Elements of a Story

Elements of a Story (continued)

We've already review setting, what are the other four elements of a story?

Characters

Every story needs at least one character. Characters are the people in a story.

An animal, alien, or even an object can be a character.
Most stories focus on one very important character called the main character. The main character in Naruto is Naruto. Other characters are called secondary characters. The story may not focus on them quite as much, but they’re still important!
Character traits are the qualities we use to describe characters, like cowardly! Other characters might be brave or silly or evil.

Match

Landon, a determined 7th grader with a passion for gaming, found himself on the brink of defeat in a fierce game of Call of Duty. His heart raced as his virtual enemies closed in on him. Just as he was about to accept his fate, his loyal friends, Ethan and Lily, jumped into action. With their swift reflexes and strategic thinking, they fought alongside Landon, covering his back and turning the tide of the game. Landon felt a surge of gratitude and admiration for his friends, their camaraderie shining through their teamwork. Together, they triumphed, securing victory and proving that true friendship knows no bounds, even in the virtual world.

• Main Character

• Character Traits

• Secondary Characters

Landon

determined, passion for gaming

Lily & Ethan

• Landon

• determined, passion for gaming

• Lily & Ethan

The plot is the events that happen in a story. If someone asked you to

summarize a story, you’d probably explain the plot. The beginning of a story is the

introduction, or exposition. Readers usually learn about characters and a story’s setting

in the introduction. Events in a story typically build up to a climax, or the most exciting part. And plots tend to finish with a resolution. A resolution is how a story’s conflict is resolved or comes to an end.

​

Plot

Poll

If someone asked you to list all 5 elements of a story, could you do it?

• Yes

• Not yet

Labeling

Label the parts of the plot.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Climax

Rising Action

Introduction

Falling Action

Resolution

A conflict is a problem a character or characters must face. It keeps the plot moving and adds tension. There are things the main character wants or needs to do, but something gets in the way of those things. That’s the conflict. There are external and internal conflicts. An external conflict comes from the world around the character—external means outside. An internal conflict is a struggle inside a character’s mind—internal means inside.

​Conflict

Multiple Choice

True or False: An external conflict is a struggle inside a character’s mind.

• True
• False

Theme

The last element is a story’s theme. A theme is an idea or message an author wants to get across with their story. It’s usually a big idea about the world or life, and authors usually don’t come out and tell you a story’s theme. You have to infer a theme based on what you read. You can think about the plot or conflict or how characters changed throughout the story to figure out the theme. Sometimes

a story’s theme will stick with you for a long time. It might even help you make sense of your own life story.

Dropdown

The last element is a story’s ​

Select answer

. A theme is an idea or ​

Select answer

an author wants to get across

with their story. It’s usually a big idea about the world or ​

Select answer

, and authors usually don’t come out and

tell you a story’s theme. You have to ​

Select answer

a theme based on what you read. You can think about theplot or conflict or how characters changed throughout the story to figure out the theme. Sometimes

a story’s theme will stick with you for a long time. It might even help you make sense of your own life

story.