What does it take to create a story/movie/play?

1. What does it take to create a story/movie/play? • 3 Things: Characters Setting Plot

2. With a partner or group of 3 next to you, do the following: • 1.)List the Characters • 2.) Explain the setting (where the story takes place…could be more than 1 place) • You have 2 minutes….

3. Literary Elements: Plot • What do you think of when you think of “plot”? • What about in relation to math or science? • What does the line made represent?

4. Plot • Each point graphed represents something happening…the line is made by connecting those points of importance…the line shows what happened • In drama, the points are events & the line made by connecting those events represents the story • Plot- the events of a play or arrangement of action • Plot answers the question: What happens in the story & who does what?

5. Plot • With your partner or group, make a list of the main events or main points of “The Wizard of Oz” • Hint: think about main characters, emotional events, turning points, conflicts…etc • You have 2 minutes…

8. Plot • Plot is best expressed chronologically (in order) & you have to have an understanding of character…why? • Important events of the plot work together to create an effective whole piece • How can we organize these events?

9. Plot Structures: The Big 5 • Exposition • Rising action • Climax • Falling action • Resolution

10. Plot Model Where would the plot structures fit on this graph?

11. Plot Structures • Exposition- part of story/play that introduces the theme, chief characters, & current circumstances • What events are part of the exposition in “The Wizard of Oz”?

12. Plot Structures • Rising action- series of events leading up to the climax (turning point) • What events are part of the rising action in “The Wizard of Oz”?

13. Plot Structures • Climax- turning point of the plot…point of greatest intensity that leads to some kind of resolution • What is the climax of “The Wizard of Oz”? Oh my, you’re not a wizard! You’re a man! …and you’re old!

14. Plot Structures • Falling action- series of events following the climax • What events are part of the falling action in “The Wizard of Oz”?

15. Plot Structures • Resolution- how the problem or conflict in a drama is solved or concluded • What is the resolution in “The Wizard of Oz”? “There’s no place like home…there’s no place like home…” “I just had the craziest dream…”

16. Plot Model Climax You need to draw & label this in your notes!!! Rising Action Falling Action Exposition Resolution

17. Plot Structures Review • What is plot? • What questions does plot answer? • What are the “Big 5” plot structures? • Compare the plot structures to a plot graph.

18. Plot vs. Theme Answers question what happened & who does what Answers question what is the story about & what can we learn from it Both are essential to understanding the story

19. Theme • Theme- the basic idea of a play; the idea, point of view, or perception that binds together a work of art • The moral, the message, the lesson • What was the “theme” in “The Wizard of Oz”?

20. Aesop’s Fables • The Fox and the Grapes • One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch. “Just the thing to quench my thirst,” said the fox. Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them but still failed. Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, “They’re probably sour anyway”, the fox said, and proceeded to walk away.

21. The Fox and the grapes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W910WX69Ah8 What’s the theme here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDIeeND1xAA

22. The Tortoise and the Hare • A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and the slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: “Though you may be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.” The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, agreed to the proposal, and they decided that the Fox should choose the course and the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow and steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying bored and over-confident by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the finish, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue.

23. The Tortoise and the Hare What’s the theme here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzPykkQJvXM

24. Aesop’s Fables • Fables always end with a “moral” to each story… • An outright statement of the story’s theme, what the story is about or the lesson we can learn from it • Can you think of any other themes to stories you’ve heard?

25. Let’s Practice Stating Theme • Learning to analyze a story in order to state its theme in your own words is essential • “Life is a compromise between fate and free-will.” • “People need someone to believe in them- it can change everything.” • “People are known by the company they keep.”

26. Practice • “We seldom think of what we have, but always think of what we lack.” • “Actions speak louder than words.” • “First think, then speak.” • “Laughter is the best medicine.” • “Love is blind.”

27. Understanding Plot & Theme • Plot=story line, sequence of events • Answers question: what happens in the story or who does what • Character is essential • Best told in chronological order

28. Understanding Plot & Theme • Theme=the meaning, message, lesson story offers us • Answers question: what is the story about and why did the writer create this story • Stories are part of human interaction & culture for the value they present as learning tools • Story’s reason for being is to leave us with a unifying idea or message • Can be categorized in a word or phrase: “greed”, “kindness”, “overcoming odds” • Best comprehended in a sentence