationship to the story.


Types of Point of View include:
First Person
Second Person
Third Person Limited
Omniscient
When determining the Point of View of a story, ask
yourself these questions:

1. What does the narrator
know? What doesn't the
narrator know?
2. How does the
narrator refer to the
characters? Do they
say I? You? He?
Click on the arrow to
learn more about
different types of Point
of Views in Fiction!
Types of Point of View
Second Person:

First Person:

The narrator is one
of the characters
of the story. Uses
“I” or “We” in the
guiding narration.
This point of view
is often limited
strictly to knowing
only the feelings
and actions of the
narrator.
This point of view is
very rarely used.
The narrator tells the
story to another
character or the
reader using “You” as
a direct address.
Third Person Limited:

The narrator reveals the
thoughts of only one character,
and refers to that character as
“He” or “She”. This Point of
View shares the same
restrictions as First Person,
but in this case, the narrator is
not necessarily a character.
Omniscient:

The narrator
knows all
feelings,
thoughts and
impressions of
all characters
and events. This
Point of View is
like an all seeing
eye, it knows
everything; it is
unlimited in its
knowledge of the
story's
happenings.
Click on the
circular arrow to
head back to the
Elements of
Fiction
homepage!
Theme or What's the author's purpose?
The theme in a work of fiction is the purpose, moral or
lesson the author wants to share with the reader.

The theme can also be thought of as the main idea of
the story; the story ideas writers have before they
write are developed around a theme which includes
specific messages they want to reveal to readers.

There are sometimes more than just one theme
throughout the work, other times, there is only the
one. It all depends on what the author wants to
convey to his or her readers.

Click on the circular
arrow to head back
to the Elements of
Fiction homepage!
Time to put your knowledge to the test!
Question One:
There are five essential parts to a plot...
Introduction, _____ Action, Climax, ______ Action, Denouement.
Which answers correctly fill in the blank spaces? Click on the
answer you believe is correct.
A. Rising/Falling
B. Growing/Leaving
C. Going/Coming
D. Up/Down
Way to go! You answered correctly!
Time for the next question...
Question Two:
Which Element of Fiction refers to the narrator and his
or her relationship to the story?
Click on the answer you believe is correct.
A. Plot
B. Character
C. Point of View
D. Theme
Awesome job! You picked the right answer!
Let's see if you can end on a good streak...
Question Three:
A character who does not change significantly throughout the
course of a story would be described as which type of
character?
Click on the answer you believe is correct.
A. Round Character
B. Protagonist
C. Static Character
D. Antagonist
Congratulations!
You made it through the quiz and you did awesome!
You may now consider yourself a pro at
recognizing the Elements of Fiction! Keep up the
good work! Take your knowledge and apply it to
all you read.
Oops! You chose the wrong answer.
You might want to review the information on
Plots before you try Question One again.
Click this arrow to go
back and review the
material on Plots!
Click this arrow to
try answering
Question One again.
Oops! You chose the wrong answer.
You might want to review the information on
the Elements of Fiction before you try again.
Click this arrow to go
back and review the
Elements of Fiction
material!
Click this arrow to
try answering
Question Two again.
Oops! You chose the wrong answer.
You might want to review the information on
Characters before you try answering Question
Three again.
Click this arrow to go
back and review the
material on Characters!
Click this arrow to
try answering
Question Three
again.