Story Elements

What do all stories have in common? How can we find story elements?

Stories Are All Around Us People have been telling stories for thousands of years Stories help us to understand our world, help us to think about the experiences of others, help us to imagine other places and other worlds And…stories are fun to hear and read

What stories do you know? With a partner, brainstorm as many stories as you can

Lots and lots of stories As you can tell, there are many different kinds of stories But there are some elements that all stories share

What do all stories have in common? Character Setting Conflict (problem) Plot (events) Theme Mood Point of View

Characters Characters are the people, animals, or objects who make the action happen in a story A story can have many characters, or just a few

Can you name the characters in these stories? The Three Little Pigs Cinderella Spider-Man Ratatouille The Frog Prince

Figuring out characters Usually, it’s easy to figure out the characters in a story. Just look for the names! “Why do I have to go and play with Matt in the forest again?” Gwen groaned. “Because your mother and I said so,” Gwen’s father replied. “Besides, I’m the king, so you have to do what I say.” “Being a princess is stupid,” grumbled Gwen. “What was that?” her father asked. “Nothing,” Gwen muttered.

Figuring out characters Usually, it’s easy to figure out the characters in a story. Just look for the names! “Why do I have to go and play with Matt in the forest again?” Gwen groaned. “Because your mother and I said so,” Gwen’s father replied. “Besides, I’m the king, so you have to do what I say.” “Being a princess is stupid,” grumbled Gwen. “What was that?” her father asked. “Nothing,” Gwen muttered.

Figuring out characters When a story is told in first person, it can be hard to tell the name of the main character I looked down at the floor, ashamed and worried. My plan had failed! Now the castle hallways were filled with angry pigs and cows—definitely not what I had in mind. “Cassandra?” my mother said. “Do you have an explanation for this?” “Um—no,” I replied. I knew that big trouble was ahead.

Figuring out characters Look for dialogue in which another character is talking to the narrator. Can you find the narrator’s name? I looked down at the floor, ashamed and worried. My plan had failed! Now the castle hallways were filled with angry pigs and cows—definitely not what I had in mind. “Cassandra?” my mother said. “Do you have an explanation for this?” “Um—no,” I replied. I knew that big trouble was ahead.

Figuring out characters Look for dialogue in which another character is talking to the narrator. Can you find the narrator’s name? I looked down at the floor, ashamed and worried. My plan had failed! Now the castle hallways were filled with angry pigs and cows—definitely not what I had in mind. “Cassandra?” my mother said. “Do you have an explanation for this?” “Um—no,” I replied. I knew that big trouble was ahead.

As you read As you read, it’s important to think about the characters Try to visualize them and imagine what they are doing Think about what they are doing in the story, and why they are doing it

Setting The setting is the time and place of the story

Setting A story that happens in the PAST will have different events and rules from a story that happens in the PRESENT or the FUTURE

Can you find the setting of this scene? Place This picture is of a beach Time It’s hard to tell the time from this picture. We’d need more details to figure that out

Can you find the setting of this scene? Place This picture is of a beach Time It’s easiest to think of time as past, present, or future. What do you think is the time in this picture? Why?

Inferring setting Anna sighed. She hated having to do so many chores. Her mother was always telling her to fetch the water from the well, watch her brothers and sisters, and fetch wood for the fire. “I wish that I could go to school,” she sighed, looking at her bare feet. But with her father in the Union Army, she had to help her mother. Sometimes the author doesn’t come out and explain the setting. Can you make an inference with the paragraph below?

Inferring setting Anna sighed. She hated having to do so many chores. Her mother was always telling her to fetch the water from the well, watch her brothers and sisters, and fetch wood for the fire. “I wish that I could go to school,” she sighed, looking at her bare feet. But with her father in the Union Army, she had to help her mother. The clues tell us that this happens in the past. Can you guess the exact time period? There is a clue!

What about fairy tales? With fantasy stories, it’s hard to tell a time and place Sometimes you can just say that a story happened in a “fantasy world” or in “fairy tale time”

Review What two story elements have we learned about so far? Character and setting What are the two parts of setting? Time and place

Conflict The conflict in a story is the problem Every story has to have a conflict The conflict is what drives the action in the story

Kinds of conflict Stories have different kinds of conflict. It’s not always just two people fighting!

Person versus person In this kind of conflict, two people have different ideas about what should happen Here is a playground. What kind of person versus person conflict could happen here?

Person versus self In this kind of conflict, the problem is inside the main character Suppose that you were hired to work on this ship and climb up into the rigging. What kind of internal conflict might you have?

Person versus environment In this kind of conflict, someone has to battle the environment, usually to survive Suppose you were stranded at this place. What would you need to survive?

Think about conflict! Think about a story that you have read lately. What was the conflict? Short stories often have just one conflict. Longer chapter books may have one main conflict, and several less important conflicts

Problems are solved… But conflicts are RESOLVED The resolution of a story is at the end, and shows how all of the loose ends are tied up Can you think of any resolutions from stories that you have read?

Review The story element that includes the time and place of the story Setting The people or animals who act in a story Characters The problem in a story Conflict

Plot The events of a story make up the plot In other words, the plot is what happens!

Plot A story can have a short, simple plot, or a long, complicated plot Can you think of an example of a story with a simple plot? A complicated one?

The plot of a story follows a pattern Climax Falling Action Rising Action ExpositionResolution

Plot part: Exposition The exposition is the beginning of the story The author introduces the characters and the setting

Plot part: Exposition Sometimes, the exposition can seem long and boring… But some authors will plunge you right into the action

Plot part: Rising action Things get more exciting with the rising action This is when the conflict is introduced

Plot part: Climax The climax is the turning point of the story It’s often the most exciting part Nothing will be the same again

Think about it! The plot of a story looks like a mountain. Why do you think the climax is at the top?

Plot part: Falling action The falling action is the part of the story that happens after the climax In some stories, this is a long part; in other stories, it happens quickly

Plot part: Resolution The resolution is the end of the story Everything is resolved and explained

Think about it! A story that ends at the climax is called a cliffhanger. Why do you think this is so? climax

Theme The theme of a story is the underlying idea. It’s the big message, the big idea. The theme is the point of the story. Without a theme, a story doesn’t make much sense.

Some common themes You’ll often see the same themes pop up again and again. Good will triumph over evil Honesty is the best policy

More themes Friendship is more important than popularity Hold onto dreams, because they might come true Slow and steady wins the race Hard work will pay off in the end Can you think of stories or movies that show these themes?

Figuring out themes In some stories, the theme is easy to figure out In other stories, it is a little more difficult Different stories can have the same theme

Review What is the plot of a story? –The events Which part of the plot is the most exciting? –The climax What is the main idea or message of a story? –The theme

Point of View Point of View refers to who is telling the story Basically, there are three points of view: First Person Second Person Third Person (limited, subjective multiple viewpoints, or omniscient)

Point of View: First Person The story is told from the “I” viewpoint. Told through the eyes of a character, often a main one. Many detective and private eye novels are written in first person.

Point of View: Second Person Second person is told from the “you” viewpoint Usually used in instructional text

Point of View: Third Person Limited Subjective multiple viewpoint Omniscient

POV: Third Person Limited Everything is seen through the main character’s eyes and in past tense Uses phrases such as; “he said, he thought,” all coming from the same person’s head Reader sees, thinks and feels only what the main character experiences No shifts at any other time to other character’s thoughts or emotions

POV: Third Person Subjective Multiple Viewpoint Author changes the viewpoint by changing the narrator A change in viewpoint can heighten suspense

POV: Third Person Omniscient Author takes a panoramic, bird’s eye view of the characters and in describing the overall picture Story is not shown through the eyes of any one character, but an invisible, all-knowing, all-seeing narrator Works best in a story with a complicated plot and multiple characters

Point of View Review What are the five points of view? Which point of view is told from the character’s eyes, using “I”? Which point of view is told from an all- seeing narrator? Which point of view is told from the main character’s eyes in past tense?

Mood/Tone Mood is the emotions that you feel while you are reading. Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, still others, angry. Tone is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character. Tone is conveyed through the author's words and details.

What did we learn? Let’s see if we can answer our big questions about story elements.

What do all stories have in common? How can we find story elements?