Analyzing Characters and Story Elements: Story Arc Center

1 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Reading Curricular Calendar Centers, Middle School, 2015- 2016

Overview A story arc can be used by a writer to plan out the plot of a story, or a character’s journey. But story arcs are also helpful to readers, as they can help readers visualize how a story is structured, or put together. A story arc tends to look like this:

For example, the story “My Side of the Story” could be graphed on a story arc this way: enrolls

This center asks you to use the structure of story arc to rethink a familiar story.

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Teacher resources for this center: Ideally, make all of these materials available at the center. Centers work best when there is some choice for students - even if it’s just choice between two options. If you don’t have the capacity to play the film as suggested in Task 2, you could provide a different VERY short film (this one is just under 4 minutes) or a picture book or other very short story.

Story arc definition and examples for all task options Use the sample story arcs pictured above, or make your own diagram, plus an example based on a familiar text (if your students haven’t read My Side of the Story, please create an arc using a text they know).

Loose leaf or printer paper for both task options Make loose leaf or printer paper available for students so that they can make their own story arcs - these will be their exit tickets from the center and your way to assess their work that day.

Copies of “Inside/Out” for task option 1 Provide copies of this short story for this task option. It is available in the book The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez. It is also currently (as of 4/30/2014) available at this link: https://www.google.com/search?q=inside+out+story+jimenez&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS484US 485&oq=inside+out+story+jimenez&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.6448j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es _sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Short Pixar film “for the birds” for task option 2 This super short film has a great story arc! It is currently available on YouTube (as of 4/30/2014 - however, content is frequently removed from the internet, so there is no guarantee this will still be available when you want it - other short films would work too!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqJg3YmLhJY

Task options

Task 1: Analyze “Inside/Out” using a story arc Draw a blank story arc on a clean sheet of paper.

Re-read the first part of “Inside/Out” - up to the part where Francisco and Curtis fight over Curtis’s jacket

Decide which events in the story belong on the “rise in action” part of the story arc for Francisco. Write them onto your blank story arc (see the example for “My Side of the Story.”

Think about the whole story - decide which event or moment you think is the climax or turning point. This is where everything in the story comes to the highest point of tension. Which moment in Inside/Out belongs at the top of the story arc?

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Conversation: Once you have completed the first half of the story arc: (Rise in Action and Climax/Turning Point), talk to your partner to compare your arcs. Discuss the following questions: ● Which events add tension to this story? In what ways do they build suspense? ● How does Francisco’s character experience these moments - how do his reactions help the reader see how challenging this time is for him? ● Where would you add the caterpillar’s changes to this arc? ● Why do you think that the author included the caterpillar in this story? How does it connect to Francisco?

Task 2: Analyze the short film “For the Birds” using a story arc Draw a blank story arc on a clean sheet of paper.

Watch the short film “For the Birds.”

Decide which events in the story belong on the “rise in action” part of the story arc. Write them onto your blank story arc (see the example for “My Side of the Story.”

How does the film resolve? What events show that change has happened? Add those events to the “resolution” part of your story arc.

Watch the film one more time to confirm your analysis.

Conversation: Talk to your partner to compare your arcs. Discuss the following questions: ● Which events add tension to this story? In what ways do they build suspense? ● How do the little birds experience these events? How does the big bird experience them? ● How does the turning point change the power structure in this story? How does it change for the small birds? For the big bird? ● Is the ending satisfying? Have the tensions been resolved? Why or why not?

Connection to independent reading: To support your own reading today, make a blank story arc in your reader’s notebook. Think about where in the story arc you are as you read. Add significant events from your novel to the story arc as a way to think about how the author has built in tension and change.