A common use for Storyboard That is to help students create a plot diagram of the events from a story. Not only is this a great way to teach the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and helps students develop greater understanding of literary structures.
Students can create a storyboard capturing the narrative arc in a work with a six-cell storyboard containing the major parts of the plot diagram. The structure of Julie of the Wolves can be difficult to outline since it jumps around in time. To help with students’ understanding of the sequence of events, have them trace the plot events in chronological order. For each cell, have students create a scene that follows the story in sequence using: Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
Miyax, a 13-year-old girl in the Pacific Northwest, lives between two worlds: the world of the Eskimo and the world of 1970s America. Although she has inherited Eskimo knowledge and pride from her father Kapugen, she now lives with her Aunt Martha in the modern village of Mekoryuk.
To escape Aunt Martha, Miyax agrees to a marriage arrangement with an Eskimo boy named Daniel. Being married to Daniel is like having a brother until Daniel tries to attack Miyax. After this, Miyax decides to run away to her pen pal, Amy, in San Francisco.
On her way to San Francisco, Miyax becomes lost on the vast Arctic tundra. She is desperate for food and befriends a nearby wolf pack in order to gain meat and protection. As Miyax studies the wolf leader Amaroq and his family, she learns their ways and finds a way to survive in the frigid Arctic wilds.
When autumn arrives, Miyax uses the course of the migrating birds to direct her back to civilization. As she sees increasing signs of human presence, she realizes her wolf pack is in danger. When a plane flies over the tundra, hunters wound the young wolf Kapu and kill Amaroq, Miyax’s adopted wolf father.
Miyax stays on the tundra until Kapu’s wounds have healed. Then, she returns to the human world in search of her long-lost father. She finds Kapugen, but realizes that he has begun to assimilate to the gussak ways. Miyax decides to return to the wild.
As Miyax heads back to the tundra, her pet plover Tornait dies. She understands this as a sign that “the hour of the wolf and the Eskimo is over”. The days of living closely with nature are no longer realistic. Miyax turns back toward her father’s village.
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Student Instructions
Create a visual plot diagram of Julie of the Wolves.
Generate open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking and personal connections to the story. These prompts help students analyze characters, themes, and cultural perspectives, deepening their understanding and sparking lively classroom conversations.
Ask students to relate plot events or character challenges from the book to situations in their own lives. This fosters empathy and helps students see the relevance of literature beyond the classroom.
Divide students into small groups and assign specific roles such as illustrator, writer, or editor. This approach builds teamwork and ensures that each student contributes their strengths to the project.
Encourage students to add photos, audio, or digital drawings to their storyboards. Integrating multimedia fosters creativity and engages diverse learning styles, making the assignment more dynamic and memorable.
A plot diagram for Julie of the Wolves visually maps out the story's structure, including exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. It helps students understand the sequence of major events and how the story develops.
Students can create a storyboard by dividing the story into six key parts: Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution. For each part, they draw or illustrate a scene and write a brief description, helping visualize and summarize the plot.
The main events include Miyax living between Eskimo and American cultures, her arranged marriage and escape, survival with a wolf pack on the tundra, the death of her wolf companion Amaroq, reuniting with her father, and her decision to return to nature before ultimately turning back to her village.
Understanding the sequence of events helps students follow the story's timeline, especially since the narrative jumps around in time. It reinforces comprehension of the plot's cause-and-effect relationships and aids in grasping character development and themes.
The best way is to use a visual plot diagram or storyboard, breaking the story into key plot points. This method encourages engagement, supports understanding of literary structure, and caters to different learning styles for grades 6-8.