Lesson 1 - Plot Structure

🕐 Lesson Overview

Bellringer - Freytag's Pyramid
Why is story structure important?
Notes: Story Structure
We Do: Label story structure

⭐ Objectives

I can define exposition, conflict, climax, and resolution.
I can analyze a story's structure.

📏 Standards

🗽 NYSNGSS

8R2:
Determine one or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; summarize a text.
8L6:
Acquire and accurately use general academic and content-specific words and phrases; apply vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

🗒️ Lesson Plan

Anticipatory Set

Students will sketch the basic shape of Freytag's Pyramid in their journals. The teacher will challenge students to label any parts of the pyramid that they recall from previous years' instruction. As students copy and label, the teacher will take attendance. Once sufficient time to at least copy the shape has elapsed, the teacher will guide students through labeling the major parts of the pyramid: exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.

Freytag's Pyramid

The class will then review the agenda and objectives for the day.

Developmental Activity

The teacher will announce that the class will focus today on the basic structure of stories to help build a foundation for reading a series of short stories throughout this unit. The teacher will emphasize the importance of story structure by showing a Pixar in a Box clip that describes the challenges faced by the creators of Finding Nemo when developing the structure of the film.

Students will then copy the following notes in their journals about each phase of Freytag's Pyramid.

Exposition: the “backstory” — the author introduces the characters, the setting, and important background information

Conflict: the “problem” in the story or the inciting incident

Rising Action: events in the plot that build tension and suspense

Climax: the turning point and usually the most exciting part of the story

Falling Action: the story begins to wind down

Resolution: the author ties up any loose ends

Denouement: the ending!

To practice analyzing story structure, the teacher will show the Pixar short "Bao." Together, the class will label each part of Freytag's Pyramid using "Bao."

Closure

Students will independently complete the Story Structure Worksheet assignment, which asks them to watch a different Pixar Short and then label the portions of Freytag's Pyramid.

🧠 Rationale

This lesson will likely be a review for eighth grade level students, but it establishes an essential foundation for the coming lessons. A previously read text might be used if this unit is done in the middle of a school year or from seventh grade. However, the Pixar Shorts are "bite-size" and require no background knowledge.