The five part narrative structure | English | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Match each story type to its example, all taken from 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire'.
- myth
  
  ⇔
  
  'The Song of Achilles' ✓
- legend
  
  ⇔
  
  'The Lady of Shalott' ✓
- folktale
  
  ⇔
  
  'The Fisherman and the Jinni' ✓
- factual
  
  ⇔
  
  'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' ✓
- poem
  
  ⇔
  
  'The Canterbury Tales' ✓
Match each character, all from 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', to what we know about them.
- Shahrazad
  
  ⇔
  
  a formidable storyteller ✓
- Shahrayar
  
  ⇔
  
  a tyrannical king ✓
- Achilles
  
  ⇔
  
  a renowned warrior ✓
- Simidele
  
  ⇔
  
  a Mami Wata, a mermaid ✓
- Icarus
  
  ⇔
  
  a hubristic young boy ✓
- the Lady of Shalott
  
  ⇔
  
  a cursed woman ✓
Match the sentence stems about Simidele, a mermaid from Natasha Bowen's 'Skin of the Sea' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire'), to their endings.
- Simidele is a Mami Wata because
  
  ⇔
  
  Yemoja transformed her into one. ✓
- Simidele is a Mami Wata but
  
  ⇔
  
  she was once human. ✓
- Simidele is a Mami Wata so
  
  ⇔
  
  she gathers the souls of the enslaved who die at sea. ✓
Starting with the first, put these plot points from 'The Fall of Icarus' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Daedalus and Icarus are imprisoned on the island of Crete.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Daedalus creates wings from wax and feathers so they can escape.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Daedalus warns his son not to fly too close to the sun or the wax will melt.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Daedalus and Icarus take flight, and Icarus ignores his father's advice.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Icarus feels like a god as he flies through the sky, higher and higher.
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  The wax melts, and Icarus plunges to his death.
- 7
  
  ⇔
  
  Daedalus offers his wings to the god, Apollo, and swears never to fly again.
Starting with the first, put these plot points from 'The Fisherman and the Jinni' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman catches a jinni in a jar in his net.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman releases the jinni from the jar, who threatens to kill him.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman tricks the jinni into returning to the jar.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman tells the jinni a story in order to teach him a lesson.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  The jinni understands the lesson and no longer wants to kill the fisherman.
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  The jinni rewards the fisherman with precious jewels.
What is the technical term for a transition in a story to an earlier time in the life of one or more characters? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- frame story
- foreshadowing
- flashback ✓
- flashforward
- pathetic fallacy

Exit quiz

The ______ part narrative structure is a way of sequencing a story so that it has a logical and engaging structure. ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- 'five ' ✓
Starting with the first, put these sub-headings from the five part narrative structure ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  exposition
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  rising action
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  climax
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  falling action
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  resolution
Match the sub-headings of the five part narrative structure to their function. ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- exposition
  
  ⇔
  
  establishes character/setting; introduces a problem ✓
- rising action
  
  ⇔
  
  develops character and problem ✓
- climax
  
  ⇔
  
  most intense, and often deciding moment, of a story ✓
- falling action
  
  ⇔
  
  aftermath of the climax ✓
- resolution
  
  ⇔
  
  how the story ends ✓
Which sentences use the word disgruntled (or a form of it) correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- The pupils felt there was too much homework and were disgruntled. ✓
- "That was so fun!" she said, disgruntledly.
- The judge received disgruntled letters about her controversial decision. ✓
- It was a great day and everyone looked disgruntled in the pictures.
Which sentences use the word reactive (or a form of it) correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- He paused before he shouted but normally he was quite a reactive person. ✓
- The starting gun went; the athletes were reactive, leaping forward immediately. ✓
- She thought slowly and reactively about her decision.
- He said, "Don’t make your decision now. Be reactive and wait until tomorrow."
A ______ is a transition in a story to an earlier time in the life of one or more characters.
- 'flashback' ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The structure of a narrative means how the plot is organised - its sequence.
Readers need to feel that the structure of a story has been planned.
One way to plan a narrative is to rely on the five part narrative structure.
The five part narrative structure divides a story into exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.

Common misconception

The five part narrative structure is the only way to structure a story.

There are lots of ways to create a story that is structured. This is one example. The most important thing to remember is that whatever your structure, it should be considered and carefully planned.

Keywords

Yemoja - in the Yoruba religion, goddess of creation, water, moon, motherhood and protection
Mami wata - a water spirit or deity (god) sacred to West, Central and Southern Africa
Reactive - responding quickly and unthinkingly to something
Disgruntled - unhappy
Flashback - a transition in a story to an earlier time in the life of one or more characters