Activity Overview
Creating a plot diagram not only helps students learn the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and help students develop greater understanding of literary structures. Students can create a storyboard capturing the narrative arc in a work with a six-cell storyboard containing the major parts of the plot diagram. In this activity, students will create a visual plot diagram of major events in Ghost. Students should identify major turning points in the novel such as the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution.
Template and Class Instructions
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a visual plot diagram of Ghost.
Student Instructions:
- Separate the story into the Title, Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
- Create an image that represents an important moment or set of events for each of the story components using appropriate scenes, characters and items.
- Write a description of each of the steps in the plot diagram.
Requirements:
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 25 Points | Beginning 17 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plot Images | Cells include images that convey events in the corresponding stage of the plot. The images represent an important moment and exemplify the descriptions below them. | Cells include one or two images that convey events from an incorrect stage of the plot. Most images represent an important moment and exemplify the descriptions below them. | Cells include three or more images that convey events from an incorrect stage of the plot. Images depict minor and inimportant moments or do not reflect the descriptions below them. |
| Plot Text | The storyboard correctly identifies all six stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells correctly breaks down the plot events into appropriate stages. The text gives a logical overview of the plot and includes the most significant events of the book. | The storyboard misidentifies one or two stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells breaks down most of the plot events into appropriate stages. The text gives a logical overview of the plot, but may omit some significant events of the book. | The storyboard misidentifies three or more stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells does not correspond to the events of that stage. Overall plot description is not logical. |
| Spelling and Grammar | Spelling and grammar is exemplary. Text contains few or no mistakes. | Text contains some significant errors in spelling or grammar. | Text contains many errors in spelling or grammar. |
How To Teach Summarizing Using Storyboards
Identify the Main Points of Action in the Story
In order to help students summarize, assist them in identifying the main points of the story. You could discuss this as a class, or you could write the plot elements on slips of paper and have students put them in order of the story. Students will likely need varying amounts of help with this project.
Put Special Emphasis on the Climax or Turning Point for the Main Character
In most stories, the climax or turning point is the most important part of the story. After this moment, nothing will ever be the same for the main character. Help students pull out the climax, and they can more easily work around that to find the other elements of the plot.
Divide Main Points of the Story on a Storyboard
Using a visual is invaluable in helping students to understand how to summarize a short story or novel. By writing and drawing each of the plot elements on a storyboard, students will more easily be able to summarize.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ghost Summary Activity
How are a plot diagram and a summary related?
If you are trying to summarize a story or novel, identifying the elements of the plot is the best way to summarize. A summary is the expression of the main ideas of what is going on in the story. It contains the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Why is the climax of the story so important?
The climax is the turning point of the story, and after this moment, nothing will be the same for the main character. Often if students find the climax of the story first, the rest of the elements of the story will fall into place more easily for them.
How are the rising action and the falling action related?
The rising action is the set of events that lead the characters to the climax of the story. In other words, these are the things that start happening in the plot of the story. The falling action consists of the events after the climax, when the story starts wrapping up.
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