Students will evaluate, dissect, and pinpoint the components of fiction in a short story. At the end of the lesson, students are going to: 
- Determine, review, and evaluate the following literary elements: setting, character, viewpoint, plot, and topic.
- Make assumptions, forecasts, and conclusions based on a text.

- In what ways does text interaction encourage thought and action?

- Characterization: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities. 
- Climax: The turning point in a narrative, the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax. 
- Inference: A judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understandings gained by “reading between the lines.” 
- Plot: The structure of a story.The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict. 
- Point of view: How an author reveals characters, events, and ideas in telling a story; the vantage point from which the story is told. 
- Resolution: The portion of a story following the climax, in which the conflict is resolved. The resolution of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is neatly summed up in the following sentence: “Henry and - Catherine were married, the bells rang and everybody smiled.” 
- Setting: The time and place in which a story unfolds. 
- Theme: A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work. 
- Tone: The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous). 

- Jack London. (2008). To Build a Fire. Dover Publications.
- Ray Bradbury. (2005). A Sound of Thunder. Harper Perennial. Also: http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/ 
- Stephen Crane. (2009). The Open Boat. General Books LLC. Also: http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/CraOpen.html 
- Eudora Welty. (1998). A Worn Path. Harcourt Brace.
- student copies of Elements of Fiction (L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_student)
- Elements of Fiction chart, teacher copy (L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_teacher)

- Find out how well the students understand the components of fiction. Select a different well-known children's story for a fast evaluation. Ask each student to define the plot, point of view, theme, setting, and character or characters.
- If necessary, give advice and more practice.
 

Clear instruction, active participation, and scaffolding
W: Review the components of fiction.
H: Use a short, enjoyable children's story to get students engaged.
E: Assist students in filling out a chart that lists the components of fiction and their arrangement in a children's story.
R: Encourage students to reflect on and reconsider their chart responses.
E: Show students how to fill out the “To Build a Fire” chart, which is used for a private evaluation.
T: Offer opportunities for students to collaborate in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
O: This lesson's learning activities include discussions and instruction in large groups, small-group exploration, partner work, and individual application of the material.

Topic: How can the elements of fiction elicit thought and reaction?

Part 1

Say, "We'll look over a few fiction-related components to see how they're applied to various genres of fiction, including children's books and classic works. Consider a children's tale that almost everyone is familiar with."  Permit students to submit multiple story ideas. On the interactive whiteboard or board, write the titles. Ask students to select one tale. "Let's go over the storyline again so we can all agree on one version of this tale." 

Ask your students, "What occurs first? What comes next?" Write the sequence of each major event on the board or interactive whiteboard as the students suggest plot points. Identify each of the following plot points: exposition, one or more turning points, climax (important turning point), and resolution.

Say, "Let's determine what components of this children's story make it a story. Which five components make up this story, as well as all others? " Write the elements of setting, character, point of view, plot, and theme on the interactive whiteboard or board.

Part 2

Spread out the (L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_student) Elements of Fiction chart. Say, "Let's start by finding details of each element of fiction in our children's story," to serve as an example of the task. "For instance, what two key elements are typically present in a story's setting? (where and when the action takes place). What are one or two setting details in the children's story we have?" Allow students a few minutes to suggest answers, and have them write down the specifics for the setting on their charts. Write their responses on the interactive whiteboard or board as they proceed.

Divide the class into smaller groups."Keep looking for details or proof for the remaining elements of fiction," you say. "Put this supporting documentation in your chart's second column."

Say, "I'd like each group to name one detail to complete the chart," once the students have completed it. As students give information, incorporate it into the chart you are demonstrating. Permit students to add to or modify their charts.

Give a captivating short story, like Jack London's "To Build a Fire," to the class. Once students have read the first two pages, assist them in identifying the two characters (the man and the dog) as well as the setting, which is the Yukon territory of Alaska on a very cold winter's day.

Distribute copies of the Elements of Fiction chart to the students after they have finished reading the story. Say, "To Build a Fire: Discuss and identify the five elements of fiction. Next, identify each element's supporting evidence from the narrative and record it in the chart's second column."

To finish the chart, have each group name one detail from the narrative. Begin with the storyline. Reviewing the storyline is crucial, and everyone needs to concur on what transpired. To determine the story's themes, students must comprehend the narrative. Students can record their responses on an analogous chart that is drawn on the board or the interactive whiteboard. 

Let students make edits to their charts while the class provides details to finish the design. Take a look at the following chart terms:

Setting: Yukon, Alaska; a bitterly cold winter's dawn

Viewpoint: Third-Person Omniscient

Characters: a native husky and a man who recently moved to Alaska

Plot: On a bitterly cold day, the man sets out. At last, he decides he has to stop and set up camp. After starting a fire, he moves forward. He realizes he needs to start another fire after falling through the ice. The second fire was extinguished. The man freezes in desperation to start a fire. The dog walks away from the man and toward the mining camp.

Topic: the power and indifference of nature

Note: The teacher has supplied an Elements of Fiction chart (L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_teacher) with a lengthy list of illustrative details.

Ask students, "What are some of the themes in this story?" once they have determined the plot, setting, characters, and point of view. When we get to the later part of this unit, we'll talk about the theme to get students ready to investigate the goal of a personal essay. The teacher's Elements of Fiction chart lists a few themes.

Extension:

For each theme, assign students to identify two or more supporting details and two additional themes from the narrative.
Ask students to analyze the relationships between various story elements. Ask them to respond to one of the following questions regarding "To Build a Fire," for instance:

If it had been twenty-five degrees warmer, how would this story have ended?
What effect does it have that the man is a newcomer to the area?
By stating that the "man lacked imagination," what does the narrator mean?
Do you believe the writer has any prior experience residing in this kind of setting? What specifics back up your assertions?

With at least two specific examples from "To Build a Fire," have students explain one of the story's main themes in a paragraph.