1. “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken
Focus: Plot and Conflict

2. Plot What are the five stages of a plot? Exposition Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution/Denouement

3. Exposition
Often times a writer will need to provide certain details about a character's past in order for the reader or spectator to understand the story. This backstory is called exposition. It provides an audience not only with the important details about the characters before the story begins, but it also helps the audience get to know the setting of where the story will unfold.

4. Rising Action
The rising action is the part of the plot where obstacles stand in the way of the protagonist achieving his goal. It doesn't matter what the goal is: marrying the girl of his dreams, getting the job, winning the big game or finding the treasure. Before the hero accomplishes his goal (if he accomplishes his goal), he must first navigate his way through every obstacle.

5. Rising Action continued…
As the story develops, the hero's quest becomes harder and harder. At first the conflicts are not a major issue for the hero, he overcomes them with little difficulty. However, as we move along in the story, obstacles become more complex. There is also more to lose. Towards the end of the story, it seems unlikely that the hero will ever achieve his goal.

6. Climax
You might not know it, but you probably use climaxes in the literary sense all the time. Just think of the way that you tell a story. You don't start off with the most exciting part; that would take all the drama out of it. And besides, without background, it might not even make sense. Instead, you lay out the background, set the scene, and walk through everything that happened before you finally reach the big reason you're telling the story. The whole time, you're building up to that crucial moment, and the tension of not knowing what's going to happen keeps your audience engaged. And then, when you finally get to the end, it's rewarding for the listener. That big moment at the end is the climax, the decisive moment in the story that all the action builds up to.

7. Climax continued…
Many modern short stories begin right in the middle of the rising action, and the falling action and denouement are often very short if they're present at all. But most stories still have rising action that leads up to a climax.

8. Falling Action
The story's climax has occurred. The hero has reached his goal, whatever his goal may have been. But the story isn't over yet. The falling action occurs right after the climax. It is what happens after the main problem of the story has been solved.

9. Resolution
When the main character in a story has finally reached a solution to the predicament, or reached a point where they can go no farther in trying to reach a solution and fail, the story has achieved what's called resolution/denouement. Nearly every published story offers resolution of some kind, though more recent literature has tended to favor ambiguous or subtle resolutions over those that solve the conflict too neatly.

10. Conflict
A conflict is any struggle between opposing forces. Usually, the main character struggles against some other force. This type of conflict is what drives each and every story. Without it, the story would have no point or purpose. There needs to be some struggle in order for the reader to get involved and care about what might happen to the characters.

11. Internal Conflict
An internal conflict involves a struggle inside a character, usually the protagonist, or main character. With internal conflicts, the character could be struggling with a decision he must make or with his own weaknesses in his personality.

12. External Conflict
An external conflict takes place outside of the protagonist. External conflicts are struggles between the protagonist and some other force outside his body. The main type of external conflict occurs when the protagonist struggles against the antagonist, which is a character who mainly opposes the protagonist. However, other types of external conflicts can also arise due to other characters, acts of nature, or society itself in which the character lives.

13. Mood
Mood is the feeling you get while reading a story. This could be happiness, sadness, darkness, anger, suspicion, loneliness, or even excitement. You can think of mood as the atmosphere of the story. To describe mood, you should think about the setting and the language used by the author.

14. What influence does mood have on the conflict in a short story?
Essential Question
What influence does mood have on the conflict in a short story?
As the plot builds in the story, the mood develops and enhances the conflict and encourages the reader to become more involved in their reading.

15. Brainstorming Activity
Think about “Wishing.”
What kinds of things do you wish for? What wishing customs can you think of?
On an index card, write down all you know about wishing.

16. Did you think about . . .
Wishing wells?

17. Did you think about . . .
Aladdin and the Genie?

18. Throwing pennies in a fountain?
Did you think about . . .
Throwing pennies in a fountain?

19. Wishing on a shooting star?
Did you think about . . .
Wishing on a shooting star?

20. What do you know about swans?
Building Background
What do you know about swans?

21. Building Background
Swans have appeared in European folklore and mythology since ancient times, when people believed that Zeus, king of the gods, once came to earth disguised as a swan.
According to legend, a swan sings one strange and beautiful song in its lifetime—as it is dying.
The modern phrase “swan song,” meaning a person’s farewell appearance or final work, is based on this legend.

23. Let’s Get Started
Read the story silently. Once you have finished reading the story through once, locate the vocabulary words in the story and highlight each one.

24. Vocabulary
Once you have located each word in the story, take out a sheet of notebook paper and write the definitions for each word, using one of the dictionaries on the table. Read each entry carefully and select the definition that best fits the context of the sentence in which you found it within the story.

25. Plot Pyramid
You will work with your assigned group to create a plot pyramid of the story using the format provided on the next slide. You will be provided with paper once your group has created a rough draft and is ready to put the information for the final project on the paper provided by Ms. Williams

26. The Third Wish / (2 events; include paragraph numbers)
Characters: /
Denouement
Setting:
Conflict:
Mood:

27. Text Dependent Questions
Read the story again carefully, annotating and highlighting as you read. Once you have read the story again, complete the text dependent questions. You must cite text evidence such as direct quotes and/or paragraph numbers.

28. In the first paragraph, why does Mr. Peters stop to help
In the first paragraph, why does Mr. Peters stop to help? What does this say about his character?
He hears faint crying, struggling and crying, rustling and faint cries that are almost human, and he saw something white in the bushes This shows that Mr. Peters is a kind, helpful, and compassionate man. He could have kept driving, but he stops to help someone in need. He is not sure what he is walking up to, yet he goes anyway. He is not concerned with the possible danger he might face. He puts the needs of someone else before his own and his safety.

29. In the second paragraph, what is the swan’s external conflict
In the second paragraph, what is the swan’s external conflict? What evidence from the text indicates that the swan does not want to be rescued by the human? What does this tell us about the swan’s character?
The swan’s external conflict is that he is entangled in the brush. “The bird struggled all the more frantically as he approached, looking at him with hate in its yellow eyes, and when he took hold of it to free it, it hissed at him, pecked him, and thrashed dangerously with its wings which were powerful enough to break his arm.” It becomes clear after he transforms into the King of the Forest that he doesn’t have much respect for humans, which may be the reason he struggled so much when Mr. Peters was untangling him.

30. What can you infer from Mr. Peters’ first wish
What can you infer from Mr. Peters’ first wish? How is his wish different from the forester’s wish?
He wished for a companion because he was lonely, and he didn’t want to grow old lonely. He wanted someone to share his treasures and home with. The forester wished by mistake for a sausage. In a rage, the forester wished to put the sausage on his wife’s nose. The forester wasted his last wish on getting the sausage of her nose. Mr. Peters thought carefully before using his wishes. He saved 2 wishes for emergencies.

31. What details does Mr. Peters see that tells him how Leita feels about her new life? What new conflict arises for Mr. Peters because of his observations?”
Leita was restless and disappeared very often. She wandered much in the garden.
Mr. Peters must decide if he should focus on his own happiness and keep Leita as a human, or focus on Leita’s happiness and change her back to a swan.

32. Is Mr. Peters content with his companion
Is Mr. Peters content with his companion? What does this say about the way he resolved his conflict?
Mr. Peters was happy with his wife because he would always try to make her happy- in whatever means.
When he got sick, he didn’t move away because he wanted to remain with his companions.
In his old age he spent his days with the swans and they protected his home.
When he died, he was surrounded by Leita and Rhea (with a smile on his face).
Mr. Peters resolved his conflict by making Leita happy. Her happiness, have him happiness and contentment.

33. What internal conflicts does Leita share with the reader?
She misses her swan sister Rhea.
She loves Mr. Peters.
She misses her old life in the forest.
She finds it difficult being human.

34. How does Mr. Peters attempt to help Leita resolve these conflicts?
He offers to wish her back to a swan
Build a seat for her by the river
Goes for long drives
Buys her clothes
Plays music
Suggests a trip around the world

35. How did Mr. Peters show his love for Leita with his second wish?
He used his second wish by changing her back into a swan while she was asleep.

36. What inferences can you make from knowing what Mr
What inferences can you make from knowing what Mr. Peters held in his hands when he died?
Swan’s feather suggests they were with him upon his death
His smile suggests he was content
The leaf suggests he saved his last wish

37. Culminating Writing Task
Did Mr. Peters make the right decision to help him resolve his internal conflict? Compose an argument that is at least one paragraph in length. Support your claims with at least two valid and relevant pieces of evidence from the text, including direct quotes and page numbers. Outline

38. Extra Credit Opportunity (10 points will be added to your Test grade)
Extra Credit Opportunity (10 points will be added to your Test grade)

39.
Go to this website and complete one of the following
10 facts about her life using the timeline (cannot be all from the same slide)
Print a photo from the gallery and explain what you think it represents; print a photo from her “Joan’s art” and explain why you chose that particular piece.
List the 13 groups/genre’s of books she has written and name one book title in each.