RECORD PLOT STRUCTUREHave students identify and record the major events in the story, the climax (when the problem is directly confronted), and the resolution (when the problem is resolved).
REVIEW PLOTFor third graders, review plot as the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Help them chart the beginning, middle, and end of familiar stories.
TEACH NEW TERMSFor more advanced readers, introduce the following terms: problem, rising action, climax, and resolution. Tell students that these words describe a common plot structure.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
Have students look for a problem or goal in a story you have read. Explain that they might see a conflict:
- between two characters,
- between a character and nature, such as a character trying to survive in the desert
- within a character, as when a character needs to make a decision.
Show students how to record the problem on a plot structure map.
Plot
When students have a clear understanding of the typical plot structure of stories, they can tell which events are most important and why they happen. Use this routine to support students' understanding of plot.
DeGroff, Linda, and Lee Galda. "Responding to Literature: Activities for Exploring Books." In Invitation to Read: More Children's Literature in the Reading Program, edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, International Reading Association, 1992.
Linda DeGroff and Lee Galda,
"Responding to Literature: Activities for Exploring Books"
"By studying plot, children can learn to identify patterns that appear over and over again in the books they read. With older students, plot maps can be drawn to focus on key events in particular chapters or to discover the shapes of whole books."
Research on Plot
