Explaining Literary Elements Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RL.6.3

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Literary devices are different methods writers will use to create a unique effect in their writing. Often these techniques are used to help readers understand their writing at a deeper level. Students will often become more connected to a work that use a flashback or foreshadowing technique and this is simply because it is very unique and doesn't happen in every work you pick up and read. Through this series of worksheets students will learn how to spot and use various literary elements.

Literary Elements Worksheets To Print:

Where Are They? - Determining the setting here is a bit of a difficulty. Read short tale below. Determine where the narrator is. Then write the number of the correct setting on the line.

Build a Story Puzzle - Make this four part-er work for you. Characters, setting and event all need to come together like a puzzle in order for a tale to work. Use the diagram below to map out the characters, setting and event in the story you just read.

Story Diagram - This helps you put everything together into one. We explore the concept of a story diagram. It begins with the inciting event of the adventure, shows the rising action, the climax, the falling action and the conclusion.

Character and Conflict - Find the problem and conflict for yourself. Where does everything spin in the right way for you.

Be a Book Reviewer - Pretend that you are writing an Amazon or Barnes and Noble review for your best friend.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff - The central message here is that I think you should get it all right. A good story contains conflict, some kind of struggle or problem that needs to be resolved. It could be a conflict between two characters, or a conflict that one character is having within himself.

The Story of the First Pearls - You will basically make your own Cliff Notes for this one. You will break down a small piece of literature to explain it to the masses.

Characterization - Read each sentence in the left column. What does it reveal about the character?

How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin - Summarize the text. List five key events from beginning to end.

A Droll Fox Trap - List five key events from beginning to end. For each event write how the characters respond to it.

Conflict and Character Development - Character and story are intertwined - a character responds to the adventure events according to his or her individual traits; that response then typically leads to another event to which the character must respond.

Story Structure - A plot diagram looks like an upside down check mark, and the most exciting part of the adventure happens at the climax.

Implicit Characterizations - Think about what you have just read. What traits did the main characters have? How were they implied?

Inferred Character Traits - Read each sentence in the left column. What does it reveal about the character?

Understanding Character - Think about the story you have just read. In the spaces below, write a "texting" conversation between two of the characters about a key event in the adventure.

What Are Literary Elements?

Here are a few literary elements that are present in almost all literary texts.


Plot

The plot of the story is the main literary element when it comes to narratives and stories. The plot is simply the storyline of the text. It describes what happens in the tale. All the other literary elements are part of the plot. The plot of the story is further divided into a few parts that are exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The exposition is the beginning of the story. It contains all the introductory lines that develop the interest of the reader in the tale. It also mentions all the important details that a reader needs to know beforehand. Then comes the conflict. Conflict is the part where the leading character faces some sort of trouble. To overcome that trouble, rising action takes place. The rising action leads towards the climax of the story. The climax is the most interesting part of the story. After the climax comes the falling action. The falling action leads towards the resolution. In the resolution, the readers are told consequences of the climax and rising action. The author also delivers some kind of message for the readers, in the end, to make sure they remember the tale.


Settings

Settings of the literary text can tell when and where the story took place. It describes the time period and the culture of the place where the story is taking place. It is important to understand the setting of the tale because it plays a huge factor in many happenings throughout the story. The setting of the narrative is usually mentioned in the beginning.


Characters

Characters are important literary elements because the entire story is based on their life. All stories and literary texts have a few characters. Some have one or two in the lead while others have many protagonists. Another important character is the antagonist. The antagonist is the one that plays a negative role. This is the character that creates trouble and chaos for the protagonist.


Point of View

The point of view is the main idea on which the story is based. It is completely personal. The author tries to convey personal thoughts and feelings through the literary text.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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