Focus Question

How does knowing about literary elements impact understanding a story?

                A student knowing the different types of literary elements has a huge impact on their understanding of a story.  Being able to identify the different literary elements in a story demonstrates what the student understands is happening in the story.  If the students understand character, setting, theme, and conflict, they are going to be able to identify things in the story that other students may not find important or be able to pick up.  If you gave a student a particular focus element to watch during the story the student will be able to follow that element and really understand on another level what that particular element means to the story as a whole.  In the book “Lucky,” the setting plays a really big role in the whole story.  The student knowing that what they need to pay attention to, such as setting, will be able to follow the setting in the story and understand that the desert is a key element in the story.  Likewise, following a character in the story instead of just reading the story as it is, will allow the student to realize what this particular character means to the story, and appreciate that character, as a whole.  In “Lucky,” Brigitte is an important character who is worthy of following.  Without understand Brigitte as an individual, a reader could miss what she lends to the story.