Activity Overview
Literary conflicts are often taught during ELA units. Building on prior knowledge to achieve mastery level with our students is important. An excellent way to focus on the various types of literary conflict is through storyboarding. Having students choose an example of each literary conflict and depict it using the Storyboard Creator is a great way to reinforce your lesson!
Examples of Literary Conflict from Holes
MAN vs. NATURE
Everyone at Camp Green Lake must be very careful not to come across a yellow spotted lizard. If they are bitten, they will die.
MAN vs. SOCIETY
Kissing Kate becomes an outlaw after the townsfolk kill Sam.
MAN vs. MAN
Zero hits Mr. Pendanski with a shovel because he is mean to him, and calls him dumb.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows at least three forms of literary conflict in Holes.
- Identify conflicts in Holes.
- Categorize each conflict as Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature, or Character vs. Technology.
- Illustrate conflicts in the cells, using characters from the story.
- Write a short description of the conflict below the cell.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Literary Conflict | The type of literary conflict(s) is correctly identified as Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature, or Character vs. Technology. | The type of literary conflict(s) is incorrectly identified as another type of conflict: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature, or Character vs. Technology. | The type of literary conflict(s) is incorrectly identified or is missing. |
| Illustration of Literary Conflict | Images clearly illustrate the conflict(s) and enhance meaning. | Images relate to the conflict, but do not show meaning. | Images are hard to understand or are missing. |
How To Teach Literary Conflict in an Elementary School
Explain Types of Conflict
Start by explaining to students the types of conflicts that are often found in stories. These include Person vs. Self, Person vs. Person, Person vs. Nature, and Person vs. Technology. Students need a firm grasp of these concepts before they can find them in stories.
Explore Conflicts in a Text Like Holes
Once students are familiar with the terms used in talking about Literary Conflict, help them explore the terms in the story Holes. For instance, Zero has to fight nature a lot as he digs and tries to avoid being bitten (Person vs. Nature). He also gets into a conflict with Mr. Pedanski and a shovel (Person vs. Person).
Create a Storyboard to Explain and Illustrate
A storyboard is a great tool to show learning. Writing and illustrating the literary conflicts will help students to understand them more fully. The act of drawing cements ideas in students' minds.
Frequently Asked Questions about Depicting Literary Conflict in Holes
Why is it important to understand the literary conflicts in a story?
Without conflicts, stories would truly be quite boring. Nothing would happen, the protagonist would not have to fight their way through anything, and nothing would be at stake. Understanding the literary conflicts helps a reader to understand how a story moves and what is important to the main character.
What are the most common types of literary conflict?
Literary conflict shows the character going through something difficult. Common literary conflicts include Person vs. Person, Person vs. Self, Person vs. Nature, and Person vs. Technology. The character must work their way through the conflict to the end of the story.
Can there be more than one literary conflict in a story?
Yes, there can be more than one literary conflict. In fact, most stories have more than one. A character might have an inner conflict with herself while also struggling with the outside forces of nature. The character needs to work hard to get through both problems.
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