About This Chapter
Standard: Analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.5)
About This Chapter
After watching these fun videos with your class, your students will be more prepared to dissect pieces of fiction into their component elements. They will be able to identify various fiction genres and styles and discuss the role of structure in the achievement of an author's intent. Specifically, these lessons explain how to:
- Recognize the types of fiction
- Identify and describe plot, characterization, theme, style, and tone
- Draw inferences with fiction
- Interpret figurative language
- Analyze fables, folktales, legends, and myths
- Describe epistolary forms of writing
- Evaluate humorous writing types
Student mastery of these topics will be clear as they efficiently categorize and pick apart stories to discover the meaning and purpose behind the words. Your students will exhibit greater comfort in analyzing text and increased capacity for critical thinking while reading and writing about the works they encounter in their studies.
How to Use These Lessons in Your Classroom
Introduce these videos in your class by preparing the following activities for your students.
Who said that?
First watch the video on characterization in class with your students. Then take a story you are reading with your students in class and develop brief character sketches of the main characters. Next, create a list of quotes from the characters which are highly reflective of their character traits. Have students match the quotes with the appropriate characters. Discuss as a class how and why the author chose the qualities of each character's voice as they did. Can the students identify people in the real world who speak as the characters do?
Videos as homework assignments
Have your students watch each video as homework: they are each short enough that two or three can easily fit into even the busiest schedules per day. Encourage students to complete the brief quizzes after each video to see how well they understood the content. Take the chapter test in class after all of the videos have been completed to gauge student understanding of key concepts.
Evolution of folklore
Gather a collection of folklore representative of several time periods and cultures. Watch the video on fable, folktale, myth, and legend with your students and then break them up into small groups, giving each group one or two of the samples. Have the students read their samples as homework and then analyze them together in their small groups in class. Have each group present analyses of their samples to the rest of the class. Discuss the differences between the samples as a class, pointing out how various pieces reflect the changes in cultural consciousness, knowledge, and daily life.
1. What Is Fiction? - Definition & Types
In this lesson, we will learn about fiction. We'll take a close look at its definitions and its types and explore the difference between literary and commercial fiction.
2. Types of Fiction: Novels, Novellas & Short Stories
Learn how fiction is organized by length into three categories: novels, novellas and short stories. Explore the general characteristics of each type, and learn about some famous examples.
3. Characterization: Character Roles & Dialogue in Fiction
In this lesson, we will talk about characters and characterization. We will explore the various types of characters, examine some methods of characterization, and pay special attention to the role of dialogue.
4. Plot in Fiction: Definition, Parts & Subplots
This lesson explores plot in fiction. We will define the term, explore the various parts of a plot (exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution), and learn about subplots.
5. What is Theme in Literature? - Definition & Examples
Understanding a story's theme is critical to deciphering an author's message in a particular piece of writing. In this lesson, we will examine the idea of theme and look at some examples in actual literary works.
6. Interpreting Tone in Fiction
This lesson will explore tone in fiction. We will define tone, talk about various types of tone, discuss how authors communicate tone, and practice identifying the tone of some writing samples.
7. Style in Fiction: Dialect & Figures of Speech
In this lesson, we will explore style in fiction. We will define style and explore some of the elements writers use to create their own personal styles.
8. Drawing Inferences in Fiction
In this lesson, we will discuss inferences in fiction. We will talk about what an inference is, learn how to make one and practice drawing inferences with some writing samples.
9. Interpreting Figurative Language in Fiction
In this lesson, we will discuss how to interpret figurative language in fiction. We will explore several types of figurative language and learn how to identify them.
10. The Fable, Folktale, Myth, Legend: Differences and Examples
In this lesson, learn about fables, folktales, myths and legends, stories that entertain and serve instructive or educational purposes. Discover how these types of stories differ from one another and about their prevalence throughout the world.
11. Epistolary Writing: Letter and Diary Forms
In this lesson, you will discover that prose writing can take on different formats, from letters and diary entries to newspaper clippings and interviews. Explore how writers of both non-fiction and fiction tell stories through these different forms.
12. Satire, Parody, or Spoof: Types of Humorous Writing
Learn about how writers use satire, parody and spoof to make their readers laugh and think. Explore how these forms mock the conventions of specific literary works and genres.
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Other chapters within the Common Core ELA Grade 7 - Literature: Standards course
- Citing Textual Evidence: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1
- Central Theme or Idea: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2
- Literary Elements: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3
- Literary Devices: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4
- Structure in Literature: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.5
- Poetry Analysis: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.5
- Drama Analysis: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.5
- Point of View in Literature: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.6
- Comparing Mediums in Literature: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.7
- Portrayal of Time, Place & Character in Literature: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.9
- Literature Comprehension & Practice: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.10