Teaching Literary Elements: Easy Strategies and Activities to Help Kids Explore and Enrich Their Experiences with Literature (Grades 4-8)

Creative and exciting ways to help students understand literary elements and develop a vocabulary with which to discuss literature and its elements such as character, plot, setting, theme, motivation, point of view and more. Includes models from well-known works of literature, and reproducibles. For use with Grades 4-8. Intended for teachers of grades 4-8, this book presents a flexible format for reading, designed to be used with students who have different backgrounds and experiences with reading literature. The book's first 3 sections, "Character,""Setting," and "Plot," proceed step-by-step through the recognition of these basic elements. Within the book's step-by-step procedure, particular activities can be found for students who have a general awareness of literary elements, but who need to fine-tune their understanding of these elements. The book's fourth section, "Expanding the Reading and Writing Experience," discusses points of view, dialogue, atmosphere and imagery, and theme. Among the book's other special features are excerpts from great literature for young readers, models of teacher-student dialogues, reproducibles, assessment tools and forms, a glossary of key literary terms, and an annotated bibliography. (CR) Teaching activities and reproducible pages on basic elements that go into all good stories (character, setting, plot, conflict, climax, resolution, imagery, dialogue), readers understand how each of these elements develops and builds upon others as a story evolves When we as adults look back to and discuss books we've loved, it's usually the memorable characters in them that first come to mind: the selfish but courageous Scarlett O'Hara, for example, or the kind but "clueless" Emma Woodhouse. 1. Character -- 2. Setting -- 3. Plot -- 4. Expanding the reading and wrting experience