Literary Elements What are they? All of the “parts” of a story are called the elements. Each element plays a pivotal part in creating the final piece. Once all of the elements are in place, the story is complete. Setting, Plot, Conflict, Point of View, Theme

Setting Definition-The time and place a story is set in. Includes time, place, weather, social mood, environment. Social conditions- What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story include local color, language, customs etc. Mood- What is the feeling created by the story? Is it a happy/bright feeling? Is it a dark /gloomy feeling? Usually introduced in the beginning of the story (although not always), however the setting can change throughout the story several times. Practice- Describe the setting differences between the two castles( four details about each).

Characters Definition-The people, animal, or things in a story that the plot revolves around. There are many different types of characters. Major characters- the most important roles. Minor Characters- small roles in the overall story. Protagonist- the central character whom pushes the story forward and tries to accomplish something. This person is usually seen as “the good one.” Antagonist- the character that holds back the action. This person goes against the protagonist and is usually seen as “the bad one.” Dynamic Character- Someone that undergoes and important change/realization in the story and is permanently changed. Static Character- Someone who remains the same throughout the whole story (usually minor characters). Round Character- A well developed character with a lot of details about them in the story (major characters). Flat Character- not a well developed character. There are very little details about this person in the story. WOW! That’s a lot to remember! (Don’t worry, we will practice…A LOT.)

Character Identification! Who is the protagonist and the antagonist? Who is the major character in this scene? Are these characters round or flat? Why?

Plot Definition-The order of events in the story. It is the “backbone” of the story.

Plot That Mountain! Draw the blank mountain. Place each of the five events below in the appropriate place, with the mountain heading (climax, resolution etc.) Events: 1.) Jill ended up helping Jack in the end and they both earned A’s on the test. 2.) Jill was clever enough to check Mrs. Schwarze’s website and found the words. 3.) Jack met Jill at her house to help her study the vocabulary. 4.) Jack got there and realized he lost all of his vocabulary words and started panicking he was going to fail the test! 5.) Jack and Jill had a huge Language Arts test. Jill needed all the help she could get.

Conflict Definition-A struggle between the opposing forces in a story. The action and emotion of a story. There are two major types of conflict. 1.) Internal Conflict- Takes place in the mind of a character. Ex: making a tough decision. 2.) External Conflict- A struggle between a character and an outside force (nature, people, animals, society). Ex: two people fighting over the same reward. Hint: Remember “In” (internal) for INside your head. Remember E (external) for Everything else.

Let’s Talk About Conflict! Jane is being forced to run against her best friend for Student Council president. Is this an internal, external, or both type of conflict? Explain your answer in complete sentences. John is climbing Mount Everest and struggling with the elements. What type of conflict is this? Please write about a time when you were struggling with an internal conflict between friends, inside school, or at home. This needs to be one paragraph (5 sentences).

Point of View Definition- The perspective a story is told from. There are several types of P.O.V. First Person- The narrator is one of the characters in the story. Pronouns such as I, we, me, my, mine etc. are used. We find out what this character knows and things. Second Person- Pronouns such as you, your, and yours are used. This is primarily used for personal letters, not stories. Third Person- The narrator is NOT a character in the story. The narrator is an observer who can only tell what is being said and done. The narrator can NOT read the minds of the characters. Omniscient- The narrator is NOT a character in the story. The narrator is “all-knowing” and can read the minds of all the characters in the story. The narrator can also report what is being said and done by the characters.

Who’s Point of View is This? Directions- Read the small passages below and label the point of view you think they are being told from. 1.) I was very upset with Jane for telling the teacher on me. She can be so rude and intrusive! My mom said I should be more patient with her. 2.) Jill is going to try out for the musical tonight. Before she can do that however, Mrs. Schwarze asked her to stop by the classroom and pick up her absent work from the day she missed. 3.) Jack came to school this morning very upset about losing his soccer game the night before. He missed the shot on goal during overtime. He was very worried that his teammates would be upset with him. In the meantime, his teammates thought the exact opposite. They were grateful he played as well as he did the entire game. 4.) Write a sentence about the first day of school using the following types of P.O.V. -First Person -Third person -Omniscient

Theme Definition-The central message, lesson, concern, or moral of a story. Every great story has a theme. Without a theme the reader would not learn from the book or take knew knowledge away from the literature. The theme makes you think after reading! Examples of themes- -Beauty is not everything -Don’t judge a book by its cover -Take chances

Name That Theme! In the story “The Giving Tree” a boy keeps coming back to the tree he loves to take a branch here and there. Eventually as the years went on the tree kept getting smaller. At the end of the book the boy went back to take some more off of the tree and there was nothing left. In no more than two sentences tell me what the theme of the story is. What lesson does the reader learn. Tell me about a theme from a book you read last year. What was the book? What was the theme? How did the theme change your views on your own personal life? Use complete sentences!

The End!