Transcript SKELETON CREEK’S ELEMENTS OF PLOT By: Patrick Carman

By: Patrick Carman
SKELETON CREEK’S ELEMENTS
OF PLOT
All fiction is based on CONFLICT, and this conflict is presented in a
structured format called…
PLOT
Exposition
The introductory material which gives the setting,
creates tone, presents the characters, and other
facts necessary to understand the story.
SETTING
Time and Location in which a story takes place
1.) Place – geographical location
2.) Time – historical period, time of day
year, etc.
3.) Weather Conditions – rainy, sunny,
stormy, etc.
4.) Social Conditions – Daily life of character
5.) Atmosphere – What feeling is created at
the beginning of the story?
SETTING – Location
 Place
 Small town called Skeleton Creek in Oregon

 Isolated & forgotten - alone at the bottom of the
mountains
 Secrets buried there that are best left alone
 More specific – Ryan’s Bedroom (for now)
Setting - Time
Current day
Begins Monday, September 13, 5:30 a.m.
Setting - Weather Conditions
 Grey Fog
 hanging thick and sticky
 Hiding something unknown and diabolical
Setting – Social Conditions
Ryan states “Privacy has long been the religion of our
town.”
No one wants to talk about the past.
Setting – Tone (Atmosphere)
 Dark & Frightening
 Something’s not “right” with the town
 Fearful
 Foreboding
 Ominous
 Apprehensive
 Menacing
 Threatening
 Sinister
Characters
Day - 3
Characters
Major Characters
Have good & bad qualities
Their goals, ambitions & values change
Are 3-dimensional
Grows to a higher level of understanding
Are DYNAMIC – changes as a result of what
happens to them
Types of Characters
 Protagonist – the MAIN CHARACTER in the
story
 Antagonist – The character or force that
OPPOSES the main character
 Foil – A character who provides contrast to
the protagonist
Character Traits, Emotions & Motivations
 Trait – feature or quality that distinguishes a
particular person or thing
 Can be physical , or dealing with personality
 Emotion –feelings (joy, sorrow, fear, love,
hate etc.)
 Motivation – what causes someone to do
something
Minor Characters
 Flat (2-dimensional)
 Lack depth
 STATIC – stay the same, never change
Question:
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT SARAH
& RYAN’S CHARACTERS?
Skeleton Creek Characters
(so far)
 Ryan










We are reading his journal
Was just released from the hospital (in for 2 weeks)
Had accident at dredge
He is scared – thinks something menacing is after him,
hunting him
Thought he was going to die – thinks he still might
Has an overactive imagination
Is Paranoid
Loves to write
Is “almost” old enough to drive
Tall for his age, but needs to gain weight
Characters (so far)
 Sarah
 Is adventuresome & reckless
 Consumed by filmmaking
 Creative
 Persuasive
 Talks to anyone
 Posts her films on the internet
 Asked the question that started it all…
Characters (so far)
 Gladys Morgan












Prehistoric
Very unhappy
Unmarried
Town librarian
Not friendly
Does not want people in her library
Stares at people like they just kicked her cat
Skin like crumpled newspaper
Lower lip hangs heavy over her chin
Alarming overbite
Wears wire-rimmed glasses
Gave Ryan & Sarah their 1st clue…
Characters
 Old Joe Bush
 Worked on the Dredge
 Died at the Dredge
 Pant leg caught in gears – leg crushed –” never
emerged from the black pond…”
 Only one mention of his death (forgotten)
Characters
 Phantom at the dredge
 Recorded by Sarah
 Mysterious
 An UNKNOWN
Point of View
Day 4
Point of View
First Person – The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal
ONLY PERSONAL THOUGHTS & FEELINGS and what he/she see & is told
by other characters. ( Can’t tell us the thoughts of others)
Third-Person Objective – The narrator is an outsider who can
report ONLY WHAT HE/SHE SEES & IS TOLD BY OTHERS. ( Can’t tell us
the thoughts of others)
Third Person Limited – The narrator is an outsider who sees into
the mind of ONLY ONE character.
Omniscient – The narrator is an ALL-KNOWING outsider who can
enter the minds of more than one character.
Skeleton Creek Point of View
First Person
•Ryan is writing about his personal thoughts,
feelings & experiences.
•Sarah is recording her personal thoughts, feelings &
experiences on video.
Standard Vocabulary
Day 6
ELA7R1 – f.
analyzes characterization
(dynamic & static) in prose and plays as
delineated through a character’s thoughts,
words, speech patterns, and actions; the
narrator’s description; and the thoughts, words,
and actions of other characters.
 Characterization
 Dynamic
 Static
 Prose
 Delineated
 Speech Pattern
ELA7R1 – In your own words
Sound & Figurative Language
Day 7
Sound Devices
 Alliteration –The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds
in two or more neighboring words or syllables.

(example - The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders when we'll walk by)
 Onomatopoeia –Naming a thing or an action by imitating
the sound associated with it

(example -buzz, hiss, roar, woof )
 Rhyme – repetition of sound at the end of words or lines or poetry

(example – Blue, You, Too)
 Internal Rhyme – repetition of sound in a line of poetry
 (example – She’s such a silly billy goat.
Figurative Language
 Cliché - A word or phrase that has become overly familiar or
commonplace

(example – No pain, no gain)
 Hyperbole - Big exaggeration, usually with humor

(example - mile-high ice-cream cones)
 Idiom - An expression that means something other than the
literal meanings of its individual words.

(example – it’s raining cats and dogs)
 Metaphor – Comparing two things by using one kind of object
or using in place of another to suggest the likeness between them.

(example - Her hair was silk)
Figurative Language Cont.
 Personification -Giving something human qualities

(example -The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close)
 Simile - A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is
often introduced by like or as

(example - The sun is like a yellow ball of fire in the sky)
 Symbolism -A person, place or object which has a meaning in
itself but suggests other meanings as well.

(example – heart = love)
Assignment:
FIND EXAMPLES OF SOUND &
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN
TODAY’S READING
Plot
Day 8
Question:
WHAT IS PLOT?
All fiction is based on CONFLICT, and this conflict is presented in a
structured format called…
PLOT
Plot Mountain
 Exposition
 Rising action
 Inciting force
 Conflict
Inciting Force
 The event that triggers the conflict
 Sarah asking “Why Skeleton Creek?” is what causes the 2
kids to start their search.
“Why call a town Skeleton Creek? Nobody wants to visit a place with a
name like that. It’s bad for tourism.”
CONFLICT –
RYAN AND SARAH TRY TO
SOLVE A MYSTERY THAT THE TOWN WANTS TO
FORGET.
CONFLICT – Ryan & Sarah are trying to solve a mystery
that the town’s people want to forget.
Character versus Character (man versus man)
“You’re not the first to ask about the past…let it go…you’ll only stir up
trouble.”
“THE TOWN WASN’T CALLED
SKELETON CREEK UNTIL 1959.”
Plot Activity
BEGIN YOUR PLOT MOUNTAIN
NEED EXPOSITION AND RISING ACTION (3)
(DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE INCITING FORCE AND CONFLICT)
Question:
WHAT OTHER CHARACTERS HAVE
BEEN INTRODUCED?
Additional Characters
 Paul

Ryan’s dad
 Ranger Bonner

 Has a birdie tattoo

 Is secretive

 Doesn’t talk much

 May be a member of

crossbones
 Has a picture of Old Joe Bush

From Mesula
Acts suspisious
Grills Sarah about the dredge
Warns Sarah aganist the dredge
Asks if Sarah saw anyone at the
dredge
Grey hair, average build
Additional Characters
 Henry









Rainbow colored suspenders
Mutton Chops
Laughs a lot/card games
Worked at the dredge
Visits Skeleton Creek as much as he can
Lives in New York
Best Friends with Paul
Feels guilty about his work at the dredge
Likes to fish
Characterization Activity
WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER’S
TRAITS, EMOTIONS AND
MOTIVATIONS?
Theme & Topic
Day 9
Question:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THEME & TOPIC?
Topic
 The subject
Theme
 The main idea or underlying meaning of a
literary work. A theme may be stated or
implied.
Plot
Day
Plot
 Exposition
 Rising Action
 Climax
 Falling Action
 Resolution
Question:
IS THERE FALLING ACTION & A
RESOLUTION IN SKELETON
CREEK?
Skeleton Creek = Cliffhanger