A plot diagram helps students keep track of the narrative arc and important moments in a novel. In this activity, students will create a visual plot diagram of Lily's Crossing. For each cell, have students create a scene that follows the story in sequence using: Title, Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
Exposition: Lily, her dad, and her grandmother live in Queens. Every summer they go to Rockaway Beach for vacation.
Rising Action: Lily’s best friend Margaret moves to Michigan, and her dad gets stationed in Europe.
Climax: Lily meets Albert. She tells Albert that they can swim to the nearby war ships and go to Europe to find his sister, Ruth, and her father.
Falling Action: Lily finds Albert trying to swim by himself to the ships, and is drowning.
Resolution: Lily saves his life and learns how horrible lying is. In time, Lily’s father returns, and Lily is reunited with Albert and Ruth.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a visual plot diagram of Lily’s Crossing.
Student Instructions:
Use hands-on projects or digital tools to help students visualize story structure. This increases engagement and deepens their understanding of key plot points.
Begin by reading the first chapter of Lily's Crossing together. Pause to highlight how the story is set up, showing students where exposition fits in a plot diagram.
Demonstrate by mapping out the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution on the board. Use short examples from the text so students see how each part builds the narrative.
Assign small groups to sketch or digitally create images for each plot stage. Encourage creativity while making sure each group focuses on a specific story event.
Have groups present their visuals and explanations. Use questions to prompt reflection on how events connect, helping students deepen comprehension of story structure.
A plot diagram for Lily's Crossing visually outlines the main events of the novel, showing the story’s structure from exposition and rising action through climax, falling action, and resolution. It helps students understand how the narrative develops and changes.
To teach Lily's Crossing plot structure, have students break the story into key moments: title, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Let them create scenes and write brief descriptions for each part to reinforce comprehension and sequencing skills.
The main events are: Lily's family background (exposition), her friend leaving and her dad going to Europe (rising action), meeting Albert and the plan to find his sister (climax), saving Albert (falling action), and reuniting with loved ones (resolution).
Creating a plot diagram helps students visually track major events, see how the story builds to its climax, and understand character decisions and growth, making the novel’s themes and structure clearer.
Use simple images or drawings for each plot stage, add brief captions, and choose moments that show big changes or turning points. Make sure each part—exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution—is clearly labeled and described.