Short Story Unit

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Short Story Unit

• Unit Objective Students will identify the
  defining features and structures of a short
  story. (A.8.2.A)

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Vocabulary to be familiar with

• Short story
• Characters
• Plot
• Motivation
• Setting
• Theme
• Climax
• Conflict
• Resolution
• Exposition
• Setting
• Rising action
• Falling action
• dialogue

• Dialect
• Characterization
• Internal v. external conflict
• Character development
• round/dynamic character
• Flat/static character
• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• First person
• Second person
• Third person
• Third person omniscient

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Things you will be able to do

• List short story events in chronological order.
• Organize information from a short story into the
  elements of plot structure.
• Identify the author theme of a short story.
• Identify different types of conflict and provide
  examples of them.
• Understand how characters develop and change
  throughout a short story.
• Distinguish between rising action and falling
  action.
• Identify the climax, conflict and resolution of a
  short story.
• Use characterization to understand characters.
• Determine major characters vs. minor characters.
• Analyze setting.
• Establish the point of view.

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Plot sequence of events

• The elements of plot, in order, are
• Exposition Sets the mood and tone for the story,
  setting and characters introduced.
• Rising Action events in the story that lead up
  to the climax, conflict usually unfolds, builds
  suspense and raises questions, plot develops.
• Climax turning point of the story, point of
  highest interest or suspense, leads to change,
  sometimes ends the story.
• Falling action events that occur after the
  climax
• Resolution conflict fixed or problem solved

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Plot Line
3.
4.
2.
5.
1.
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More info on Plot

• The plot is usually built around a central
  conflict, which can be introduced in the
  exposition or rising action.
• Events within the plot usually reveal
  complications that arise within the story.
• The plot of a story keeps the reader interested,
  and curious enough to keep reading.
• The plot usually helps the reader better
  understand the characters.
• A strong plot structure does not allow the reader
  to predict the resolution of the conflict.

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Character person, animal or imaginary creature
that takes part in aciton or events

• Main/Major characters the most important
  characters, if removed from the story, there
  would be no story
• The central character is also known as the
  PROTAGONIST. The protagonist is involved in the
  main conflict of the plot and often changes
  during the course of the work.
• Supporting/minor characters less important
  characters, support ideas or actions of other
  characters.
• The character who opposes the protagonist or
  causes the conflict is the ANTAGONIST. The
  antagonist can be another character, but it can
  also be society or a force within the main
  character.

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Characterizationall the techniques writers use
to create and develop characters

• Four Elements for developing characters
• 1. Physical Description what does he/she look
  like.
• 2. words, thoughts, feelings what is going on
  inside of the characters?
• - dialogue the words that characters speak
  aloud,
• usually set off with quotation
  marks
• - dialect a form of language that is spoken
  in a certain place or by a certain group of
  people, may be evident through pronunciation,
  vocabulary or grammar.
• 3. how others respond or react to the character
  what do others thinks about the character?
• 4. Actions what does the character do?
• - motive/motivation - the reason why he/she/it
  acts a certain way, may be stated directly or
  may be implied, the reason behind a characters
  actions

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Character Development the change in the person
from the beginning to the ending of a story

• Dynamic/round characters
• Characters that change in personality or attitude
• Static /flat characters
• Characters that remain the same

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Point of View every story is told from a
particular point of view, or perspective.

• First Person
• The narrator is a character in the story
• First person pronouns are used I, me, my, we, us
• Example autobiography

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Point of View every story is told from a
particular point of view, or perspective.

• Second-Person
• The reader is set into the story
• Many pronouns possible, but usually you, you
  all, they.
• Example Choose your own adventure or Solve the
  mystery stories

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Point of View every story is told from a
particular point of view, or perspective.

• Third-Person limited
• The narrator tells us what ONE character thinks,
  feels and observes.
• The narrator is NOT a character.
• Third-person prounouns are used he, she, it,
  they, them.
• Example Seventh Grade the story is from
  Victors point of view

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Point of View every story is told from a
particular point of view, or perspective.

• Third-Person omniscient
• The narrator is all-knowing and reveals the
  thoughts and feelings of SEVERAL characters.
• The narrator is NOT a character
• Third-person pronouns are used he, she, it,
  they, them.
• Example A Crush we hear about Stan, Dolores,
  Jack , Ernie, Etc.

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Things to remember

• The narrator is the teller of the story
• Second-person point of view is rare
• The point of view in a story may change each
  chapter or as the story develops.

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Theme the lesson about life or human nature that
is conveyed by a literary work.

• Moral or main message
• Sometimes the writer has one theme in mind other
  times the writer invites the reader to draw
  his/her own conclusions
• May be more than one theme
• Readers must infer the writers message. To
  infer means to make a logical guess or conclusion
  based on evidence.
• Not always concrete or obvious

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Theme the lesson about life or human nature that
is conveyed by a literary work.

• If the theme is not obvious, use these
  strategies
• Look for big idea
• Decide if there is meaning behind the title
• What did you learn?
• How have characters changed?
• What have characters learned?
• What went wrong and led us to a lesson?

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Theme the lesson about life or human nature that
is conveyed by a literary work.

• Be Careful!!
• The theme of the story is not what the story is
  generally about, it is the meaning behind the
  story
• The theme is not actually the conflict of the
  story, but what we learned from the conflict.

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Objectives

• Identify elements of setting.
• Synthesize examples of setting for each element
  presented

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Setting time and place of the action

• Setting may or may not influence characters
  decisions and actions
• Labeled in Exposition on a plot line

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Setting time and place of the actionElements of
Setting

• Geographic location
• Continent
• State
• City
• Town
• Village
• N/S E/W

• Specific places
• Buildings
• Schools
• Houses
• Neighborhoods
• Businesses
• Parks
• Streets
• Bodies of water

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Setting time and place of the actionElements of
Setting

• Era, or historical period
• 1800s
• 1900s
• The Revolutionary War
• The Renaissance
• Past, Present, Future

• Season or time of day
• Fall, winter, spring, summer
• Morning, Afternoon, Night
• 8AM, 2PM , 11PM
• Sunrise/Sunset
• Midday
• After dinner
• Hurricane Season

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Setting time and place of the actionElements of
Setting

• Beliefs and customs of a society
• Manners
• Greetings
• Social norms
• Traditions
• Dress
• Freedoms

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Objectives

• Understand elements of Conflict in a short story
• Identify types of conflict within a short story

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Conflict Internal vs. ExternalTypes of Conflict

• Internal Vs. External
• Internal Conflict
• Man Vs. Himself
• Problem deciding what to think

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Conflict Internal vs. ExternalTypes of Conflict

• External Conflict
• Man vs. Society
• Problem with the laws or beliefs of a group
• Man vs. Nature
• Problem with force of nature
• Man vs. Man
• Problem with another character
• Man vs. Time
• Problem with time