PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Characters and Plot

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson introduces the connection between characters and plot in fiction writing.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Using Picture Books to Teach Plot Development and Confict Res.

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Students read picture books to explore the concepts of plot development and conflict resolution. They first learn about the connections between reading and writing, and then revise their own writing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4
Article
Caro Clarke

Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
Article
Other

National Writing Project: Collaborating to Write Dialogue

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
In this lesson, writing partners work together to develop a plot and characters. The lesson emphasizes the use of dialogue to develop the characters and plot of the story.
Website
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Story Writing With Arthur

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Plot 1st Grade Unit

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of three lesson plans designed to teach young scholars to identify problems and solutions in fiction text and to retell a story's problem and solution in sequence. Students learn to identify...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Plot 3rd Grade Unit

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of four lesson plans designed to teach students to predict problems and solutions in fiction text and to identify the relationship between problems and character conflicts within a story....
Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 4: The Whipping Boy

For Teachers 4th Standards
This unit explores the history of the Middle Ages through the fictional tale of two unlikely friends, Price Brat and his whipping boy. The Middle Ages was defined by a strict class system in government and economy. The novel explores the...
Article
Caro Clarke

A, B, and C Characters

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
This is the ninth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article focuses on what the author calls "A, B, and C Characters," used to describe the different levels of characters.
PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Characters and Theme

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson introduces the connection between characters and theme in fiction writing. RL.9-10.3 Analyzing Characters
PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Characters and Setting

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson introduces the connection between characters and setting in fiction writing.
Interactive
British Council

British Council: Learn English Kids: Voyage of the Animal Orchestra

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
Use this story of the shipwrecked animals in the orchestra to focus on plot, characters, and sequence of a story. Included are assessment activities and flash cards.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Literary Visions

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Twenty-six half hour videos on literary analysis for high school students that feature authors, scholars, actors and noted critics. Topics include The Art of the Essay, Setting and Character in Short Fiction, Responding to Literature and...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Reading the Play

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
This comprehensive lesson plan uses Julius Caesar to teach multiple author tools such as figurative language and foreshadowing. Included are reproducibles, activities for each act, instructional activity extensions, ideas for different...
Unit Plan
McGraw Hill

Glencoe Literature Library: "Heart of Darkness" and "The Secret Sharer" [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore Joseph Conrad's novella, "Heart of Darkness," and his short story, "The Secret Sharer," with the help of this study guide. It provides pre-reading material (author biography, vocabulary, introductory article), reading activities,...
Article
Caro Clarke

Caro Clarke: What Is Conflict?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the sixth in a series of articles designed to help the new writer with their novel. This article focuses on conflict and how it effects the characters and the plot of the story. W.11-12.3a Narratives
Lesson Plan
Other

Pixton: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson on The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is available with a free trial registration. Students use the provided illustrated characters and props to explore character, plot, and theme.
Article
Caro Clarke

Historical Fiction: Who Rules?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Article
Caro Clarke

Describing Your Characters Through Their Actions

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the tenth in a series of articles designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how to develop characters through their actions instead of simply relying on dialogue and description of thoughts. W.11-12.3d...
Handout
Yale University

Yale University: Elements of the Short Story

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This unit from the Yale University on elements of the short story is designed to develop student comprehension skills, particularly making inferences and generalizing. It also involves students in reading a number of short stories to...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Interpreting Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night's Dream

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
After a study of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, students working in small groups conduct research and create a slideshow presentation that emphasizes key aspects of the play and/or new ideas generated by the play.
Interactive
Other

Class tools.net: Fakebook

For Students 9th - 10th
With this tool, students can create fictional profile pages. Access to each page is controlled by the page creator and is password-protected. Add friends, status updates, and event dates, while maintaining the relationships between...
Article
Other

Building Characters With Adversity

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Extensive and very interesting article advising the reader on how to develop characters through adversity.
Article
Caro Clarke

Caro Clarke: Writing Advice: Beginner's Four Faults

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site is a personal site from Caro Clarke. The third installment in this series looks at the four major mistakes made by beginning authors. The main idea of this article is that the author needs to be able to combine dialogue with...