Introduction
Storytelling is an important part of our culture. We tend to relay everything we do or experience as a story. However, writing a story needs a bit more structure than relating to your friend the exciting events of you weekends.
We will look at the following elements of a short story for the following activity:
- Plot
- Character
- Setting
- Point of View
- Theme
- Conflict
Understanding why these elements are important will help you write a great story that will keep your readers engaged and interested.
Task
Pretend you are teaching a class of students 7 and 8 years of age.
Create a PowerPoint explaining the elements of a short story. You will be required to use pictures, clipart, audio or videos to make your PowerPoint interesting and fun. Your presentation should include short activities to assist your audience with understanding the concepts (for example, for setting, have the class describe a setting)
Your goal is to ensure that your students understand. In order to teach, you must have a full comprehension of the topics and know how to apply them to a story.
Process
Engage with the following material. Using the information, create a PowerPoint using the Microsoft PowerPoint Tool.
Ensure that you use video, audio and images to make your presentation engaging and interesting.
The Elements of A Short Story:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sanjacinto-englishcomp2kscope/chapter/reading-a-short-story/
Understanding Storytelling:
The video below explains what a short story is and how you can include you elements.
Evaluation
Ruberic
| Category | Excellent | Good | Satisfactory | Need for Improvement | Student Score |
| Content-10 | Excellent use of information. All information was included in presentation. 9-10 | Most of the information was used 6-8 | Fair amount of information used but content was lacking 4-5 | Barely any information used. Student did not apply resource information accurately 0-3 | |
| Organization-10 | Well organized and structured. Slides transitioned smoothly and presentation flowed neatly while being engaging 9-10 | Well organized with small mistakes. Transition of presentation flowed well. 6-8 | Fair organization. Presentation lacked structure and did not transition effectively from slide to slide. 4-5 | Lack of organization and structure. Student slides poorly transitioned. Presentation did not have a proper flow 0-3 | |
| Knowledge-10 | Student shows exceptional knowledge and understanding of topic and application to the presentation was excellent 9-10 | Student showed good understanding of topic with little to no confusion in presentation 6-8 | Student showed very little understanding which reflected in the presentation 4-5 | Student did not understand topic 0-3 | |
| Design-5 | Creative design and relevant use of graphics. Design and content worked together effectively 5 | Good use of design with little creativity. Content and design worked well together 3-4 | Fair use of design with lack of creativity. Disconnect between content and graphics used 2 | Poor use of design, lack of creativity and no connection between content and graphics used 0-1 | |
| Total-35 |
Conclusion
Writing a successful short story requires effective application of all the elements. It allows your reader to be engaged, to follow the events and to understand what is happening in your story. Your story needs to be organized and have structure, no matter which genre you choose to write.
It is one thing to know what you need to include when writing, but applying it to your own short story can be challenging. This is why is it important that you fully understand all the elements of the short story and why they are important; after all it isn't what you write, it's how you write about it.
Credits
References
Noall, R. (2018, January 16). Understanding The 7 Key Elements of A Narrative. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.fromwhisperstoroars.com/blog-1/2018/1/11/understanding-the-…
Learning, L. (n.d.). English Composition 2. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sanjacinto-englishcomp2kscope/chapter…