[Assignment] [In Your Journal] Setting the Table by Creating a Plot Diagram

Background

For this assignment students will do some online research about plot diagrams. Many students may have made one in language arts class. With video, you are trying to tell a story. Having a plot diagram will usually make that story better.

Directions

1. Use a search engine to find information on plot diagrams.
2. Sketch a plot diagram in your journal.
3. Make sure to label the following parts of the diagram:
   • Exposition
   • Rising Action
   • Climax
   • Falling Action
   • Resolution
4. Write a brief 1-2 sentence explanation of the features or characteristics of the five parts listed above.

Setting the Table

Plot diagrams are similar to the same steps for having a great meal.

1. During the exposition you are basically setting the table. If you see a soup spoon or a steak knife you have some idea of what is for dinner. Likewise, if you see a wizard or a spy, you have some idea of what will take place in the story.
2. The rising action is like getting an appetizer. It is something to increase your appetite and make you ready for the next course.
3. The climax is the main course of the meal. It is the moment you have waited for since you sat down. It should be the best part of the meal.
4. The falling action is the dessert course. You may have just stuffed yourself but you can find room for some ice cream or cake. This part of the plot adds a finishing touch to the story.
5. During the resolution it's time to pay the bill. All loose ends should be wrapped up at this part of the story.

Questions

1. First, think about your favorite story or movie.
2. What happens during the plot?
3. Create a plot diagram in your journal.
4. Describe what happens in your story during each of the stages of the plot diagram. Write 1-2 sentences for each stage.
5. Now that you are hungry from thinking about food, describe your favorite meal. What would you eat as an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Time for Completion: [30 Minutes]

This assignment will be checked before the next class period.

Students that are present, but do not complete, this assignment will:

1. Lose 15 minutes of computer access time during the next class. Students that still do not complete the assignment will lose computer access until it is complete.


2. Receive 50% credit for the assignment once it is finished. Students that do not submit it by the end of the next class period will receive a zero. They will still need to complete it to regain computer access.