Recognizing Plot Elements 

Objective: ​Students will be able to identify and recognize plot elements in a short 
story and apply it to their own story in order to develop their own personal 
narrative. 

Plan: 
Opening   Brief overview of​ ​Plot Elements  10 minutes  
+10 minutes of 
journaling 

Class Work  As a class, we will read a short story (​The  30 minutes 

Flowers by Alice Walker​) and students 
will brainstorm significant events in the 
story, which will be written on board. 
Discussion about the difference between 
key events in a story and other events. 

Group Work  Then, using​ ​The Reader’s Guide to  5 

Understanding Plot Development​ ​with 
their groups they will identify where 
these events fall in the plot diagram. 

Class   As a class we will go over their responses  10 minutes 

(potentially fill out the diagram digitally 
here​) 

Closing  Students will go over the story they  5 minutes  

wrote in their journal and identify plot 
elements