Flashbacks are a common literary technique used by authors such as Louis Sachar in the book, Holes.
Flashbacks can reveal vital and crucial information in a story. These stories flip back and forth between the story’s present and past. This story structure is an effective way to build suspense as the flashbacks at first deepen and eventually elucidate mysteries in the present narrative. Flashbacks can also help highlight themes or character development that appear in the story’s present.
To have students analyze connections between a flashback narrative and a story’s main narrative, make use of a T-chart or two-columns storyboard. For each significant element of the flashback plot, have students find a connection to the present-day plot. The example above illustrates the connections between the main narrative in Holes and one of the novel’s flashback narratives.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that shows how the flashbacks in the book, Holes connect to the story's present.
Student Instructions: