1. Unit L9.1: Plot & Conflict

2. Bell Work
p23:
Compound Words

3. L9.1.1: Plot 1. Plot is the sequence of events in a story.
What is plot?
1. Plot is the sequence of events in a story.
2. Each event causes or leads to the next.
3. Plot is often created through conflict, a struggle between opposing forces.

4. What is the standard plot sequence?
L9.1.1: Plot
What is the standard plot sequence?
1. Plot begins with the exposition, the introduction of the characters, setting, and conflict.
2. Rising action occurs as complications, twists, or intensifications of the conflict occur.
3. This action leads up to the climax, an emotional turning point of the story.
4. The climax gives way to the falling action and finally to the denouement.

5. L9.1.1: Plot
Describe the plot of
The Open Window.
1. Summarize the exposition and rising action of The Open Window.
2. What is the climax of the story? How do you know?
3. Explain how the author intended to surprise his readers in the story’s resolution. Was this ending effective? Why or why not?

6. L9.1.1: Plot
Discussion:
The Open Window
1. Read aloud p18: Meet Saki, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p22 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

7. Multiple-Meaning Words
Bell Work
p53:
Using Adjectives;
Multiple-Meaning Words

8. L9.1.2: Conflict
What is conflict?
1. Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a story or play.
2. External conflict exists when a character struggles against an outside force.
3. Internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action.

9. What are the different types of conflict?
L9.1.2: Conflict
What are the different types of conflict?
1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Society
3. Man vs. Self
4. Man vs Nature
5. Man vs. Supernatural
6. Man vs. God
7. Man vs. Fate
8. Man vs. Machine

10. L9.1.2: Conflict
Describe the
conflict of
The Lady,
or the Tiger.
1. What conflicts does the young man have? Are his conflicts external or internal? Support your answers with details from the story.
2. What internal conflict does the princess have? Include specific lines from the text in your explanation.
3. Why is the princess’s internal conflict so important to the story?

11. L9.1.2: Conflict
Discussion:
The Lady,
or the Tiger
1. Read aloud p44: Meet Frank R. Stockton, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p51 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

12. Bell Work
p133:
Clipped Words

13. L9.1.3: Exposition
What is exposition?
1. The exposition is the introduction of the characters, setting, and/or the situation at the beginning of the story.
2. The details of the exposition set the tone of the story.
3. The inciting incident is the event that ends the exposition and begins the rising action.

14. L9.1.3: Exposition
Describe the
exposition of
Gaston.
1. What do you learn about the two main characters in the first sentence of the story?
2. What are the first details you know about the father? What can you infer from these details?
3. What do you learn about the setting in the second paragraph?

15. L9.1.3: Exposition
Discussion:
Gaston
1. Read aloud p126: Meet William Saroyan, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p132 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

16. Avoiding Double Comparisons;
Bell Work
p208:
Avoiding Double Comparisons;
Analogies

17. L9.1.4: Falling Action & Resolution
What happens after the climax?
1. The falling action includes the events that occur after the climax and lead towards the resolution.
2. The resolution is the event that concludes the falling action and resolves the conflict.
3. The denouement reveals what happens to the characters after the resolution.

18. L9.1.4: Falling Action & Resolution
Describe the
falling action and resolution of
The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant.
1. What events make up this story’s falling action?
2. In your opinion, is Sheila’s comment that the narrator is a “funny kid” part of the falling action or part of the resolution? Why?
3. Did you find the resolution surprising or was it predictable? Explain your answer.

19. L9.1.4: Falling Action & Resolution
Discussion:
The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant
1. Read aloud p198: Meet W. D. Wetherell, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p206 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

20. Bell Work
p918:
Commas to
Separate Modifiers;
Analogies

21. L9.1.5: Suspense & Foreshadowing
What is suspense?
1. Suspense is the growing interest and excitement readers experience while awaiting a climax or resolution.
2. To build suspense, an author may use foreshadowing, clues to what will happen next that allow the reader to guess at the outcome.

22. L9.1.5: Suspense & Foreshadowing
Describe the
suspense and foreshadowing of
The Sentinel.
1. The narrator is cooking breakfast on the morning of his discovery. What specific events and details in this scene add to the suspense of the story?
2. The narrator says that he and others believed nothing “strange or unusual” would be found on top of the mountain and that intelligent life had never been on the moon. How do these statements add to the overall suspense of the story?

23. L9.1.5: Suspense & Foreshadowing
Discussion:
The Sentinel
1. Read aloud p906: Meet Arthur C. Clarke, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p916 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

24. Bell Work
p65:
Analogies

25. L9.1.6: Flashback
What is a
flashback?
1. A flashback is a literary device in which an earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the chronological sequence of a narrative.
2. Information revealed in a flashback helps readers understand a character’s situation.
3. A flashback my be sparked by one or more cues, such as sound, odor, or setting.

26. L9.1.6: Flashback
Describe the
flashbacks in
The Leap.
1. How do a sound, an odor, and a certain setting work together to spark the narrator’s memory at the beginning of the story?
2. Identify the main flashbacks in the story and tell how they are related to one another? Where in the story does the narrator return to the present?
3. Do you think the story would have been more or less dramatic if the author had used strict chronological order instead of flashback to tell her story?

27. L9.1.6: Flashback
Discussion:
The Leap
1. Read aloud p56: Meet Louise Erdrich, Background, and Vocabulary Preview.
2. Small groups: discuss p64 #1-10 (Honors #6-15).
3. Class Discussion: compare and defend answers.

28. Review Key Terms: Plot Conflict Internal Conflict External Conflict
Exposition
Inciting Incident
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Denouement
Suspense
Foreshadowing
Flashback