Plot Notes 6th Grade ELA

Plot Diagram Climax Falling Action Rising Action Resolution Exposition

Exposition Exposition Situation: The basic situation at the start of the story. (Meet the characters. How the story starts) Setting: The time, place, and location a story takes place Exposition

Rising Action A series of events that lead to the climax Rising Action

Climax The turning point in the story Climax

Falling Action The events that happen after the climax and before the resolution Falling Action

Loose ends may be tied up Resolution How the story ends. Loose ends may be tied up Resolution

Point of View 3 kinds of point of view 1st person POV: story teller is IN the story personal pronouns: I, me, us, mine, etc 2nd person POV: story teller talks to audience personal pronouns: you 3rd person POV: story teller is OUTSIDE the story (narrator, author) personal pronouns: he, she, they, them, etc

Characters Protagonist Antagonist The main character of a story The character or force that works against the main character (usually “the bad guy”) Be sure to explain why you think he/she is the antagonist (How do they work against the protagonist?)

Characterization Direct: The author comes right out and tells you what a character looks like or the type of person he/she is. Becky is a nice girl. Indirect: The writer reveals information about a character and his or her personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions. Think STEAL: speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, looks. Billy pushed Sam down in the hall.

Theme Central message Lesson learned Main idea of the story

Types of Conflict External (outside) Person vs. Person: fight, argument Person vs. Nature: tornado, storm, bear Person vs. Society: go against an organization, group, or societal “norm” Internal (inside) Person vs. Self: making a decision

Symbolism When an object or character represents something else The object or character usually represents an abstract idea. Look at examples Its still the object/character but it also stands for something bigger.

Irony The opposite of what you expect to happen occurs Examples A teacher cheats on a test A murder detective turns out to be the killer The Titanic, which was said to be “unsinkable”, sunk on its maiden voyage

Foreshadowing The author hints at something that will occur later in the story Many times we discover foreshadowing AFTER we have finished a story Example: He felt a cold chill as he walked through the dark alley ( foreshadowing something bad will happen).