Resources * Plot Diagram Interactive * Plot PowerPoint Presentation * Plot Presentation Handouts * Family Letter Preparation * Preview the Plot PowerPoint Presentation and download a copy to your machine if desired to share with...
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Resources * Plot Diagram Interactive * Plot PowerPoint Presentation * Plot Presentation Handouts * Family Letter Preparation * Preview the Plot PowerPoint Presentation and download a copy to your machine if desired to share with your class. If a computer and LCD projector are not available in your classroom, make overheads and/or copies of the Plot Presentation Handouts. * If desired, make copies of the Family Letter for students to take home. * Review the Web Resources and choose any that can be used to supplement or reinforce the lesson plan. Decide when and how to use these sites. * Test the Plot Diagram Tool on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tool and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page. Instruction and Activities Session One * Introduce students to plot structure, using the Plot PowerPoint Presentation (see notes on the slides). Alternately, display overheads or pass out handouts to accompany your introduction to plot structure. * Explain that plot structure is used for more than just the literature that they read in class. It is used in oral storytelling, television, movies, and more. * Choose a story that all students are familiar with and ask the class to brainstorm the significant events in the story. As students make suggestions, write the events on the board. * When students finish making suggestions, review the list. Ask students to look for any items which have been omitted or items which should be combined. * Discuss the difference between significant events and the other events in the story. * Demonstrate how to use the Plot Diagram Interactive, using the relevant events from students brainstormed list. * Answer any questions that students have about the process. * Arrange students in small groups, and ask each group to chart the course of a story they have recently read, using the Plot Diagram Interactive. (If computers are not available, students can draw pyramids in their notebooks.) Assign each group a different story so that you can make comparisons later in the session. * To guide students discussion, you can share key questions that they must negotiate as they complete their pyramids, such as the following: * What did the author need to explain to readers in the exposition section? * What inciting event causes the action to begin to rise? * Where does the story peak? Is there a clear climax? * Which events lead up to the conclusion? * How is the story resolved? * As students work, you will likely overhear them arguing over where the story turns, where its climax is. Encourage students to point to evidence from the story to support their choices. * Once students have completed their work, ask groups to share the plot diagrams with the class. * Draw comparisons among the different diagrams. In particular, point out how the plot structure compares to overall textare the plot sections of equal length? how and when are they different? * Explain that the shape of the pyramid suggests that the climax always occurs in the middle of the story. This is often not the case. Particularly in short stories and situation comedies, the climax can occur relatively close to the end. Falling action leads swiftly to a resolution. * Use the slider underneath the pyramid diagram in the Plot Diagram Interactive to demonstrate how the climax of the plot can shift on the organizer. * For homework, ask students to watch their favorite situation comedy, and chart the key events using the Plot Diagram Interactive. If students do not have computer access at home, have them complete pyramids for their shows in their notebooks. * Pass out the Family Letter, which explains the project that students will complete as homework. Session Two * Ask students to share their completed plot diagrams informally with others as class begins. * Draw students together for a class discussion. Ask students to share their observations of the plots for the situation comedies that they watched, using literary terms (e.g., exposition, climax). * Allow enough
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