Identify Short Story Elements with the Use of a Story Map

To present the student with the basic elements of a short story and illustrate how each element contributes to the development of a story. This lesson can be used before or after reading a short story or before starting a creative writing assignment.

The student will learn the basic elements of a short story and their definitions, and be able to identify these elements with the use of a story map (graphic organizer).

• Jay Bean and the Dreamers' Circus (iPad App) or another short story
  Note: Pages 1-19 of Jay Bean and the Dreamers' Circus are available online. (requires Flash)



• Short Story Map photocopied or displayed for students (included in PDF)



• Definitions of the short story elements (included in PDF)

1. Present the student with the short story elements.



2. Define each term.



3. Cite examples from other stories to familiarize the student with the terms. For example: "In cinderella the the setting is..., and the conflict is ..., etc."



4. Display the chart for the student and teach them how to complete the chart, explaining how each term has a corresponding box that must be filled in.



5. Begin with the title. Have the student write the title of the story in the appropriate box.



6. Read Jay Bean and the Dreamers' Circus or another story. If short story elements are a new concept, point them out to the student as they read the story.


Suggestions:


• Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete the chart. Each student would be responsible for a different section of the chart.



• Pause the story occasionally to let the student work on the chart and to make any necessary clarifications.



• Let students draw a picture to accompany their written identification of Setting, Conflict, Climax, Resolution

Main characters - People/animals/things that the reader gets to know very well throughout the story. The story revolves around them.


Minor characters - Are additional characters that the main character encounters or interacts with but they do not remain present throughout the story. We never get to know these characters as well as we do main characters.


Setting - This is where and when the action of the story takes place. There can be various settings within one story. In some stories, the time can easily be identified to within a specific decade or century, but most stories will fall under one of three basic time-frames: past, present, and future.


Plot - A sequence of important events that make up a story. The plot is composed of several key elements. Rising Action are the events that lead up to the climax. The Falling Action are the events that happen after the climax has been reached.


Conflict - The problem in the story. It is the obstacle that the main character must overcome. Without a conflict there would be no short story. Longer stories may have various conflicts. Conflict can be categorized in one of two ways: internal conflict where the main character struggles with his/herself and external conflict where the character must struggle against something or someone in his/her world.


Resolution - How the problem in the story is solved, how the story ends. This is usually the part in a story when the main character breathes a sigh of relief and the reader is satisfied. Resolution occurs after the climax.


Climax - Climax is the turning point of the story. An emotionally intense moment that affects the outcome of the story. All the events in the Rising Action have been building up to this moment.


Author's theme - The message behind the story, the lesson that the author tried to teach the reader. "The moral of the story".

Main characters - People/animals/things that the reader gets to know very well throughout the story. The story revolves around them. In this case there's only one: Answer: Jay Bean.


Minor characters - Are additional characters that the main character encounters or interacts with but they do not remain present throughout the story. We never get to know these characters as well as we do main characters. Answer: These characters would include Madame Tutu, Sir, Mom, Dad, the doctor, etc.


Setting - This is where and when the action of the story takes place. There can be various settings within one story. In some stories, the time can easily be identified to within a specific decade or century, but most stories will fall under one of three basic timeframes: past, present, and future. Answer: The setting for Jay Bean and the Dreamer's Circus is in the present and begins in Ampersand, then the countryside, Reverie Creek, and finally the Circus.


Plot - A sequence of important events that make up a story. The plot is composed of several key elements. Rising Action are the events that lead up to the climax. The Falling Action are the events that happen after the climax has been reached. Answer: The plot is a summary of the story.


Conflict - The problem in the story. It is the obstacle that the main character must overcome.Without a conflict there would be no short story. Longer stories may have various conflicts. Conflict can be categorized in one of two ways: internal conflict where the main character struggles with his/herself and external conflict where the character must struggle against something or someone in his/her world. Answer: In Jay Bean and the Dreamer's Circus Jay struggles with himself when he asks himself questions and wonders why he is different, but the main conflict is that Jay Bean must overcome his own fears and the resistance from the world around him in order find other dreamers.


Resolution - How the conflict is solved, how the story ends. Resolution occurs after the climax. The resolution for Jay Bean and the Dreamer's Circus is when he learns that he was never different (a dreamer). Answer: At the end of the story after Jay has completed his journey we learn that his inability to "fit-in" and subsequent adventure were never real.


Climax - This can be tricky for young readers to identify. Climax is the turning point of the story. An emotionally intense moment that affects the outcome of the story. All the events in the Rising Action have been building up to this moment. Answer: The climax in our story is when Jay finds the dreamer's circus and realizes the performers are all dreamer's too.


Author's theme - The message behind the story, the lesson the author tried to teach the reader. "The moral of the story". Answer: Never give up finding your place in the world. (answers may vary)