Plot Teacher Resources

The novel A Wizard of Earthsea follows Ged as he visits many places in the archipelago where the story is set. Examine the lessons he learns through his travels by compiling and discussing a list of lessons learned. Relate this...

Analyze conflict and plot in literature. To begin, review the terms conflict, plot, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution with the class. Working in groups and using TI-83 Plus (because the activity is...

What happens next? Introduce your readers to the literary element of plot with a colorful, funny, and engaging presentation that includes two great story models. Viewers will especially enjoy the retelling of the story of the three pigs.

Students examine plot and setting of Cinderella, and how it changes as it is translated into different cultures, discuss universal literary elements of the Cinderella story, and write narratives with original settings and plots...

Examine story development and historical disaster with your class. Learners view a video depicting the incidents surrounding The Triangle Shirtwaist Disaster. They use graphic organizers and the Internet to gather enough information to...

Kids can be great writers with a little coaching. Get talking about plot elements, specifically climax, conflict, and resolution. They watch the last part of a Sponge Bob episode and dissect the conflict resolution, then use what they've...

November is National Novel Writing Month, so if your young authors are embarking on this journey, be sure they understand plot elements. This collaborative lesson fits into the context of the larger NaNoWriMo project; however, the ideas...

Explore plot and theme in a reading comprehension exercise. Upper elementary readers work in groups to create a poster depicting the plot and theme of a chapter from their novel study of Jean Merrill's The Pushcart War. Nice use of...

The focus in session eight of a 10-lesson unit study of Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima is on plot, specifically on how Narciso's death, the brothers leaving with Andrew, and Antonio's first Communion build tension, both for Antonio and...

Cinderella wants to go to the ball and marry the prince. At the end of the story, she does! But how does the plot move from the exposition to the resolution? Teach language arts learners and fairy tale fans about the basics of plot...

Visualize a plot rollercoaster using this graphic organizer for budding authors. Don't think you're getting the typical five-part plot structure here, though; there are nine spaces for writers to fill in plot elements, assuring they have...

Sixth graders analyze plot conflict with science fiction and TV programs. After discussing the conflict, they identify solutions for the programs selected. They examine Only You Can Save Mankind for conflict, and consider ways the...

Before a writer can create a well-composed piece, he/she needs to know the ropes. Review parts of speech, plot, and elements of poetry with this set of questions presented as a PowerPoint. The text, being white, is kind of difficult to...

Using examples from Holt, Rindehart, and Winston, this presentation introduces plot structure and types of conflict to middle school readers. Terms are defined, and then the audience is given a quick check to assess their understanding. 

Help your pupils track the plot of a short story with this SMART Board activity. Using the short story "The Dinner Party" by Mona Gardner (though the lesson would work with any other short story), they define the exposition, rising...

Wait, Spongebob Squarepants in class? Choose this or another cartoon to begin this elements of plot lesson, demonstrating the climax and falling action of a storyline. Before playing the last part of the episode, ask them to watch for...

Use comic strips to teach sequencing in narrative poetry. As homework, each class member selects a comic strip with 4-8 frames, cuts the frames apart, places the pieces in an envelope, and brings the envelope to class. Class members swap...

If you're looking for a simple presentation to introduce your class to the most basic of plot elements, consider using this one. Basic terms like plot, plot chart, exposition, climax, etc. are introduced and defined. Pair this with a...

After reading a version of "The Tortoise and the Hare," scholars complete a plot diagram. They pinpoint the tale's beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and ending. 

The stories in Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street form the basis for a lesson on plot elements. The class examines introduction, sequence, problem, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution and identifies these...

In this literature worksheet, young scholars focus on telling the development of a story's plot by using details. This worksheet provides a visual of how stories begin with small details, grow in the middle and tie up neatly at the end.

How do a character’s feelings and actions influence the plot of a story? The interaction between character and plot is explored in this lesson that uses When Charlie McButton Lost Power to launch the discussion. Charlie’s love of...

Students identify the elements of plot and write a script with a strong plot.  In this plot instructional activity, students identify elements of plot in examples by completing a chart and a graphic organizer.  Students then create plots...

In this reading comprehension practice worksheet, students read a brief selection and then respond to 5 multiple choice questions regarding predictions and plot structure.