Writing with a plot and a conflict.Writing with a plot and a conflict.

Character: person, animal, object who has an active role in a story

Plot: organized events that make a story

Conflict: problem or struggle to be overcomeinternal: within yourselfexternal: between characters

NarrativeNarrative

Character AnalysisCharacter Analysis• Characters are an essential part of every story or

narrative.– hold a story together, without them, there are just random

events with nothing connecting them together.– When writing a story authors create realistic figures, with

personalities the reader can understand and relate to.

• Character Analysis is an important skill for a reader, because it is the ability to interpret how a character’s actions and words show what the character is like.

Character DescriptionCharacter Description

• Character traits: words which describe a character’s personality– Usually adjectives

evilevilpatrioticpatriotic

adventurousadventurous

• Characterization: the way a character is described by the author, both implicitly and explicitly.– Direct: when the author clearly explains what the character

is like (evil, intelligent, wild)– Indirect: what is revealed about the character in other

ways, such as:

LOOKS: their appearance

ACTS: Things they do

SAYS: How they talk/what they say

CharacterizationCharacterization

• Key characters in a narrative:• Protagonist - the “good guy” or force in the

story (the central character)• Antagonist - the “bad guy” in the story who

causes problems for the protagonist

CharacterCharacter

TermsTerms DefinitionDefinition• Plot Diagram

• Exposition

• Rising Action

• Climax

• Falling Action

• Resolution

• Graphic organizer used to outline the plot of a story

• the beginning, which establishes the key information (character, setting)

• major events that develop the plot and lead to the climax

• the turning point in a story; the event with the greatest effect on the outcome

• events after climax which lead toward the ending

• the outcome of the conflict; how the story ends

Plot Diagram

2

1

3

4

5

ExpositionExposition

Rising ActionRising Action

ClimaxClimax

Falling ActionFalling Action

ResolutionResolution

Three Little Pigs…. Three Little Pigs…. Three little pigs left their mother’s home to start their Three little pigs left their mother’s home to start their

own lives. They each built their own house and were own lives. They each built their own house and were living happily, until a hungry wolf came along. living happily, until a hungry wolf came along.

Well, the first pig was lazy and built his house of straw. Well, the first pig was lazy and built his house of straw. So the wolf huffed and puffed, and easily blew the So the wolf huffed and puffed, and easily blew the house down and devoured the first pig. house down and devoured the first pig.

The second pig made his house of sticks. It was also too The second pig made his house of sticks. It was also too weak to keep out the wolf, and he blew it down and weak to keep out the wolf, and he blew it down and got the second pig too. got the second pig too.

Finally, the third, hard-working pig built his house of Finally, the third, hard-working pig built his house of brick, and no amount of huffing and puffing would brick, and no amount of huffing and puffing would help the wolf get in. The wolf even tried to sneak in help the wolf get in. The wolf even tried to sneak in through the chimney and fell into a kettle of water and through the chimney and fell into a kettle of water and was never again a problem for the third little pig!was never again a problem for the third little pig!

Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs

• Pigs leave home and build their houses.• One day, a wolf comes along.• Wolf comes to the first house of straw and blows down it down; gets pig.• Wolf destroys the second stick house, gets another pig.• Wolf goes to the third brick house, huffs, puffs, but can’t tear it down.• Wolf tries to get into brick house, but falls in hot water.• Third pig is never bothered by the wolf again.

ExpositionExposition

Rising ActionRising Action

ClimaxClimax

Falling ActionFalling Action

ResolutionResolution