Literary conflicts are often taught during ELA units. An excellent way to focus on the various types of literary conflict is through storyboarding. Having students choose an example of each Literary conflict and depict it using storyboards is a great way to reinforce your lesson.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is rife with conflict. There are many interpersonal conflicts between the characters, as well as larger societal conflicts. The Franks are driven into hiding because of the anti-Jewish policies of the Nazi regime, and on a smaller scale, Anne gets annoyed and hurt by the adults who criticize her.
Have students choose one, or a few, of the conflicts in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Using a T-Chart or a traditional storyboard, students can identify various examples of conflicts and depict them with explanations. In the prototype example below, each cell contains a particular type of conflict. The type of conflict is displayed, and visually represented with an explanation of the scene, and how it fits the specific category of conflict.
Mrs. Van Daan and Mr. Van Daan regularly get into arguments, sometimes over very trivial matters. The limited space in the Secret Annexe means the rest of the occupants are also affected.
Anne struggles with the isolation and boredom of the seclusion in the Secret Annexe and with fear of being caught. She writes letters to her friend, "Kitty", that are really diary entries.
Leading up to and during World War II, Nazi Germany persecuted and eventually imprisoned Jews in concentration camps. Millions of Jews died there.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows at least three forms of conflict in the Diary of Anne Frank.
Engage students with an interactive role-play activity to help them experience literary conflict firsthand. Role-playing brings conflicts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to life, encouraging empathy and critical thinking as students act out scenarios and reflect on character motivations.
Choose pivotal conflict moments from the book, such as arguments between characters or Anne's internal struggles. Pick scenes that show different types of conflict to make the experience meaningful and varied for your students.
Divide students into small groups and assign each a scene and character roles. Provide a brief background on each character so students understand their motivations and perspectives.
Have groups brainstorm or write simple scripts that highlight the conflict. Encourage students to use direct quotes from the diary where possible to deepen authenticity and comprehension.
Let each group perform their scene for the class. Lead a discussion afterward about how the characters felt, what caused the conflict, and how it was—or could be—resolved, fostering empathy and analysis.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl features several forms of conflict, including Character vs. Character (Anne and Mrs. Van Daan), Character vs. Self (Anne's internal struggles), and Character vs. Society (the Frank family's persecution under Nazi rule).
Use storyboards or T-charts to help students identify and illustrate different types of conflict from Anne Frank’s diary. Have students choose scenes that show conflicts and explain which type each represents.
An example of Character vs. Self conflict is Anne’s struggle with isolation, fear, and boredom while hiding in the Secret Annexe, which she expresses in her diary entries.
Understanding literary conflict helps students analyze character motivations, plot development, and themes, fostering deeper reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in ELA.
Assign students to create storyboards that depict at least three types of conflict from the diary. Have them illustrate each conflict, label it, and write a brief description explaining how it fits that category.