Understanding Plot Structure
A worksheet to help 6th-grade students identify and analyze the key elements of plot structure in a story, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
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Understanding Plot Structure
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Read the following passage carefully. Then, answer the questions about its plot structure. Remember the five key elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
The Mysterious Map
Lily loved exploring the dusty old attic in her grandmother's house. One sweltering summer afternoon, while rummaging through a forgotten trunk, her fingers brushed against something stiff. She pulled out a rolled-up parchment, brittle with age and tied with a faded ribbon. Unfurling it, she discovered a map, hand-drawn and intricate, with a large 'X' marked over a spot deep within the whispering woods behind her grandmother's cottage. An old, cryptic poem was scrawled on the back: 'Where the ancient oak stands tall and proud, beneath its roots, a secret's vowed.'
Excitement bubbled within her. She grabbed her backpack, a flashlight, and a small shovel. The woods were denser than she remembered, the shadows long and dancing. She followed the map, pushing through thorny bushes and ducking under low-hanging branches. After what felt like hours, she spotted it – an enormous oak, its branches reaching like gnarled arms towards the sky. Her heart pounded as she began to dig near its base, just as the map indicated. The sun was beginning to set, casting an eerie glow through the trees.
Suddenly, her shovel hit something hard. It wasn't a rock. She dug faster, dirt flying, until she uncovered a small, wooden chest, weathered and locked with a rusty padlock. A shiver ran down her spine. How would she open it? Just then, her grandmother's voice echoed through the trees, calling her name. Lily quickly reburied the chest, marking the spot with a stone, and raced back, promising herself she would return the next day with the right tools.
1. The of the story introduces Lily, her grandmother's attic, and the discovery of the mysterious map.
2. Lily’s journey into the woods and her search for the ancient oak tree represent the of the plot.
3. The moment Lily's shovel hits the wooden chest is the of the story.
4. Describe the falling action in 'The Mysterious Map'. What happens immediately after the climax?
5. Which of the following best describes the resolution of 'The Mysterious Map'?
Lily opens the chest and finds treasure.
Lily tells her grandmother about the map.
Lily decides to return the next day to open the chest.
The map leads Lily to a magical forest.
6. The map itself is considered part of the resolution of the story.
True
False
7. Write a short paragraph describing what you think Lily will find in the chest when she returns. Make sure to include elements of a resolution for the story.