The metaphor of a pot of soup and a series of colorful templates remind young writers of the elements that make for a rich story. Pepper the plot with carrot/character, potato/point of view, corn/conflict, tomato/theme, and season with...

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.

Equipped with all the necessary components of a literary response, including a summary page, vocabulary list, a space for questions and answers, a story flow chart, and a character map, this resource is a superior way for students to...

Experience how a story can drastically change when the point of view is altered. Young scholars first read a review of Disney's film Tarzan, focusing on how the point of view in the classic story is important. They then select another...

This activity spans five days and culminates in a role-play where judges consider the arguments of each learners to determine the top five villains or heroes of all time. Learners discuss characterization of heroes and villains, theme,...

Readers reflect on enjoyable stories they know, brainstorm criteria that make a story "good," analyze a New York Times article about innovative children's performances, re-envision classics on their own, and peer edit drafts. Use this as...

Patricia MacLachlan's novel Sarah, Plain and Tall serves as an excellent tool for examining point of view. During reading, the class thinks about how characters feel. Just before the climax of the novel, they write friendly letters to...

A creative spin occurs when one pupil acts as author Ann M. Martin. Using a Q & A at the back of her book A Dog's Life, other classmates ask the "author" questions. They discuss the reasons why they know the book is from a...

Alliterative adjective nicknames generate stories inspired by Rosemary Wells' book Noisy Nora (also a thematic complement to any class with children who make a ruckus to get attention). Class members explore basic story elements --...

Roald Dahl's suspenseful story "The Landlady" is the focus of this superb resource for teaching foreshadowing. A captivating introduction to foreshadowing that includes looking for actual shadows will lasso your kinesthetic and visual...

Review plot, theme, and major characters in the book Wuthering Heights. Working in groups, the class examines themes, the significance of setting, and summarizes the novel. They work to answer a series of critical-thinking questions and...

Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...

Learn about mysteries with your readers. They will investigate plot, basic elements of mystery, famous characters, and become familiar with genre vocabulary. Bring in props and mystery books to begin and then have learners create story...

A wide variety of information regarding the elements of fiction is presented in this PowerPoint. Viewers are directed to trace their hand on a blank piece of paper and label each finger with one of the 5 elements of fiction. Additional...

Pupils can watch as the character in this presentation climbs the plot diagram mountain. After a definition of plot, the mountaineer pauses at each of the following levels for clarification: exposition, rising action, climax, falling...

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...

Why does Tim O'Brien arrange his stories as he does? Why mention the death of several of the soldiers before detailing the events? Readers are asked to consider whether the arrangement of the stories contributes to O'Brien's presentation...

After completing The Call of the Wild, have your learners go over the plot. In small groups, pupils map the plot, making sure to include the important events listed on this page. Following this activity, individuals write about...

Explore the literary elements of Mildred Taylor's Song of the Trees with this beautiful Prezi presentation. Focusing on the story's characters, setting, and major plot points, young readers are provided with a complete summary of this...

Hand out these project ideas when working with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Pupils can choose from six different options or propose their own. The idea is that they will complete more than one project to meet the point requirement. The...

Invite your pupils to express their understanding of a novel through a collaborative video project. Groups choose a novel from those you have studied in class, select four scenes, storyboard the scenes, film the scenes, edit the film,...

Provide this packet for your pupils as they pour over The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The study guide includes graphic organziers and comprehension as well as higher-level questions. Class members briefly summarize each chapter, compare...

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...

Set your learners up for writing clearly organized short stories. This page provides space for planning out the characters, the setting, a conflict, background information, three events, a climax, and the resolution.