The Necklace Summary Activity: Plot Diagram

The Necklace Plot Diagram

Activity Overview

A common use for Storyboard That is to help students create a plot diagram of the events from a novel. Not only is this a great way to teach 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 novel with a six-cell storyboard containing the major parts of the plot diagram. For each cell have students create a scene that follows the novel in sequence using; Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.

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"The Necklace" Plot Diagram Example

Exposition

Set in Paris, France in 1880. A young middle-class woman dreams of a lifestyle far beyond her reach. One day, her husband comes home with tickets to attend a very affluent party, and she is excited to attend, but upset that she will look dowdy.

Major Inciting Conflict

Mathilde Loisel is not wealthy, yet she dreams to be. Her husband gives her money to buy a dress, but she is not satisfied until she asks a wealthy friend for a necklace to borrow.

Rising Action

At the ball, Mme. Loisel is a hit, everyone loves her. Upon leaving she reaches for the necklace, and finds it missing. After days of searching, she and her husband decide to replace it with a one that looks identical. The replacement cost more money than they make, and it takes them ten years to pay it off.

Climax

After ten years of hard work and struggles, the couple pays off all their debts.

Falling Action

One day Mathilde is walking to the market and sees the friend that she borrowed the necklace from. She decides to tell her what happened.

Resolution

The friend Mme. Forestier, tells Mathilde that the necklace was “false”, a fake. The reader is left contemplating the irony of the situation.

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual or Partner

Type of Activity: Plot Diagrams and Narrative Arcs

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/1] Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/2] Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text
[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/5] Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise

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Template and Class Instructions

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Student Instructions

Create a visual plot diagram of The Necklace.

Separate the story into the Exposition, Conflict, 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.
Write a description of each of the steps in the plot diagram.

Story Outline Storyboard Template

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Rubric

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)

Plot Diagram Rubric (Grades 9-12)

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

	Proficient 25 Points	Emerging 21 Points	Beginning 17 Points	Try Again 13 Points
Descriptive and Visual Elements	Cells have many descriptive elements, and provide the reader with a vivid representation.	Cells have many descriptive elements, but flow of cells may have been hard to understand.	Cells have few descriptive elements, or have visuals that make the work confusing.	Cells have few or no descriptive elements.
Grammar/Spelling	Textables have three or fewer spelling/grammar errors.	Textables have four or fewer spelling/grammar errors.	Textables have five or fewer spelling/grammar errors.	Textables have six or more spelling/grammar errors.
Evidence of Effort	Work is well written and carefully thought out. Student has done both peer and teacher editing.	Work is well written and carefully thought out. Student has either teacher or peer editing, but not both.	Student has done neither peer, nor teacher editing.	Work shows no evidence of any effort.
Plot	All parts of the plot are included in the diagram.	All parts of the plot are included in the diagram, but one or more is confusing.	Parts of the plot are missing from the diagram, and/or some aspects of the diagram make the plot difficult to follow.	Almost all of the parts of the plot are missing from the diagram, and/or some aspects of the diagram make the plot very difficult to follow.