ELA Plot Structure High School

Plot Structure

Ms. Hess

Open Ended

What are the elements or parts of a story that you can think of off the top of your head?

Elements of a Story

• Exposition

• Rising Action

• Climax

• Falling Action

• Resolution

As we discuss this, we'll practice the concept with a familiar story

Mother Earth and her Children 

What do you remember about the events of "Mother Earth and her Children" from last week?

Exposition

• Introduction of time, place, and characters

On the next slide, you will have a practice question.

It will look like this! Take a moment to read through each response before answering

Multiple Choice

Which of the following happens in the exposition of "Mother Earth and her Children" that sets the scene and introduces us to the story?

• Learning about Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the creation of the world

• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the realms

• Zeus freeing the monsters during the war

• Gifts from cyclopes and punishment of the titans

• Birth of the titans, battle against Father Heaven, and Chronus devouring his children

Rising Action

• Beginning to develop the conflict

• Builds interest/suspense

• Complications may begin to arise

Multiple Choice

Which of the following happens in the rising action of "Mother Earth and her Children" that begins to develop the conflict?

• Gifts from cyclopes and punishment of the titans

• Birth of the titans, battle against Father Heaven, and Chronus devouring his children

• Zeus freeing the monsters during the war

• Learning about Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the creation of the world

• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the realms

Climax

• Turning point of the story

• Main character will come face to face with conflict OR have to make a significant choice 

• Kindof the "point of no return"

Multiple Choice

Which of the following happens in the climax of "Mother Earth and her Children" that shows the turning point of the story?

• Learning about Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the creation of the world

• Birth of the titans, battle against Father Heaven, and Chronus devouring his children

• Zeus freeing the monsters during the war

• Gifts from cyclopes and punishment of the titans

• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the realms

Falling Action

• Events that occur after the climax (sometimes looks like consequences)

• Ultimately leads to the resolution

Multiple Choice

Which of the following happens in the falling action of "Mother Earth and her Children" that shows the consequences from the climax?

• Learning about Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the creation of the world

• Birth of the titans, battle against Father Heaven, and Chronus devouring his children

• Zeus freeing the monsters during the war

• Gifts from cyclopes and punishment of the titans

• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the realms

Resolution

• All loose ends are tied up

• Either the character defeated the problem, learned to live with the problem, or the problem defeated the character

Multiple Choice

Which of the following happens in the resolution of "Mother Earth and her Children" that ties up the story?

• Learning about Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the creation of the world

• Birth of the titans, battle against Father Heaven, and Chronus devouring his children

• Zeus freeing the monsters during the war

• Gifts from cyclopes and punishment of the titans

• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the realms

Conflict Types

​Conflict and plot structure go hand in hand!

The types of conflict include:

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​**Can you have multiple conflicts in a story?

Practice: Let's apply this idea to our next myth

​The Myth of Zeus' Test