Unit 2: Cornell Notes
• Title: Fiction
• EQ: What are the
elements of a story?
Why do we need stories,
you ask?
• To explain natural phenomenon such as great floods and
the creation of the world
• To answer such questions such as why we are born and
why we die
• To help us escape reality by entering a world where the
good guy wins, the forces of evil are defeated, and love
conquers all
• To help define the roles of good and evil such as the hero
and the villain so that we might recognize them in reality
What are
the basics
of a story?
• PLOT: Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of
events that make up a story. Every plot is made up of
a series of incidents that are related to one another.
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What is the
beginning
of the story
called?
• 1. Exposition: Here the characters are introduced. We
also learn about the setting of the story. Most
importantly, we are introduced to the main conflict
(main problem).
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What is the
middle of a
story
called?
• 2. Rising Action: This part of the story begins to
develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or
suspense occurs, through the main events.
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• 3. Climax: This is the turning point of the story. Usually
the main character comes face to face with a conflict.
The main character will change in some way. Many
call it the most exciting or suspenseful moment.
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• 4. Falling Action: All loose ends of the plot are tied up.
The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.
***Fancy term for this= denouement 
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What is the
end of a
story
called?
• Resolution: The story comes to a reasonable ending.
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Who is in
the story?
• Characters: The people in the story.
• Characterization is the process by which the writer
reveals the personality of a character.
• Characterization is revealed through:
direct characterization and
indirect characterization.
• Direct Characterization tells the audience what the
personality of the character is.
• Example: She was a mean sister.
• Indirect Characterization shows the audience what
the personality of the character is.
• Example: She would always throw his toys on top of
the shelf, knowing he couldn’t reach them.
• Dialogue: written or spoken conversational exchange
between two or more people
• Chronological Order: The order in which events
happened in real time, without speaking of the future
or past events. Think of a timeline 
Is there a
good guy
and a bad
guy?
• Protagonist: the leading character or one of the major
characters.
• Antagonist: a person who actively opposes or is hostile
to someone or something
Isn’t it
IRONIC?
• Irony a contrast of what is expected and what
actually happens
Situational Irony  SOMETHING happens that we wouldn’t
expect to happen
Example: a fire station burns down
Dramatic Irony THE READER KNOWS something that the
character doesn’t know
Example: In the movie Home Alone, we know Kevin has traps
around the house but the thieves do not.
Verbal Irony  What is SAID is different than what is MEANT
Example: You tell someone to break a leg, but you mean for
them to have good luck.
What is
theme?
Theme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about
life or human nature that is communicated by a literary
work.
In other words…
Theme is what the story teaches readers.
A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.
You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it.
Examples
Money can’t buy happiness.
Don’t judge people based on the surface.
It is better to die free than live under tyranny.
• Universal Theme: Different writers from different
cultures often express similar themes.
 A theme is a generalization about life or human
nature
 Certain types of experiences are common to all
people everywhere
 Come up again and again in literature
How do I
find the
theme?
• Conflict helps reveal theme.
What is the conflict, or struggle between opposing
forces, that the main character faces?
How is the conflict resolved?
Conflict
Resolution
Theme
Two friends find
a wallet. One
friend wants to
return it to the
owner; the other
wants to keep it.
They return the
wallet and share
a small reward.
People are often
rewarded for
making the
right moral
decision.
• Writers often express theme through what their
characters learn.
Does the main character change?
Does a character realize something he or she did not
know before?
• Sometimes the title gives clues.
Does the title have a special meaning?
Does it point to the theme?
• The theme applies to the entire work.
Test your statement of the theme. Does it apply to the
whole work, not just to parts of it?
Themes are not explicit (clearly stated).
Themes are implied.
Themes are bigger than the story.
Small
World
of the
Story
Part of the Bigger
Real World
Cornell Note Summary
• Answer the Essential Question:
• What are the elements of a
story?
Also make sure that you have
questions, and highlighting
for your notes 