UNIT 4: The Elements of Storytelling
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit enables students to confirm and hone a common understanding of important literary elements that were covered more thoroughly in freshman English, as well as a shared vocabulary for discussing them. Each story will be used to focus especially on a particular element, such as setting in "Araby" by James Joyce or symbolism in "The Hunger-Artist" by Franz Kafka. The selected works provide exposure to iconic authors from British and European literature, as well as some important and influential storytellers from other corners of the world.
This unit enables students to confirm and hone a common understanding of important literary elements that were covered more thoroughly in freshman English, as well as a shared vocabulary for discussing them. Each story will be used to focus especially on a particular element, such as setting in "Araby" by James Joyce or symbolism in "The Hunger-Artist" by Franz Kafka. The selected works provide exposure to iconic authors from British and European literature, as well as some important and influential storytellers from other corners of the world.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do storytellers tell stories?
How do storytellers tell stories?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify and explain plot structure (i.e., exposition, rising action, crisis/climax, falling action, resolution/denouement) in short stories.
- Analyze how authors create the setting in a short story.
- Define the concept of theme and identify the theme(s) in stories read.
- Identify and explain characterization techniques in short stories.
- Identify and explain the use of figurative language in short stories.
- Analyze how authors create tone and mood in short stories.
- Identify the point of view in a short story and analyze how point of view affects the reader's interpretation of the story.
FOCUS STANDARDS
- RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
- W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
LITERARY TEXTS
Short Stories
Short Stories
- "Araby" by James Joyce | Ireland
- "After the Ball" by Leo Tolstoy | Russia
- "A Sunrise On the Veld" by Doris Lessing | Britain-Zimbabwe
- "The Hunger-Artist" by Franz Kafka | Czechoslovakia
- "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Márquez | Colombia
TERMINOLOGY
Allusion
Character, characterization Figurative language Genre Imagery Irony (e.g., dramatic, situational, verbal) |
Magical realism
Narrator Plot (i.e., exposition, rising action, crisis/climax, falling action, resolution/denouement) Point of view |
Setting
Style Symbol, symbolism Theme Tone |
AUDIO GALLERY
VIDEO GALERY
Click on the video tutorials below to learn about the basic elements of storytelling and some literary devices.
Click on the video tutorials below to learn about the basic elements of storytelling and some literary devices.
ELEMENT 1: Narrator / Point of View
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ELEMENT 2: Setting
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ELEMENT 3: Characterization
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ELEMENT 4: Plot Structure (feat. Freytag's Triangle)
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ELEMENT 5: Symbol and Symbolism
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 1:
Tone and Diction (Denotation and Connotation) NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 3: Motifs
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ELEMENT 6: Theme
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE 2: Figurative Language
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