Unit 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting

1
Unit 1 Plot, Conflict, and Setting

• Everybody has stories your great- grandfathers
  submarine struck by a torpedo during World War
  II your best friends mom rescuing three hikers
  stranded on a mountain in a blizzard the most
  embarrassing thing that ever happened to you in
  school. The better a storyteller describes what
  happened (the plot) and where and when it
  happened (the setting) the more able the
  listeners or readers are to imagine and
  experience the story.

2
Unit 1 Plot, Conflict, and Setting literature
books page 24.

• Read the first two paragraphs on page 24.

3
Settingliterature books page 24.

• Setting Is the time and place of the action. The
  time can be the past, present, or future. It can
  also be a particular season or time of day. The
  place can be anywhere in the world or in your
  imagination.

4
Settingliterature books page 24.

• Examples
• A rainy day on the planet Venus
• A tropical island in the present day
• A city park in the year 2086
• A palace in England in 1547

5
SettingHow it can influence literature

• Create a sense of reality Vivid details can make
  a setting seem very real to us, helping us
  imagine how people live, what they eat, how they
  dress, and where they work.
• Create an atmosphere Writers often use setting
  to create an atmosphere, or mood creepy,
  peaceful, joyous, threatening.
• Provide Conflict In many stories the characters
  are in an external conflict with the setting. You
  see this kind of conflict often in movies, such
  as when a character is lost in a blizzard or
  struggles to survive on a deserted island. If the
  character is triumphant, the story has a happy
  resolution. If the setting is more powerful then
  the character, the storys resolution can be
  tragic.

6
Conflictliterature books page 24.

• Conflict A conflict is the struggle that a
  character faces in a story. The struggle can be
  between characters or between a character and a
  force of nature, such as the weather. A conflict
  can also be within a character, as he or she
  struggles with difficult choices.

7
Conflictliterature books page 24.

• External Conflict
• Character Vs. Character The main character in
  any conflict is called the protagonist. A
  character who opposes the main character is
  called the antagonist.
• Example A girl is made fun of by her friends.

8
Conflictliterature books page 24.

• External Conflict
• Character Vs. Nature The main character faces a
  struggle with nature.
• Example A family seeks shelter from a storm.

9
Conflictliterature books page 24.

• Internal Conflict
• Character Vs. Self The main character faces a
  struggle within him or herself.
• Example A boy must decide between telling the
  truth and lying to protect his friends feelings.

10
Setting and Conflictliterature books page 25.

• Read model 1 and answer the close read questions.
• Read model 2 and answer the close read questions.
  

11
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Plot The series of events that make up the story
  
• Read the first two paragraphs on page 26.

12
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Exposition introduces the setting and the
  characters and sets up or hints at the conflict
• Answers the following questions
• Who are the characters?
• When and where does the story take place?
• What is the conflict?

13
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Rising Action shows how the conflict becomes
  more difficult and builds suspense
• Answers the following questions
• What events happen as a result of the conflict?
• What new problems or obstacles do the characters
  face?
• If the storys conflict could be resolved easily,
  there wouldn't be much of a story. Thats why
  writers introduce complications to the plot. The
  rising action consists of additional problems
  that prevent the main character from resolving
  the conflict. The rising action helps create
  suspense.

14
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Climax is the most exciting part and turning
  point, it makes the outcome of the conflict clear
  
• Answers the following questions
• What is the most exciting part of the story, when
  the conflict is most intense?
• Climax is the point of greatest interest in a
  story or play. The climax usually occurs toward
  the end of a story. At the climax, the conflict
  is resolved and the outcome of the plot usually
  becomes clear.

15
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Falling Action eases the tension and shows how
  the main character resolves the conflict
• Answers the following questions
• How is the conflict finally resolved?
• Events in the falling action show the results of
  the important decision or action that happened at
  the climax. Tension eases as the falling action
  begins however, the final outcome of the story
  is not yet fully worked out at this stage.

16
Plotliterature books page 26.

• Resolution reveals how everything turns out and
  sometimes ends with a surprise twist.
• Answers the following questions
• After the conflict is resolved, what questions
  still remain?
• How does the story tie up the loose ends?
• Does the story have a surprising twist at the
  end?

17
Plotliterature books page 26

• Copy the plot mountain into the literature
  handbook
• Read model 1 and answer the close read questions.
  
• Read model 2 and answer the close read questions.
  

18
Practiceliterature books page 28-29

• Read Boar Out There
• Answer the close read questions
• Questions are due tomorrow