Midnight Without a Moon Summary Activity

Activity Overview

Creating a plot diagram not only helps students learn the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and help 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. In this activity, students will create a visual plot diagram of major events in Midnight Without a Moon. Students should identify major turning points in the novel such as the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution.

Plot Diagram Example

Exposition: Rose lives with her mean grandmother Ma Pearl, grandfather Papa, brother Fred Lee, and cousin Queen in Mississippi in 1955. While she works in the cotton fields during the day, she dreams of a better life up North, as injustice and danger happens all around her.

Rising Action: One of Mr. Robinson’s workers, Levi, is shot and killed when he tries to register to vote.

Climax: Emmett Till is brutally murdered a few towns over for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

Falling Action: The white men who killed Emmett Till are found not guilty. Rose feels defeated and sad.

Resolution: Aunt Belle and Monty invite Rose to come and live with them in St. Louis, where she can get a good education and get away from Mississippi. Rose decides to stay and be a part of something bigger: justice for all people.

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Template and Class Instructions

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Due Date:

Objective: Create a visual plot diagram of Midnight Without a Moon.

Student Instructions:

Click "Start Assignment".
Separate the story into the Title, Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
Create an image that represents an important moment or set of events for each of the story components using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.
Write a short description of each of the examples in the plot diagram.
Save and exit when you're done.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-8

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Plot Diagrams and Narrative Arcs

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/6/3] Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution
[ELA-Literacy/RL/7/3] Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot)
[ELA-Literacy/RL/8/2] Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text
[ELA-Literacy/RL/8/3] Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision

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Rubric

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Plot Diagram Rubric for Middle School

Create a plot diagram for the story using Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.

	Proficient 33 Points	Emerging 25 Points	Beginning 17 Points
Plot Images	Cells include images that convey events in the corresponding stage of the plot. The images represent an important moment and exemplify the descriptions below them.	Cells include one or two images that convey events from an incorrect stage of the plot. Most images represent an important moment and exemplify the descriptions below them.	Cells include three or more images that convey events from an incorrect stage of the plot. Images depict minor and inimportant moments or do not reflect the descriptions below them.
Plot Text	The storyboard correctly identifies all six stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells correctly breaks down the plot events into appropriate stages. The text gives a logical overview of the plot and includes the most significant events of the book.	The storyboard misidentifies one or two stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells breaks down most of the plot events into appropriate stages. The text gives a logical overview of the plot, but may omit some significant events of the book.	The storyboard misidentifies three or more stages of the plot. The text for each of the six cells does not correspond to the events of that stage. Overall plot description is not logical.
Spelling and Grammar	Spelling and grammar is exemplary. Text contains few or no mistakes.	Text contains some significant errors in spelling or grammar.	Text contains many errors in spelling or grammar.