Plot Notes

7th Grade ELA

Plot Diagram

Exposition Resolution

Risin

g Acti

onFalling Action

Climax

Exposition

Exposition

Exposition

Situation: The basic situation at the start of the story. (Meet the characters. How the story starts)

Setting: The time, place, and location a story takes place

Rising Action

Rising Action

A series of events that lead to the climax

Climax

Climax

The turning point in the story

Falling Action

Falling Action

The events that happen after the climax and before the resolution

Resolution

Resolution

How the story ends. Loose ends may be tied up

Point of View

3 kinds of point of view•1st person POV: story teller is IN the story– personal pronouns: I, me, us, mine, etc

•2nd person POV: story teller talks to audience– personal pronouns: you

•3rd person POV: story teller is OUTSIDE the story (narrator, author)– personal pronouns: he, she, they, them, etc

Characters

• Protagonist– The main character of a story

• Antagonist– The character that works against the main

character (usually “the bad guy”)– Be sure to explain why you think he/she is the

antagonist (How do they work against the protagonist?)

Characterization

• Direct: The author comes right out and tells you what a character looks like or the type of person he/she is.– Becky is a nice girl.

• Indirect: The writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions.– Billy pushed Sam down in the hall.

Theme

• Central message• Lesson learned• Main idea of the story

Types of Conflict

External (outside)•Person vs. Person: fight, argument•Person vs. Nature: tornado, storm, bear•Person vs. Society: go against an organization, group, or societal “norm”

Internal (inside)•Person vs. Self: making a decision

Symbolism

• When an object or character represents something else

• The object or character usually represents an abstract idea.

• Look at examples• Its still the object/character but it also stands

for something bigger.

Irony

• The opposite of what you expect to happen occurs

• Examples– A teacher cheats on a test– A murder detective turns out to be the killer– The Titanic, which was said to be “unsinkable”,

sunk on its maiden voyage

Foreshadowing

• The author hints at something that will occur later in the story

• Many times we discover foreshadowing AFTER we have finished a story

• Example:– He felt a cold chill as he walked through the dark

alley ( foreshadowing something bad will happen).