Story Elements Worksheets
Related ELA Standard: RL.6-7.3
Most stories are thought to be composed of five basic components: the plot, setting, characters, theme, and conflict. The plot is what the purpose of the actual story is. The plot unfolds in usually three sections: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The setting is where this all takes place. It can be a singular or mixture of a physical place and period of history. The characters are people or entities that are the center of the story. The characters will eventually run into some form of conflict that they must attack head on to find the final element of the story which is the resolution. Conflicts tend to be the driving force behind most forms of work. The theme of any work is the underlying message that the piece is trying to convey to the audience. It can be in form of a morale, belief, or general notion that goes beyond cultural obstacles. You will find a heaping of worksheets in this section that will help students examine and identify various elements of a story.
Story Elements Worksheets To Print:
Identifying
Story Elements - Based on the passage, what do you think is the theme of this book? Identify the page numbers where key elements of the plot take place.
Settings
- I woke to the sound of water crashing, over and over. The air
was humid and salty. Read each passage. Identify the setting (time + place) for each.
Plot -
The elements of story, plot, setting, and characters, all function
together to create an experience for the reader.
Characters
- Read each passage. Identify the character for each. How does the author reveal them?
Breaking a Story
Down into Its Elements - This will really tear apart the story
for you. Write each character's name on the line. Then, in the box below each
name, briefly describe the character and how they fit into the plot.
Boxy
Selections - The elements of story function together to create
an experience for the reader.
Planning
a Story - Most professional writers plan their stories before
they begin to write.
Problem
| Solution - Put in your problem and get out your solution. Sometimes
the conflict is external to the character, for instance, when a character has to
find a buried treasure, or rescue a friend in danger.
Plot: Beginning, Middle, End - Read the beginning and end of the story
below. What do you think might happen in the middle to connect these
two parts? Fill in the missing paragraphs.
Call
of the Wild - Roar for your wild intensity. In most stories, the all of these things are introduced - or at
the very least, hinted at, in the beginning of the story.
Beginning
or End? - Think about the functions of the beginning and the
end of a story, then read each passage. Decide which is it the beginning,
and which is the end? How do you know?
Story
Elements Quiz - Identify the story elements in this passage. This is a nice quiz that can help you review this topic well.
The
Plot Quiz - Will told us all about the party. He said there were about ten people there. I asked him about Robert, and confirmed
that Robert was in attendance.
Style
and Tone - What kinds of things make up an author's style? What are some examples of the kinds of tones an author
may convey? How does an author signal tone?
What Are the Elements of a Story?
Here are the five most important elements of a story.
Characters
Characters are important elements of the story. The entire story revolves around the life of the characters. They help in developing the story into an interesting one. Authors create fun and full of life characters so that the readers can enjoy their life. Readers also tend to relate to the characters a lot. The author introduces the characters by giving details about their appearances and personality. Every story has one main character and one evil character. They are known as protagonist and antagonist. Their actions and behaviors lead towards the conflict and climax of the story. Without these characters, the story is incomplete.
Setting
The setting of the story refers to the culture, place, location, and environment of the story. It plays a huge role in the development of the story. The author introduces the settings by giving details regarding the surroundings of the characters. Many stories contain unusual settings such as fantasy world that grab the interest of the readers.
Plot
The plot is the storyline. It refers to the series of events that happen in the story. The plot should be written in a way that is clear to the readers. Readers do not like complexities in understanding the plot. With a clear start, middle, and end, the readers can make sense of the plot.
Conflict
Conflict is the most interesting part of the story. It is the part where the main character faces some sort of difficulty. The difficulty is either created by the antagonist or natural disaster. The conflict revolves around the character's struggles to make everything better and normal.
Resolution
Resolution is the ending part of the story. It tells you the consequences of all the actions taken by different characters in the story. Usually, the author mentions a message for the readers in the end.
Examples of Literary Elements
Literary elements occupy an important and significant place in literature and without their presence a writer cannot create what he or she aims to convey to the readers. Most of the students get confused between literary elements and literary techniques. It must be kept in mind that they both are not synonymous. Literary elements help the readers in understanding the literature and without knowing these completely, cannot understand literature at all. Some of the most important elements of literature are plot, characters, theme, and tone. These are discussed in detail below:
Plot
A plot is the most basic element of any piece of literature that describes the events and happenings that proceed the overall story till the end. These events are related to each other in a certain order. The plot serves as the basis of the content and the presence of a literary text is impossible without its existence. There are different types of plots and all of those have a certain way through which they carry out the story. No matter what form of plot you choose, crafting it with clarity and perfection is essential to a work's effectiveness.
Characters
A character can either be a person, an animal, or even a thing around which the content revolves. It is a very important element of literature and fictional texts cannot be written without a character. It is essential to include only those characters in a work that are related to the plot as a lot of extra characters might make the work boring to the readers.
Themes
A theme is another important element in literature as the content without any theme is regarded as impractical and useless. Theme of the content is its idea, message or any other important information that the writer wants to convey through his writing.
