ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

Tagudin Campus
College of Teacher Education

TOPIC: Verbal Elements of Children and Adolescent Literature

REPORTER: BUENO, Billy Joel M.
YEAR/COURSE/SECTION: BSED II A (English)
INSTRUCTOR: Imelda N. Binay-an, Ph.D.

I. INTRODUCTION
Children and Adolescent literature is any literature that is read
and enjoyed by children and teenagers. More specifically, this kind of
literature comprises those books which are written and published for
young people who are not yet interested in adult literature or who
may not possess the reading skills or developmental understanding
on mature stories.
Children reading stories by award-winning writers and illustrators
is one way of discovering quality story to be read by a reader.
However, there are bundle of children’s books in print, and more new
ones are published each year. How can we select the best and quality
story? One technique to assess the quality of a story book is to
analyze and evaluate the literary elements or various parts of a
literary piece: writer`s purpose, plot, characters, setting, theme and
style.

II. BODY
Verbal Elements of Children and Adolescent Literature

A. WRITER`S PURPOSE – is the reason why an author wrote a

particular piece. Usually, his purpose is to persuade, inform,
entertain, or a combination of these things.
WRITER`S PURPOSE
1. TO PERSUADE
When the purpose of a story is to persuade the audience, the
author is trying to convince the audience to feel the same
way he or she does about a topic.
2. TO INFORM
Sometimes, the writer of a children's story wants to educate,
inform or teach his or her readers. Informational pieces can
be about people, places, things, or events.
3. TO ENTERTAIN
Sometimes a writer has no other purpose other than to
entertain or amuse the reader. 

B. PLOT – is the sequence of events showing characters in action”

(Lukens, 1999, p. 103). In other words, it is what happens in a
story
PLOT OF THE STORY
1. BACKGROUND/EXPOSITION
This includes the introduction of the characters and setting.
ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
Tagudin Campus
College of Teacher Education

2. RISING ACTION
This includes the events leading up to the main problem or
conflict.
3. CLIMAX
This is when the problem reaches the highest point.
4. FALLING ACTION
This is when the characters work to solve the problem or
conflict.
5. RESOLUTION
This is how things end up in the story.

C. CHARACTER – is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in

a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and
speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line.
DIFFERENT ROLES OF CHARACTER
1. PROTAGONIST
The protagonist is the main character of the story.
2. ANTAGONIST
The antagonist is villain of the story.
3. CONFIDANT
This type of character is the best friend or sidekick of the
protagonist.
4. LOVE INTEREST
The love interest is the protagonist’s object of desire.
5. TERTIARY CHARACTERS
Tertiary characters populate the world of the story but do
not necessarily link to the main storyline.

D. SETTING – is where and when the story takes place.

EXAMPLE OF A SETTING:
TIME: Cinderella as a young girl, long ago in the past
PLACE: Cinderella`s home in a kingdom far away

E. THEME – The theme of a story is its central idea, the

underlying message the author is conveying to the reader.
Other definitions include a significant truth, a value-laden
statement, a broad and powerful idea that has universal
application, or more simply, the moral of the story.

F. STYLE – It is the manner in which a writer expresses his or her

ideas to convey a story. Some of these are tone, use of imagery,
figurative language, allusion, irony, selection of vocabulary,
grammatical structure, symbolism, and dialect—as well as the
devices of comparison, sound, and rhythm. Style is what makes
one author’s work distinctive from works of others writers.
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
Tagudin Campus
College of Teacher Education

To determine the style an author used in a story, ask yourself

these questions:
 What kind of words and sentences did the author choose
to tell the story?
 Was there any distinctive language, choice of words, or
sentence construction? What mood did this create?
 What effect might the author is trying to achieve?

III. CONCLUSION
To sum up with the topic, a quality children`s story is about
something the reader decides whether it is interesting, important or
worth to read. That is why we have verbal elements for children`s
literature to ensure and assess if we are reading a good or
commendable story.

IV. REFERENCES
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-all-the-types-of-
characters-in-literature
https://study.com/academy/lesson/authors-purpose -in-childrens-
literature.html
https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/
https://faybbolton.com/plot-of-a-story/
https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1829/Children-s-
Literature.html

V. ACTIVITIES
A. Identify what is asked.
1. What element of a children`s literature is the manner in which a
writer expresses his or her ideas to convey a story?
2. What is the part of a plot in which the problem reaches the
highest point?
3. What is the term used to refer the reason why an author wrote
a particular piece?
4. What is the kind of literature that is read and enjoyed by
children and teenagers?
5. What element of a children`s literature in which it is where and
when the story takes place?

B. Enumerate the following

1-6 (What are the elements of a children and adolescent literature?
7-11 (What are the parts of a plot in particular order?)
12-15 (What are the roles of character? Give 4 roles only.)
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
Tagudin Campus
College of Teacher Education

VI. ANSWER KEY

A. Identify what is asked
1. Style
2. Climax
3. Writer`s Purpose
4. Children and Adolescent Literature
5. Setting

B. Enumerate the following.

1. Writer`s purpose
2. Plot
3. Character
4. Setting
5. Theme
6. Style

7. Exposition or Beginning or Background

8. Rising Action
9. Climax
10. Falling Action
11. Resolution or Denouement

12. Protagonist
13. Antagonist
14. Confidant
15. Love Interest
Tertiary Characters