Elements of a Story 1. Plot: 5 parts of a story (plot 分解圖 ) 2. Characters: the people or animals in the story 3. Setting: the place and time of the story 4. Theme: the meaning of the story/ the idea or value the story presents

A Lesson in Forgiveness

1.Setting: place: time: 2. Characters: who: near an old lady’s house on a quiet Saturday afternoon the narrator (I) his friend an old lady the next few days three weeks later

Plot: * Exposition (beginning) 1.What were the narrator and his friend doing on a Saturday afternoon? They were throwing stones onto the roof of an old lady’s house. 2. Why did they do that? They were bored, and throwing stones was something interesting to do.

Plot: * Exposition (beginning) 3. Did the narrator know the old lady? Yes. But he didn’t care. (But it didn’t matter to him.) 4. How did the narrator know the old lady? He delivered the newspaper to her every day.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 1.What happened to the stone the narrator sent for a ride? It slipped out of his hand when he threw it. 2. Where did the stone go? It hit a small window of the lady’s house and broke the glass.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 3. What did the narrator and his friend do after they heard the loud crash? They took off without delay. 4. Why did they run away? Because they were afraid of being caught.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 5. How did the narrator feel for the next few days? He was so worried about getting into trouble that he didn’t think of the old lady and the broken window. 6. When did he start to feel sorry about what he had done? When he was sure that he wasn’t in trouble.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 7. How did the old lady treat the narrator when he gave her the paper every day after the accident? She smiled at him. 8. How did the narrator feel in the presence of the old lady? He felt quite uncomfortable.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 9. What did the narrator make up his mind to do? He made up his mind to save the money he made from delivering newspapers. 10. How much would cover the cost of repairing the old lady’s window? Seven dollars.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 11.How long did it take the narrator to save seven dollars? It took him three weeks to save seven dollars. 12.What did he do with the money? He put it in an envelope.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 13. What did the note the narrator wrote to the old lady say? It said that he was sorry for breaking her window and that he hoped the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.

Plot: * Rising Action (Conflict) 14.What did the narrator do when it was dark? He walked quietly to the old lady’s house, and slipped the envelope under the door. 15.How did he feel after slipping the envelope under the old lady’s door? He felt relieved and couldn’t wait to look straight into her eyes once again.

Plot: * Climax 1.How did the old lady treat the narrator when he handed her the paper? She gave him a warm smile and thanked him for the paper. 2. How did the narrator respond? He happily smiled back.

Plot: * Climax 3. What did the old lady give the narrator? She gave him a bag of cookies. 4. How did the cookies taste? They tasted great.

Plot: * Falling Action & Resolution 1.What did the narrator discover in the bag? He discovered an envelope inside the bag. 2. What made the narrator surprised? In the envelope, there were the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I’m proud of you.”

*What does the old lady mean by saying, “I’m proud of you”?

** What is the theme of the story?

***What kind of “conflict” is it in the story?