Reading Skills: Fiction, Short Stories, and Drama

BrainPOP | Reading Skills

Plot Diagram

(Problem/Conflict)

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

ResolutionIntroductio

n/Exposition

(Develop situations and characters)

(Turning Point)

(Characters react to climax )

(The End)

CharacterizationThis is the act of creating and bringing a character

to life. The characters have traits and motives.Traits=are the qualities the character possesses

that help the reader understand the character (intelligence, stubbornness, etc). Given as a single word answer.

Motives=the reasons a character does something. This includes the character's thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Given as a sentence answer.

2 types: Direct and indirect. Direct=described by writer Indirect=described through actions in the story

ConflictA conflict is the problem between opposing

forces in the story.2 types:

Internal conflict=takes place in the mind of the character

External conflict=takes place with other characters or some other outside force (nature)

Short StoriesIt is fiction that is shorter in length.It has the same basic elements as fiction:

plot, (see diagram), characters, Setting, and theme. See related slides for each.

Narrator’s Point of view1) First person

When narrator is in the storyUses pronouns like I, We, Us, Our, Me, My,

Mine, Ours-coming from the narrator’s perspective

2) Third personsomeone else tells the story either as a character or as an “omniscient” being (omniscient means everywhere, knowing everything)Uses pronouns like he, she, them, it, they, his, her, its, their, theirs

Literary DevicesForeshadowing=use of clues early in a story to hint at

events to comeFlashback=the use of a past event that interrupts the

sequence of events to provide more information to the story.

Irony=general name given to any technique that involves the use of surprising, interesting or amusing contradictions. In a story it is when something unexpected happens.

Dialect=the form of a language spoken by a particular region or group (like an accent). This makes a story more authentic and a characters words sound more realistic.

SettingThe time and place in which a story takes

place. A modern story will sound realistic in details of the surroundings, etc. A story that takes place in the past will have historical facts, etc.

The setting can effect a character’s mood.It is the background that the story takes in.

ThemeTheme is the message or insight about life

contained in a story. Also called a universal, or reoccurring, theme

2 typesStated theme=expressly by the authorImplied theme=suggested or implied through

what happens to the characters.

Compare and ContrastCompare=how two or more things are alike (clue

words or phrases are: also, alike, same, similar, have in common) Example: simile (use like or as), metaphor

Contrast=how two or more things are different (clue words or phrases are: different, not alike, before/after, although, however)

Graphic organizers used: Venn Diagram, T-Chart Before and After (an event) chart, 3 column chart (KWL)

Clues: ask How would you compare (contrast)? How are they alike (different)? In what way…?

Fiction vs. NonfictionFiction is imaginary

Characters, plot (see diagram-slide #3), setting, theme, etc.

Novels, novellas, short storiesNonfiction is real and it can be verified.

Fact based, advice, autobiographies, biographies, articles, textbooks, essays, etc.

Author’s Purpose1) to entertain (Ask: Is the author being funny? Is the author telling a story—creating suspense or mystery?)

2) to inform (Ask: is the author explaining or giving facts, statistics, etc.?)

3) to persuade-to make someone think a certain way or to make someone do something (convince them)We should…Because of this problem, someone should…We need to…

Author’s PerspectiveThe viewpoint from which the author writesHis or her background and beliefs play an

important role in this.

Author’s Tone (mood)1) Author’s attitude in the piece of writing2) Can be described in 1 word. Example: playful, serious, sad, humorous.

Elements of FictionFiction – writing that tells about imaginary

characters/events and include:a)characters-people in the storyb)plot- made-up series of eventsc) setting – time and placed)narrator- character telling the story. Narrator has point of view (first person and third person)e) theme – message about life

Cause and EffectA cause is what makes something happen.An effect is what happens as a result of a

cause. It may cause another (separate) effect.Clues:

1) Look for clue words like: because, causing, effect, happening

2) Ask yourself: What made this happen? Or What happened as a result of this?

Predictions/Making InferencesPrediction-making a logical guess as to what will happen

next in a story. Inference=an assumption based on fact. (to speculate)

Prior Knowledge-your previous experience(s) that you can use to make a prediction

Support Predictions-using clues in the story to back up what you predicted; refer (look back) to text for details to support

Read ahead – to verify/confirm predictionsRevise-if your prediction was wrong, you can change it or

make a new oneText Structure-used to make predictions when reading

informational texts (nonfiction).

SequenceOrder of the events in a story (chronological,

first, next, then, last)If events happen at the same time clue words

are: while, at the same time, in the same year, or meanwhile.

A graphic organizer for this is a timeline. A timeline helps you keep track of events by putting them in chronological order.

Context CluesUse the text (wording) that surrounds an

unfamiliar word or idea to clarify its meaning. This text can be similar or opposite to the unknown word or idea.

You may need to re-read the passage to better understand it.

You may need to read ahead to confirm the meaning you have decided upon

May have “historical context,” which is political and social events of the time in which something was written.

Symbols and SymbolismSymbol-and person, place, or thing that

represents more than its regular meaning.Symbolism-is an author’s use of symbols to

add meaning to a storyCan be different to each reader (it’s open to

interpretation)Interpretation should be based on what is in

the storyA symbol may have more than one meaning

Main Idea and supporting detailsMain idea is the most important idea in a

paragraph or story.It is sometimes said in 1 sentence that can be

anywhere in the story.It has to be re-worded into the reader’s own

words (Summarized)Supporting details are the facts that

explain or back up what the main idea is.

SummaryThis is when a reader puts what is read into

his or her own words when explaining about what was read.

Generalization•making a general statement about things, events, or people in

a story• usually one sentence in length• Valid generalization is supported by details in the story• Faulty generalization is not supported by the story

Draw ConclusionsTaking facts from the story and making a

judgment about a character or event in the story.

Must be able to support your conclusions with facts from the story.

Using Graphic SourcesThis includes maps, timeline, diagrams,

charts, and pictures with captionsThese make information easy to see and

understand.Examples: in class we have used Venn

Diagrams and word webs.

Contrast

Contrast

Compare

Drama

Dialogue- conversation between 2 or more peopleMonologue-one person speaking to the audience

(like a speech)Soliloquy- a speech within a play that reveals

thought of a character (can be done as an aside (facing audience) or in context of a conversation

Dialogue in a script is written as follows:Scrooge: It’s less of a time of year…Cratchit: I must be going home….have a lovely day

tomorrow, sir…Scrooge: bah humbug!

***more than just plays, it is also movies (screenplay), TV (teleplay), radio broadcasts (radio play), and some podcasts

Drama (#2)In a script stage directions are written in

parentheses. (They tell where to stand, what to d0, etc.)

Theater=where a play is usually presentedSet=the items on the stage that suggest the

time and place of the story (setting). Another word for this can be scenery.

Props=small moveable object used on stage during the play.

Plays are broken into smaller parts called acts and those can be broken into smaller parts called scenes.

Drama (#3)Playwrights/Dramatists= author of a play. They use

elements of fiction (just like novels and short stories) to create their stories. EX: characterization, theme, setting, point of view, conflict, etc.

Actors= people who perform the play.Comedy=drama that has a happy ending. They can

entertain as well as teach a lesson.Tragedy=usually has the main character “fall”. Events in a

tragedy lead to the downfall of an important person (tragic hero) or otherwise has a sad ending.

Tragic hero’s fault/guilt= Tragic Flaw.Comic relief: a scene that breaks the seriousness of a

tragedy.