PARCC Literary Analysis Task
Grade 8 Reading
Lesson 3: Honing Understanding of Literary Elements
Rationale
Literary analysis requires an investigation of the elements that constitute a
narrative. These include character, plot, setting, conflict, point of view, and
theme. Learning how to identify these elements in a story and think about what
they mean will equip students with the ability to answer reading questions on the
PARCC assessments.
Goal
To teach students about the literary elements
To provide students with in-depth practice in each element
Task Foci
CCSS RL.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the
course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text.
CCSS RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel
the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
CCSS RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and
tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS RL.8.5: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the
differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
CCSS RL.8.6: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience
or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or
humor.
Objectives
Students will gain an understanding and appreciation for the literary elements: character,
plot, setting, conflict, point of view, and theme.
Materials
Sample Text(s) (per student) (with good examples of character, plot, setting, conflict and
theme)
Colored pencils/markers (per student)
Character worksheet (per student)
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
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Plot worksheet (per pair of students)
Blank paper for drawing a setting (per student)
Conflict worksheet (per pair of students)
Point of View activity cards (one set per group)
Theme worksheet (per student)
Procedures
This lesson entails six activities, each focused on one literary element. It’s recommended
that the first time through, you conduct these activities using one text and in the order
they are presented here. This will give students a full picture of how the elements make
up a particular literary work.
Activity 1: Character
Ask students: How do you get to know someone? They’ll reply with something like,
“Ask them questions about themselves” or “Spend time with them.” Explain that when
we want to learn more about a character, we do something very similar to what we do
when we get to know a real person. The difference is of course that the character can’t
directly answer our questions. “But if we ask questions about who they are and what
happens to them in their story, we can learn a lot about a character.”
Distribute the text, Character worksheet and colored pencils.
Read the text with the class.
Preview the Character worksheet. Explain what information each bubble requires.
(Depending on the text, students might all pick one character or might have a few
options. If necessary, assign the major characters to students to avoid their picking a
minor character without enough information to be useful for this activity.)
Direct students to read the text independently and annotate anything they find that relates
to the aspects of character given on the worksheet.
Have students fill out their worksheets and use the colored pencils to illustrate their
character (emphasize that they base their illustrations on details from the text only).
When students are finished, ask them to share their work with the class.
Activity 2: Plot
Ask students if they’ve ever told a friend about a movie they’ve seen or a book they’ve
read. You’ll probably start by telling your friend what happens. “What happens” is the
plot of a story.
Explain to students that today they are going to trace the plot of a story you are going to
read as a class.
Explain that to do this we first need to understand the five basic points that make up the
plot. Write each point on the board and discuss one by one.
o Introduction (a.k.a. exposition): The beginning of the story, establishes the
situation, introduces the main character and the setting.
o Rising Action: The series of events that build tension leading up to the main event
in the story (the climax).
o Climax: The turning point, often the most exciting, tense moment of the story.
o Falling Action: The series of events that occur as a result of the climax. Often
very short, this part of the plot shows the effects the climax has on the characters.
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
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o Resolution: The main conflict is resolved. The story is wrapped up. Caution: A
story does not always end neatly.
Have students partner up.
Distribute the Plot worksheet. Point out each section on the pyramid to reinforce the five
points you covered.
When students are finished, discuss their work as a class.
Activity 3: Setting
Begin with an exercise to get students thinking about setting. Ask students to suggest two
locations they are familiar with. From their suggestions, select two that are very different
from each other, like a classroom and a park, and write them at the top of the board.
Next, ask students to describe each place. Ask them:
o “What do you typically find at this place?”
o “When do you normally go there?”
o “What activities do you do there?”
o “What’s the atmosphere like? Is it relaxing, stressful, playful, or dull?”
Explain that we can ask the same questions about the setting of a story.
Define setting: “Setting is where and when a story takes place.”
Tell students that they’re going to read a story and pay close attention to its setting.
Distribute the text.
Read aloud or choose student readers.
After reading, discuss the characters and plot of the story. Check that the class is clear on
who is in the story and what happens to them.
Then ask: “How does the setting influence the characters, plot, and your
understanding of the story?”
Discuss. Point out that setting often has an effect on a story’s mood, or how it makes you
feel. For example, a classic horror tale usually takes place in an old mansion or a
graveyard. These locations evoke a sense of fear, which influence the scariness factor of
the story.
Ask students what effect the setting of the story you read as a class has on the reader.
Write responses on the board.
Make sure students pin down appropriate answers before moving on.
Distribute drawing materials and blank paper to each student.
Direct them to draw a scene from the story, making sure to provide a clear representation
of the setting.
Ask students to share their drawings.
Activity 4: Conflict
Explain to students that in this activity they will work to understand conflict in literature.
Conflict can be defined as the biggest problem in the story.
Ask students what they know about conflict already. Explain that characters in literature,
like people in real life, must face conflict. And while conflict in literature might
sometimes be more fantastic than in real life, we can think about it in the exact same way.
Explain that conflict involves opposing forces, one person or thing against another.
Explain the four general types of conflict we find in literature:
o Person vs. Person: The protagonist is opposed by another individual. The classic
good vs. evil story is an example. The protagonist must stop his or her enemy
from doing harm.
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
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o Person vs. Self: The protagonist deals with an inner struggle, which might be selfdoubt, the stress of growing up, illness, grief, etc.
o Person vs. Society: The protagonist has beliefs counter to those held by the
society they live in and they strive to escape or change that society. Frequently
used in stories with a social message.
o Person vs. Nature: The protagonist is faced with overcoming a force of nature.
This could be a storm, the wildness, or an animal, for example.
As you explain each of the four types, ask students to give you examples from books,
movies, TV shows, etc.
Point out that a conflict is always a person versus something. This person is the
protagonist.
Distribute the text and the Conflict worksheet.
Ask students, “So how do we figure out what the conflict is?” Explain that a helpful
strategy for doing this is to create a diagram like the one on the worksheet.
Inform students that if they are having trouble with a question about conflict on the
PARCC tests, constructing this model on scrap paper will help them focus.
Read the text as a class and address any questions students have regarding
comprehension.
Group students into pairs and have them complete the worksheet. (You can have them
complete it in pencil so they can correct any mistakes).
When students are finished, bring the class back together and discuss the correct answer.
Activity 5: Point of View
Explain to students that every story is told through someone’s point of view.
Explain to students that there are five points of view:
o First Person—the story is told by a character in the story, usually the main
character (though it doesn’t have to be). This point of view uses the pronouns “I”
(or “we”) to tell the story.
o Second Person—the story is told from the reader’s perspective. This is very rare
in literature. It is used in “choose your own adventure” stories. This point of view
uses the pronoun “you” to tell the story.
o Third Person is told by a narrator who is not a participant in the story. Third
Person used the pronouns “he, she, they.” There are three types:
 Third Person Objective—the narrator tells the reader the story through
action and dialogue, but doesn’t share any character’s thoughts or feelings.
 Third Person Limited—the story is told by a narrator who reveals the
thoughts and feelings of one or a few characters (usually just the main
character(s)).
 Third Person Omniscient—the story is told by a narrator who “knows all.”
Define “omniscient” to reinforce this. The narrator knows the thoughts
and feelings of every character.
Explain an important note about pronoun use: Identifying which pronouns are present in
the story is not enough to determine point of view, because you will most likely find all
of them. To identify point of view, you must consider what pronouns the narrator is
using to tell the story.
Note: An author chooses a point of view based on what information they want to convey
to the reader. For example, using first-person in a story about growing up gives the reader
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
© 2014 Standards Solution, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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intimate access to the thoughts and feelings the character is experiencing (or
experienced).
Ask students to form groups of 2-4. Give each group a set of activity cards.
Give students ten minutes to complete the activity. Each group’s members should work
together to sort the cards into the five POV categories, discussing why they think each
card fits a particular category.
Go over the answers with the class.
Activity 6: Theme
This activity will be most useful to students after they have a good grasp of the other literary
elements. Because theme is often implied it can be the most difficult element to discern.
Ask student what some of their favorite books, movies, songs, etc. are. Then ask them for
reasons why they like the ones they do.
Listen for someone to give “the message” as a reason why they like a certain book, etc.
Explain that often the reason we enjoy our favorite stories is because they speak to us on
a level deeper than simple entertainment value. They say something significant about life
that we relate to. This “deep meaning” is the theme of a story. In other words, the theme
is the message the author is trying to communicate through his or her story.
Explain that another way to think of theme is that it is the “big idea” in the story.
Explain that an author usually doesn’t state the theme directly, but instead shows the
theme through the main character’s conflict and the way it is resolved (for better or
worse). *Note: Stories usually have more than one theme, and a theme may be conveyed
without the author ever intending it to be. For the sake of teaching theme, this lesson
concerns the major theme that an author has consciously developed.
Distribute the text and the Theme worksheet. Preview the worksheet with the class and
address any questions.
Ask students to read the text.
Bring the class together and discuss.
Ask students to work in pairs to complete the worksheet.
When finished, bring the class together again to discuss the answers.
Assessment
Activity 1: Character—Students demonstrate their understanding of a character’s
thoughts, actions, description, and motivation by successfully completing the
Character worksheet.
Activity 2: Plot—Students demonstrate their understanding of plot structure by
completing the Plot worksheet. Most important is their correct identification of
the climax, which is the most significant point to understand when analyzing a
narrative’s plot.
Activity 3: Setting—Student artwork demonstrates that they were able to visually
represent a scene from the story and the details of the setting should be clearly
represented.
Activity 4: Conflict—Worksheets indicate that the student correctly identified the
major conflict in the text. Students should also have circled the correct conflict
type.
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
© 2014 Standards Solution, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 5
Activity 5: Point of View—Students complete the sorting activity by correctly
identifying the point of view of each passage.
Activity 6: Theme—Students correctly identify the character description, conflict,
and theme on the worksheet.
Extension Activities
For Character Activity: (If using a story with multiple main characters) After students
have completed their worksheet, break them into groups for a jigsaw activity. First, group
students by character chosen. Give them time to discuss. Then, make groups so that each
character is represented in each group. Have students share their character with the group.
LAT Reading Lesson 3: Understanding Literary Elements
© 2014 Standards Solution, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 6
Character’s Name: ______________________ Thoughts:
Quote:
Description:
Actions:
What does the character want?
Directions: Identify events from the story and place them in the correct position on the plot pyramid.
Climax
Introduction
Resolution
What’s the Conflict?
Fill in the blanks using the correct information from the story.
wants
,
What does he or she want to gain?
Main character
but
,
Who or what is stopping them? How?
so _________________________________________________________________________ .
What does the main character do to get what he or she wants?
What type of conflict is this? Circle one.
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Self
Point of View Sorting Activity
I walked into school that day
knowing something felt weird.
Ben wasn’t there to meet me at
my locker as he usually was
every morning.
The swimming pool is fifteen
feet below. You take a big gulp
before plunging off the diving
board. The water is frigid.
“I was wondering when you’d
show up,” taunted Billy from
the opening at the end of the
maze. In a panic you got turned
around and took a left when
you should have gone right.
Kate trembled, turning over
and over in her head what she
was going to say. People in the
crowd were worried about
what she was going to say. Pete
was silently praying that she
wouldn’t say it.
It had been a long day, and Mr.
Shim was taking a few quiet
minutes enjoying the calming
scent of the lavender in his
garden. His son, Michael,
hurried past, knowing he had
no time to stop and smell the
roses…or lavender.
Maggie didn’t know what she
was going to do. I told her that
everything would be all right. I
wondered if I was lying to
myself as well.
The ship rocked furiously in
the storm. I clutched the
rudder as best I could, but the
rain made it nearly impossible
to keep my grip.
Each morning, Juliet would
wake up a little earlier than she
had the morning before, and
spend a few extra minutes
studying for her big exam. She
knew she would be prepared.
Louise was so furious at Sarah.
How could she have done that to
her best friend? Sarah, on the
other hand, was oblivious to
the harm she’d done.
The forest was dark and a cold
rain began to fall. Wallace
threw his hood over his head
and Sam wrapped her cloak
around her shoulders. Strange
sounds filled the air. It was
going to be a long night.
Arthur knew he needed to
store up his courage. He
thought about his family and all
the villagers depending on him
for protection from the dragon.
Her grandmother lived out in
the country in a huge manor.
Ophelia walked up the great
marble steps to the front door
and rang a doorbell that
resonated like a church organ.
A tall, lurching butler with a
grimace on his face answered
the door.
Point of View Sorting Activity
ANSWER KEY
1st
I walked into school that day
knowing something felt weird.
Ben wasn’t there to meet me at
my locker as he usually was
every morning.
2nd
The swimming pool is fifteen
feet below. You take a big gulp
before plunging off the diving
board. The water is frigid.
2nd
“I was wondering when you’d
show up,” taunted Billy from
the opening at the end of the
maze. In a panic you got turned
around and took a left when
you should have gone right.
3rd Omniscient
Kate trembled, turning over
and over in her head what she
was going to say. People in the
crowd were worried about
what she was going to say. Pete
was silently praying that she
wouldn’t say it.
3rd Omniscient
It had been a long day, and Mr.
Shim was taking a few quiet
minutes enjoying the calming
scent of the lavender in his
garden. His son, Michael,
hurried past, knowing he had
no time to stop and smell the
roses…or lavender.
3rd Limited
Each morning, Juliet would
wake up a little earlier than she
had the morning before, and
spend a few extra minutes
studying for her big exam. She
knew she would be prepared.
1st
Maggie didn’t know what she
was going to do. I told her that
everything would be all right. I
wondered if I was lying to
myself as well.
3rd Limited
Arthur knew he needed to
store up his courage. He
thought about his family and all
the villagers depending on him
for protection from the dragon.
3rd Objective
Her grandmother lived out in
the country in a huge manor.
Ophelia walked up the great
marble steps to the front door
and rang a doorbell that
resonated like a church organ.
A tall, lurching butler with a
grimace on his face answered
the door.
1st
The ship rocked furiously in
the storm. I clutched the
rudder as best I could, but the
rain made it nearly impossible
to keep my grip.
3rd Objective
The forest was dark and a cold
rain began to fall. Wallace
threw his hood over his head
and Sam wrapped her cloak
around her shoulders. Strange
sounds filled the air. It was
going to be a long night.
3rd Omniscient
Louise was so furious at Sarah.
How could she have done that to
her best friend? Sarah, on the
other hand, was oblivious to
the harm she’d done.
What’s the Theme?
Character: Who is the main character? Describe them. Look for as much information as you can
on the character’s appearance, place in society, feelings, thoughts, desires, fears, etc.
Conflict: What does he or she want? (Remember that desires can be abstract, like freedom, or
concrete, like a puppy.)
Who or What is preventing him or her from getting it?
Resolution: How does the main character get what they want? Or does he or she fail?
Theme: Based on your answers above, what message does the author seem to be sharing through
this story? Write your answer as a general statement (for example, “freedom is gained through
faith and perseverance”).
from Around the World in 80 days
by Jules Verne
1.
It would be rash to predict how Passepartout's lively nature would agree with Mr. Fogg. It
was impossible to tell whether the new servant would turn out as absolutely methodical
as his master required; experience alone could solve the question. Passepartout had been
a sort of vagrant in his early years, and now yearned for repose; but so far he had failed
to find it, though he had already served in ten English houses. But he could not take root
in any of these; with chagrin, he found his masters invariably whimsical and irregular,
constantly running about the country, or on the look-out for adventure. His last master,
young Lord Longferry, Member of Parliament, after passing his nights in the Haymarket
taverns, was too often brought home in the morning on policemen's shoulders.
Passepartout, desirous of respecting the gentleman whom he served, ventured a mild
remonstrance on such conduct; which, being ill-received, he took his leave. Hearing that
Mr. Phileas Fogg was looking for a servant, and that his life was one of unbroken
regularity, that he neither travelled nor stayed from home overnight, he felt sure that this
would be the place he was after. He presented himself, and was accepted, as has been
seen.
2.
At half-past eleven, then, Passepartout found himself alone in the house in Saville Row.
He began its inspection without delay, scouring it from cellar to garret. So clean, wellarranged, solemn a mansion pleased him; it seemed to him like a snail's shell, lighted and
warmed by gas, which sufficed for both these purposes. When Passepartout reached the
second story he recognized at once the room which he was to inhabit, and he was well
satisfied with it. Electric bells and speaking-tubes afforded communication with the lower
stories; while on the mantel stood an electric clock, precisely like that in Mr. Fogg's
bedchamber, both beating the same second at the same instant. "That's good, that'll do,"
said Passepartout to himself.
3.
He suddenly observed, hung over the clock, a card which, upon inspection, proved to be a
program of the daily routine of the house. It comprised all that was required of the
servant, from eight in the morning, exactly at which hour Phileas Fogg rose, till half-past
eleven, when he left the house for the Reform Club—all the details of service, the tea and
toast at twenty-three minutes past eight, the shaving-water at thirty-seven minutes past
nine, and the toilet at twenty minutes before ten. Everything was regulated and foreseen
that was to be done from half-past eleven a.m. till midnight, the hour at which the
methodical gentleman retired.
4.
Mr. Fogg's wardrobe was amply supplied and in the best taste. Each pair of trousers, coat,
and vest bore a number, indicating the time of year and season at which they were in turn
to be laid out for wearing; and the same system was applied to the master's shoes. In
short, the house in Saville Row, which must have been a very temple of disorder and
unrest under the illustrious but dissipated Sheridan, was cosiness, comfort, and method
idealized. There was no study, nor were there books, which would have been quite
useless to Mr. Fogg; for at the Reform two libraries, one of general literature and the
other of law and politics, were at his service. A moderate-sized safe stood in his bedroom,
constructed so as to defy fire as well as burglars; but Passepartout found neither arms nor
hunting weapons anywhere; everything betrayed the most tranquil and peaceable habits.
5.
Having scrutinized the house from top to bottom, he rubbed his hands, a broad smile
overspread his features, and he said joyfully, "This is just what I wanted! Ah, we shall get
on together, Mr. Fogg and I! What a domestic and regular gentleman! A real machine;
well, I don't mind serving a machine."