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Date: _______________________

SHORT STORIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF


EXTREME READING!
REFERRING TO MICHAEL JACKSON’S “BAD” VIDEO – FIRST PART OF
WORKSHEET ONLY
Purple = class notes and discussions
A) What is a short story?
A short story is a short work of narrative fiction. Narrative means that the writing is not
poetry, and fiction means that it is invented or ‘made up.’ ( Narrative = a speaker is
telling the story to you – The story is not really in every aspect but can often be
based on some truth )

Short stories are most often stories of either incident or character ( what incident
happened at the beginning of the Michael Jackson video that caught your
attention? )
 Stories of incident focus on the course of outcome of actions ( What incident
occurred at the beginning of the Michael Jackson video that caught your
attention ? )
 Stories of character focus on the state of mind, personality, or psychological or
moral qualities of the main characters. ( What was going on in Michael’s mind
that showed you a bit of his personality ? )

B) Elements of the short story

There are FIVE key short story elements.

Element Basic Definition

1. Plot The interrelationship of the main events that take place during
the short story. ( How did the plot get started and what
clues were given at the beginning that gave you some
insight into the direction of the story ? )

2. Character A person who participates in the events in a work of fiction;


sometimes an animal or an object. ( Who is the main
character in the video and how do you know this ? )

3. Setting Where the story takes place and when. ( Was the opening
scene set in the day or night? What is the significance of
establishing this time in the video ? )

4. Narration or The narrator is the character or voice who tells the story. A
Point of view story can be told from different points of view. ( Who’s point
of View “POV” is BAD told from? )
Date: _______________________

5. Theme The “big idea” or general question developed through a story


( Do you believe the BIG IDEA is Internal Conflict in this
video ? Why or why not ? )

We will be reviewing these elements in more detail, as well as some other important
“ingredients” as the unit progresses.

Get ready for some . . .


Short Story Plot Structure
Referring to “Ender’s Game “ – book/movie

The plot is the interrelationship of the main events that take place during the action of a
short story. It is like the story’s skeleton Without it, the story would not hold together. The
plot is sometimes told in chronological order, or sometimes uses other methods of
development (e.g. flashbacks). Regardless, almost all short stories follow the formula below:
( Short stories are events and action in “Chronological Order” or in “Flashbacks”
sequences )
1. Exposition
 Provides reader with information about the characters and the setting.
( What was the initial setting for Ender? How was his character
developed ?)

2. The Inciting Force


 The reason the story occurs. ( What was Ender’s mission ? )
 The first real event in the story that impacts the characters ( What
event gave you a clue into what Ender’s mission may be and how
did this event paint a picture in your mind about his thoughts,
understanding and ability to deal with situations ? )
 Very important because:
 all of the following events happen because of the initial
incident
 it gives rise to the main conflict (problem) ( What was
Ender’s main problem ? )

3. The Rising Action


Date: _______________________

 The events that move the story along


 Two main kinds of action:
 Major incident: it creates a significant change in the action
(e.g. a crime) ( Describe the “significant change” episode
in the story that gave you the clue as to what Ender was
going to be doing eventually )
 Minor incidents: lead up to the major incident (e.g. a group
pressures a person to commit a crime). ( What smaller
events led up to you discovering Ender’s roll in this
story ? )
4. The Climax
 The point where the conflict resolves itself; the point of most tension
 Usually close to the end of the story
 Sometimes, a story ends with the climax, to leave the reader in suspense
(a cliffhanger). ( describe in your own words the “climax” of the
story and how did you determine this was the “apex” of the story
structure ? )

5. The Falling Action


 The events that happen after the character makes a decision
 Leads to the resolution of the story ( was there a resolution to the
turmoil Ender was facing ? How did he deal with the mission he was
slated for ? )

6. Denouement/Resolution
 What happens after the falling action
 resolves all the problems and conflicts in the story ( Describe in your
own words how the resolution of Ender’s internal turmoil worked
out )

7. The Conflict
 Like the muscles on a skeleton, it is what moves the story forward.

 Six types of conflict ( circle the types of “conflict” Ender faced in this
story )
 Person against person
 Person against self
 Person against nature
 Person against fate
 Person against society
 Person against supernatural

 Conflicts are dividend into internal conflicts (inside oneself) and external
conflicts (outside of oneself).
Date: _______________________

The Plot Graph

Where the heck am I . . .


Setting and the Short Story

The setting of the short story is the time or place that the events happen. For some
stories the background will be described in detail and in others it will be
intentionally vague. Both are techniques that the author can use to force a certain
mood on the reader. While the idea of setting sounds simple, there are often many
different levels of setting one can find when looking at a short story. Where and
when a story takes place can shape the way a character acts or thinks or the
action of the story itself.

There are 2 main types of setting both of which can be broken down into 2 subtypes:
macro (bigger picture) and micro (smaller picture)

1. Geography
Date: _______________________

Macro Examples:
 planet
 culture
 country
 __________________________

Micro Examples:
 character’s house
 character’s bedroom
 furniture in bedroom
 __________________________

2. Time/Temporal

Macro Examples:
 Era
 Year (s)
 Past/Present/Future
 __________________________

Micro Examples:
 Month
 Hours
 Day
 __________________________

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