1. Elements of a Story Making a Story Map Every narrative story has certain elements or parts to it that make it, well, a story. These can include: a plot, dialogue, conflict, a turning point, symbolism, allusion, foreshadowing, flashback, a protagonist and an antagonist, as well as other features. To help make sense of a story, many times this year, we will be making a Story Map. This is what we are going to take notes about today; how to make a story map.

2. Story Title Um…. Duh This is where you would write the title of the story you are mapping

3. Main Idea Tell the main idea of the story without giving away any important surprises or the ending. It’s kind of like looking at the back of a book and reading the description to see if the story sounds interesting to you.

4. Universal Theme The reason the author is telling us the story. The lesson we learn from the story or the moral of the story. Ex. The Boy Who Cried Wolf The Tortoise and the Hare Shrek

5. Setting Tells us where and when the story took place; sometimes specific, sometimes in general. Ex. Hunger Games Harry Potter Divergent

6. Major Characters Character Name: List the major characters who have a big effect on the story. Character Traits: List the personality or major characteristics of the character. Function: Tell what part he/she plays in the story. (Narrator, main character, hero, villain, best friend, love interest)

7. Major Events Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end. List the major events that effect how the story progresses and ends. Leave out minor details.

8. Climax Describe the most exciting moment in the story after which we know or can guess (infer) how the story is going to end. The KEY MOMENT in the story.

9. Conflict There are 5 main types of conflict than can occur in a story. In fact, almost all narrative stories are simply a variation on one of these conflicts. They are:  Person vs. Person  Person vs. Nature Person vs. Self  Person vs. Society Person vs. Fate

10. Resolution This is a description of how the main conflict was solved in the end. It could tell who won, if the girl fell in love with the boy, if the earth was saved, or many other types of outcomes of stories.