Task 55 Name: HR: Date: Teacher(s): Objectives SWBAT identify and analyze plot elements of The 11:59 Do Now Fill in the plot chart below with the correct terms to the best of your ability. Plot Line: Term Review
INCITING EVENT The first event in the plot which starts gets the story going RISING ACTION The events in a story that move the plot forward. This part involves conflicts and complications and occurs before the climax. CLIMAX The high point, or turning point, of a story FALLING ACTION The action that occurs after the climax of a story EXPOSITION The portion of a story that helps the reader to understand the background or situation in which the work is set RESOLUTION When the conflict is solved at the end of a story The BASICS of a short story: 1. CHARACTERS: WHO MAIN / PRIMARY CHARACTERS SECONDARY CHARACTERS PROTAGONIST ANTAGONIST 2. SETTING: WHERE/WHEN 3. PLOT: WHAT HAPPENS THE CONFLICT CREATES THE PLOT
adapted from: The Bullfrog and his Shadows by Bruce Holland Rogers In the middle of the day, the frogs held a council. It s unbearable, said one. The herons hunt us by day, and the raccoons prey on us at night. Yes, said another. Either one is bad enough, but both herons and raccoons together mean that we never have a moment s peace. We should demand that the herons leave the pond. Banish them! Yes! all the frogs agreed. Banish the herons! Banish the herons! All this noise drew the attention of a heron who was fishing nearby. What was that? she said, approaching. Banish who? The frogs looked at her beak, which was like a sword for stabbing frogs. The raccoons! chorused the frogs. Banish the raccoons! That s what I thought you said, said the heron. She went back to fishing. The raccoons! the frogs sang. Banish the raccoons! With the policy decided, there arose the matter of who would inform the raccoons of their exile. One frog after another was nominated for the post of sheriff, and one after another declined it. Then the bullfrog was nominated. Of course! He s the biggest! He s the very one for the job! I don t know, said the bullfrog, who had been silent all through the deliberations. I am big, but raccoons are bigger. I am one, but they are many. Well, then, volunteered another frog. We ll come along with you! Yes, we ll come along! agreed the frogs. We ll all come along! And you ll stay with me, no matter what? said the bullfrog. We ll stick to you like your shadow, said one frog. The bullfrog agreed to lead the delegation. The sun set. The herons flew to their roosts above the pond. Stars shone in a moonless sky. It was very dark. There was just enough starlight to see the raccoons when at last they emerged from the undergrowth. There were five of them, a mother and her grown kits. The bullfrog hopped onto the shore. Villains! he cried. Be gone! Raccoons are outlawed at this pond! Away with you! You are banished! Indeed? said the mother raccoon. Her kits sniffed the bullfrog, who trembled but held his ground. On whose authority are we banished?
On all of ours! the bullfrog said. All of a sudden hundreds of frogs leapt from the darkness at the raccoons. The mother and her children were so astonished they fled and found another lake to live near, away from the crazed frogs. And from that day on the frogs stayed far away from the herons during the day and splashed around, enjoying their pond every night.
Plot chart for The 11:59 : WE Do The BASICS: 1. Character: 2. Setting: 3. Plot: a. Lester tells a story about Daddy Joe b. Lester starts to feel pain in his chest and hears a train whistle. c. Lester finds out that Tip has died d. Lester retires from being a porter but still shines shoes a. Lester tries to beat death by protecting himself from anything that might harm him. b. Lester realizes he is having a heart attack. c. Lester hears a train whistle. d. Lester sees the ghost of Tip. a. Lester realizes that it is 11:57 b. Lester can hear Time ticking away in his head c. Lester knows that time has run out. d. Tip tells Lester that Willie will die soon, as well. a. Tip talks to Lester about dying. b. The clock strikes 11:59 c. Lester s friends come to his house and find him dead. d. Lester s chest is getting heavier and heavier. a. Lester Simmons retired from being a porter but often went back to the station to tell stories to the young workers. b. 1880-1960 was known as the golden age of train travel in the U.S. c. Daddy Joe was a larger than life character from a tall tale many porters knew about d. Lester begins to have a heart attack a. Tip explains death to Lester so he understands. b. Lester dies at 11:59 and his friends find him in his house. c. Lester sees and hears a train tear through his house. d. Lester s watch stops at 11:59 on the dot