Literary Elements Teaching Resources
Are ou teaching literary elements and looking for worksheets and activities to get students excited about tone, narration, plot and a host of other elements to writing a great story? How do you engage elementary students on the concept of character traits and make plot development as exciting as recess?
The ELA teachers on the Teach Starter team have done just that with a collection of printable worksheets and digital activities built around this core reading standard. Aligned with both TEKS and the Common Core English curriculum, each literary elements activity in the collection has undergone a careful review by a member of our teacher team to ensure it's ready for your lesson plans and your students.
Explore our teacher team's guide to learn more about the various literary elements and how to bring them to life in your classroom!
Is this your first year teaching this sector of ELA? Or the first year in a while? Our teacher team has put together a quick refresher to get you ready to rock and roll in the classroom, including a way to explain what literary elements are to students.
What Are Literary Elements? A Kid-Friendly Definition
First thing's first: Let's talk about the definition.
Literary elements are the basic components of writing that the author uses to share the story with the reader. Without them, the narrative falls apart!
They are sometimes referred to as narrative elements. No matter what you call them, these elements give a piece of writing structure and help the author convey information to the reader.
On the reading side, literary elements are also key to breaking down a story to understand better what the author is trying to say.
What Are Examples of Literary Elements? 8 Examples That Can Help Your Students
There are eight main examples of literary elements that students will encounter in narrative texts:
1. Setting
This element is crucial for developing a story as it provides the time in which the story takes place as well as where it takes place. Setting helps ground the story.
2. Plot
The plot is the way a story unfolds. It's essentially a pattern for the text.
3. Conflict
Conflict helps move a plot forward as it offers the reader a climax to move toward as they read.
4. Characterization
This element of writing covers the way characters are developed within a story.
5. Point of View
Also called narration, this literary element is the perspective from which a story is told, such as first person or third person.
6. Tone
The tone of a story can be boiled down to the author's attitude about the subject of the story.
7. Genre
Genre covers the type of story written, such as realistic fiction, science fiction or even magical realism.
8. Figurative Language
Similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia are just some examples of the figurative language students encounter in a text.
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Problem and Solution Interactive Clip Cards
Practice identifying problems and solutions with an interactive clip card activity.
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Character Analysis Task Cards
Get your students to perform a character analysis for any fictional character using this set of 20 task cards.
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Google Slides Interactive - Story Retell Activity
Use this Google Slides Interactive activity to practice retelling stories.
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Readers' Theater - Itsy Bitsy Spider Read and Retell Activity
Engage young readers in texts with a dramatic reading of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and accompanying story retelling activity.
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Character Development Board Game
Practice character development by choosing your own adventure in this role-playing board game.
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Write a Short Story – The Tale of Transformation
Get your students analyzing and writing a story with a lesson with this engaging and fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
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Mood in Narrative Writing – Text Analysis Worksheets
Teach mood in narrative writing with this set of four worksheets designed to help students explore narrative atmosphere in the context of real texts.
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Character Analysis: New Year's Activity
Practice inferring how a character would ring in the new year with this 7-activity booklet.
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Story Elements - Worksheet
Practice identifying characters, settings, problems and solutions in fictional texts with this set of worksheets.
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Literary Element Task Cards (Primary Grades)
A set of 12 task cards for primary students to use after reading a picture book.
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Setting-Plot Relationship Worksheet
A worksheet that explores the connections between setting and plot.
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Book Character Profile - Stage and Curtains
A fun character profile worksheet set on a theater stage.
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Plot Elements Worksheet - "The Gift of Magi"
Using the companion text “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, students will diagram the narrative structure of the story on the included plot elements worksheet.
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Character Traits Graphic Organizer
Describe the most notable mental and moral qualities of a real or fictional person.
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Crabbing at Night – Sequencing Worksheet
Identify the story beginning, series of events and ending with this narrative text sequencing activity.
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Write a Short Story – The Discovery or Invention
Get your students analyzing and writing an invention story with this engaging and fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
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Character Profile Flip Book - Primary Grades
Explore story characters with this flipbook template for lower primary students.
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Fiction vs Nonfiction Anchor Chart Pack
Teach students the difference between fiction and nonfiction with this set of two classroom posters perfect for Kindergarten classrooms.
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Book Hunt Image and Task Cards
Take your students on a book hunt with this poster and set of task cards.
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Guided Reading Groups - Retelling a Text Template
Use this template during a guided reading session for a scaffold to help your students retell a text.
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Literature Task Cards
A set of 30 literature tasks to assist your students with examining and responding to literature.
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Read and Roll - Comprehension Dice Game
A fun reading comprehension game to play after reading a fictional text.
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Literacy Task Cards - Find Your Treasure
Use this set of 16 treasure-inspired literature task cards with any literary text!
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Character Emotions Worksheet
Make inferences about character's feelings with this one-page worksheet.
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Character Traits Accordion Template – Blank
Learn how adjectives can be used to describe a character's appearance and personality with a hands-on craft activity aligned to the curriculum.
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Character Traits Accordion Template – The Gingerbread Man
Learn how adjectives can be used to describe a character's appearance and personality with a hands-on craft activity aligned to the curriculum.
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Sequencing Worksheets Bundle (Why Bears Have Stumpy Tails)
Print a sequencing worksheet for 1st or 2nd grade with an engaging bear story! Give students practice identifying the story beginning, series of events and ending.
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Character Development – Fakebook Page Worksheet
Use research and creative writing skills to design a social media profile for fiction or nonfiction persons.
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Show Don’t Tell Posters – Character Feelings
Use this set of Show, Don’t Tell posters to help your students describe character emotions through vivid details instead of simple statements.
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Cinderella Story Video
Explore the story of Cinderella with your students using this animated fairy tale video perfect for younger learners.
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The Three Little Pigs Story Video
Explore the story of The Three Little Pigs with your students using this animated fairy tale video perfect for younger learners.
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The Gingerbread Man Story Video
Introduce the story of The Gingerbread Man to your students with this animated fairy tale video perfect for younger students.
- Literary Elements Worksheets
- Literary Elements Templates
- Literary Elements Games
- Literary Elements Posters
- Literary Elements for Kindergarten
- Literary Elements for 1st Grade
- Literary Elements for 2nd Grade
- Literary Elements for 3rd Grade
- Literary Elements for 4th Grade
- Literary Elements for 5th Grade
- Literary Elements for 6th Grade