To start with, I expect
for your notes
for my class to be
CORNELL NOTES, which
means that they follow
a specific format.
… so how do we do that?
To start with, you need to set up your
lined notebook paper the right way:
FIRST, we fold the paper.
There is one 2 ½ inch column (it’s okay to estimate) on the
LEFT side, and a second larger column on the RIGHT side.
When we write, we will
need to have a small space
at the top for your HEADER
and TITLE and a 2 inch
space at the bottom for
your SUMMARY.
Now, add your HEADING and TITLE at the top.
NAME
DATE
PERIOD
TITLE OF YOUR NOTES GOES HERE
Now, we will take notes on the
CONTENT in the RIGHTHAND column,
using telegraphic sentences:
Telegraphic sentences means:
a. Key words only
b. Omit unnecessary words
c. Ignore rules of grammar
For example, if I say “The young boy in the story
likes to eat fruit, especially bananas and cherries.”
you might write:
Boy eats fruit – bananas/cherries.
After class, you will go back and write
questions on the LEFTHAND side of
your paper to correspond with your
notes.
Questions help to:
a) Clarify meaning
b) Establish continuity
(help you to make connections between material)
c) Strengthen your memory.
… they also help you prepare for tests and quizzes!
You will also go back and write a
SUMMARY at the bottom of the page.
This will help you to
RECALL what you have
learned later on.
You’re NOT FINISHED!
RECITE (cover the right side, ask yourself the
questions, answer them aloud)
REFLECT (ask yourself… why is this important?)
REVIEW (spend 10 minutes a week to review all
of your notes)
Now…
We’re going to review
Structural Elements of Plot 
Remember, you are expected to use CORNELL
NOTES… go ahead and take out a sheet of
paper and get it set up.
Use your sample paper if you need it as a
reminder!
Today’s Standard
Reading Standard 3.2
Evaluate the structural elements of the plot (for
example, subplots, parallel episodes, climax), the
plot’s development, and the way in which conflicts
are (or are not) addressed and resolved.
Review: Elements of Plot
Climax
(Highest Point of Suspense)
Complications
(Additional Obstacles
Faced by Characters)
Conflict
(Character’s Problem)
Basic Situation
(Who are the characters
and what is their situation)
Resolution
(How Conflicts Are Resolved,
Loose Ends Are Tied Up)
Subplots:
Plots that are part of the larger story but are not
as important.
The prefix sub- means “under” or “less
important than.”
Example: In William Shakespeare’s play A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, the major plot involves
the couples of Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and
Demetrius but there are also several subplots.
These include the struggles of the acting troupe
and Titania and Oberon’s feud.
Parallel Episodes:
Repeated scenes. The storyteller repeats the
main outline of an episode several time within a
work.
Example: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream
William Shakespeare presents several parallel
episodes of mixed up love: Hermia and Demetrius,
Helena and Lysander, Titania and the ass, Bottom
and Titania.
The author gives the same storyline in similar
parallel forms.
Summarizing a Plot:
Most plots can be summarized by using a strategy
called somebody wanted but so.
Somebody is the main character(s).
Wanted is what that character(s) want.
But means the complications that develop that make it
harder for the character(s) to get what he/ she wants.
So is how it all works out in the end.
Example: Lysander and Hermia want to get married but are
forbidden by her father so they are forced to run away into
a forest where their love gets all mixed up, but things work
out in the end and they are finally allowed to marry each
other.
Conflict:
External Conflict: The character struggles against outside
forces. Can you think of some examples?
Internal Conflict: The character struggles with some conflict
or emotional turmoil inside of him or her self.
Can you think of some examples of this kind of conflict?
Types of Conflict
1.
Man vs. Man
2.
Man vs. Self
3.
Man vs. Nature
4.
Man vs. Unknown
5.
Man vs. Society
Review Quiz
1. What is the highest point of tension in a story called?
2. What is the resolution in a plot?
3. In The Giver all of the similar episodes in which The Giver
transfers memories to Jonas are examples of ____________
____________ in a plot.
4. A character is stranded in the desert and fights against a
sandstorm to make his way to safety. Is this an internal or
external conflict?
5. Summarize the plot of The Giver using the “Somebody Wanted
But So” strategy.
6. Give an example of a subplot from a piece of literature from the
7th grade curriculum. Tell why it is a subplot.