Today’s Warm-Up

• Study the action and dialogue in each comic strip panel.

• Look for clues that would help you determine the correct order of the panels.

• Arrange your comic strip panels in order.

Today’s Warm-Up

It’s a PlotHow the Action Unfolds in a Story

Today’s Standards

LA.6.2.1.2Students will locate and analyze the elements of plot structure, including

exposition, setting, character development, rising/falling action,

conflict/resolution, and theme.

Today’s Learning Goals

• Recognize how plot structure helps readers understand the action in a story.

• Identify the five stages of a plot:– Exposition– Rising Action– Climax– Falling Action– Resolution

Out of Order?

The Story Lady was on her way to the library when she dropped all of her pages.

She tried to pick them upand put them in order.She was in a hurry andmay have made mistakes.

But the evil queen found Snow

White. She disguised herself as a

witch and tricked Snow White into

eating a poison apple.

He couldn’t do it, so he told her about the queen’s evil plan. He warned her not to return home.

Out of Order?

Snow White found a cottage with seven dwarfs living there. They said she could stay with them.

Once there was an evil queen, so jealous of her stepchild’s beauty that she ordered the girl killed.

Snow White married the Prince, went to live with him in his village, and they lived happily ever after.

One day a prince happened by, and enchanted by her beauty, kissed Snow White. She woke up!

Snow White fell into a deathlike sleep. The dwarfs watched over her day and night.

But the evil queen found Snow

White. She disguised herself as a

witch and tricked Snow White into

eating a poison apple.

He couldn’t do it, so he told her about the queen’s evil plan. He warned her not to return home.

Out of Order?

Snow White found a cottage with seven dwarfs living there. They said she could stay with them.

Once there was an evil queen, so jealous of her stepchild’s beauty that she ordered the girl killed.

Snow White married the Prince, went to live with him in his village, and they lived happily ever after.

One day a prince happened by, and enchanted by her beauty, kissed Snow White. She woke up!

Snow White fell into a deathlike sleep. The dwarfs watched over her day and night.

Out of Order?

• If the events in a story are told out of order, they don’t make sense.

• Every story follows a pattern, a specific sequence of events.

• In elementary school, you probably learned that the usual story sequence is: beginning, middle, and end.

Sequence of EventsBEGINNING

MIDDLE

END

Sequence of Events

A more sophisticated way to discuss how events occur in a story is to talk about the story’s plot.

Copy this definition :

Plot – The series of events in a story.

Stages of a Plot

Think of plot structure as a mountain.

Stages of a Plot

Most plots have five stages, detailed in the plot diagram below.

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Copy this definition :

Exposition – introduces the story’s characters, setting, and basic situation.

Stages of Plot

Exposition

Stages of Plot

Exposition

Rising Action

Copy this definition :

Rising Action – events that develop and build the conflict; increase reader interest.

Stages of Plot

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Copy this definition :

Climax – the turning point; where tension is the greatest

Stages of a Plot

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Copy this definition :

Falling Action – events that result from the decision or action of the climax

Stages of a Plot

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Copy this definition :

Resolution – the final outcome in the story

…And they lived happily

ever after.

Guided Practice

Once upon a time there was a frog.One day when he was sitting on his

lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess sitting by the pond. He hopped in the water, swam over to her, and poked his head out of the weeds.

“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he said in his most sad and pathetic voice. “I wonder if you could help me.”

(Continued)

Guided Practice

The princess was about to jump up and run, but she felt sorry for the frog with the sad and pathetic voice.

She asked, “What can I do to help you little frog?”

“Well,” said the frog, “I’m not really a frog, but a handsome prince who was turned into a frog by a wicked witch’s spell. The spell can only be broken by the kiss of a beautiful princess.”

(Continued)

Guided Practice

The princess thought about this for a second, then lifted the frog from the pond and kissed him – right on his warty, green frog lips.

“I was just kidding,” said the frog.The frog jumped back into the pond

and the princess wiped the frog slime off her mouth.

Guided Practice

Once upon a time there was a frog.One day when he was sitting on his

lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess sitting by the pond. He hopped in the water, swam over to her, and poked his head out of the weeds.

“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he said in his most sad and pathetic voice. “I wonder if you could help me.”

(Continued)

Guided Practice

Once upon a time there was a frog.One day when he was sitting on his

lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess sitting by the pond. He hopped in the water, swam over to her, and poked his head out of the weeds.

“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he said in his most sad and pathetic voice. “I wonder if you could help me.”

(Continued)

Exposition• Introduces the

characters (frog and princess)

• Introduces the setting (once upon a time, pond)

Guided Practice

Once upon a time there was a frog.One day when he was sitting on his

lily pad, he saw a beautiful princess sitting by the pond. He hopped in the water, swam over to her, and poked his head out of the weeds.

“Pardon me, beautiful princess,” he said in his most sad and pathetic voice. “I wonder if you could help me.”

(Continued)

ConflictThe frog says he needs

help

Guided Practice

The princess was about to jump up and run, but she felt sorry for the frog with the sad and pathetic voice.

She asked, “What can I do to help you little frog?”

“Well,” said the frog, “I’m not really a frog, but a handsome prince who was turned into a frog by a wicked witch’s spell. The spell can only be broken by the kiss of a beautiful princess.”

(Continued)

Rising Action• The princess discovers

the frog’s problem

Guided Practice

The princess thought about this for a second, then lifted the frog from the pond and kissed him – right on his warty, green frog lips.

“I was just kidding,” said the frog.The frog jumped back into the pond

and the princess wiped the frog slime off her mouth.

Rising Action• The princess discovers

the frog’s problem.• She decides to help

him.

Guided Practice

The princess thought about this for a second, then lifted the frog from the pond and kissed him – right on his warty, green frog lips.

“I was just kidding,” said the frog.The frog jumped back into the pond

and the princess wiped the frog slime off her mouth.

ClimaxThe frog reveals the truth.

Guided Practice

The princess thought about this for a second, then lifted the frog from the pond and kissed him – right on his warty, green frog lips.

“I was just kidding,” said the frog.The frog jumped back into the pond

and the princess wiped the frog slime off her mouth.

Falling ActionThe frog makes a quick

getaway.

Guided Practice

The princess thought about this for a second, then lifted the frog from the pond and kissed him – right on his warty, green frog lips.

“I was just kidding,” said the frog.The frog jumped back into the pond

and the princess wiped the frog slime off her mouth.

Resolution• The frog goes back to life as

usual.• The princess deals with the

fact that she kissed a frog.

Stages of a Plot

Let’s map the story on a plot diagram.

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Exposition:A frog and a princess meet at a pond. The frog has a problem.

Rising Action:The princess

learns the frog’s problem and

decides to help.

Climax:The frog reveals

the truth. Falling Action:The frog makes a

quick getaway.Resolution:

Frog gets on with life, while the

princess deals with kissing him.

Conflict:The frog says he needs help.

Individual Assignment

• Read “The School Play” by Gary Soto (page 24).

• Identify its parts of plot.• Create a plot diagram like the ones

we working on together in class. • If you need help, look at the example

and definitions on pages 22-23.