Literary conflicts are important for students to be able to identify as they read stories. The conflicts that the main character faces help drive the story forward. In this activity, students will create a storyboard illustrating examples of literary conflict in Glory Be. Having students choose an example of each literary conflict is an excellent way to reinforce the lesson, and gives the students a chance to creatively show what they have learned.
Character vs. Character: Glory and her sister are drifting apart as they get older. This makes Glory sad and angry at the same time.
Character vs. Self: Glory struggles with wanting to do what’s right, but is nervous about how she will be received or if she will get into trouble.
Character vs. Nature: The extreme summer heat in Mississippi makes life unbearable and the need for a pool even more important.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a 3 cell storyboard that describes and illustrates the literary conflicts in Glory Be.
Student Instructions:
Engage students by asking open-ended questions about conflicts in Glory Be and similar stories. This encourages critical thinking and helps students relate literary conflicts to real-world situations.
Create prompts like, “Have you ever faced a difficult choice like Glory?” or “How do friendships change as we grow?” to help students draw personal connections to the conflicts in the book.
Divide the class into groups of 3–4 and assign each group a specific conflict type (e.g., Character vs. Character). This allows students to focus and collaborate on analyzing examples from the story.
Invite each group to present their findings and discuss how their assigned conflict shapes the story. This builds presentation skills and reinforces understanding for all students.
Lead a short reflection on how identifying literary conflicts helps readers better understand characters’ motivations and story outcomes. Emphasize the value of these skills across all reading.
Glory Be features several types of literary conflict: Character vs. Character (Glory and her sister's growing distance), Character vs. Self (Glory's struggle to do the right thing), and Character vs. Nature (coping with the Mississippi heat). Understanding these conflicts helps students analyze the story's themes and character development.
To teach literary conflict with Glory Be, have students identify examples from the book, then create a storyboard illustrating each conflict type. This visual activity reinforces understanding and encourages creative thinking about the story's challenges.
A quick activity is to assign students to make a three-cell storyboard, each representing one type of conflict (character vs. character, self, and nature) found in Glory Be. Students illustrate and write a brief summary under each cell.
Understanding literary conflict helps middle grade students recognize how characters grow and stories progress. It deepens comprehension, improves critical thinking, and makes reading more engaging by connecting students to the characters' struggles.
In Glory Be, an example of character vs. self conflict is when Glory wrestles with wanting to do what's right, but fears the reactions of others or getting into trouble. This internal struggle shapes her decisions throughout the story.