How+to+Take+Notes+on+a+Short+Story

= How to Take Notes on a Short Story =

Objective: To take detailed notes from a story while reading closely to comprehend the material. In order to completely understand a short story and take the correct notes in your journal, use the following procedure:


 * 1) Read the complete story straight through.
 * 2) Write down everything you can remember about the story, including names of characters, a short plot summary, the setting, major themes, conflicts, and applicable literary devices.
 * 3) Read the story through more closely, correcting any information in your notes may be incorrect.
 * 4) Write your short paragraph of reaction.
 * 5) Think of two questions or comments that you can use to contribute to class discussion.

Your notes should look like the example below:

“Title of Short Story” and Author Date || Explain what exactly you liked or disliked and why. Tell why you got confused if that’s the case or why this story appealed to you. || Comments || Write down two questions or comments that you can use toward class discussion. ||
 * Short Story Notes
 * Characters || List all characters including secondary characters. Give two adjectives that describe each major character listed above. Identify the protagonist and the antagonist. ||
 * Plot || Briefly list the order of events as they occurred in the story. Highlight the event that marks the climax or highest point of tension. ||
 * Setting || Describe the time and place of the story. ||
 * Mood || What is the mood of the story? Example: eerie, solemn, uneasy, tense ||
 * Theme || What is the underlying message of this story that the events in or the fate of the characters represent? Example: “loyalty to an ideal, such as justice, is more important than loyalty to a person.” ||
 * Conflict || A conflict is a struggle between two opposing forces. The four possible conflicts are human vs. human, human vs. society (external conflict), human vs. nature (external conflict), and human vs. self (internal conflict). ||
 * Literary Devices || Authors use literary devices to represent a deeper meaning or to covey an old idea in a new, unique way. Some literary devices that might appear in a short story include foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, simile, personification, dialect, flashback, imagery, (first, second, or third person limited and omniscient) narration, suspense, hyperbole, flat or round characterization, and static or dynamic characterization. ||
 * Reaction Paragraph || Write a short PARAGRAPH of reaction to the story. This paragraph needs to include more insight than simply, “I didn’t like the story because it was boring.”
 * Theme || What is the underlying message of this story that the events in or the fate of the characters represent? Example: “loyalty to an ideal, such as justice, is more important than loyalty to a person.” ||
 * Conflict || A conflict is a struggle between two opposing forces. The four possible conflicts are human vs. human, human vs. society (external conflict), human vs. nature (external conflict), and human vs. self (internal conflict). ||
 * Literary Devices || Authors use literary devices to represent a deeper meaning or to covey an old idea in a new, unique way. Some literary devices that might appear in a short story include foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, simile, personification, dialect, flashback, imagery, (first, second, or third person limited and omniscient) narration, suspense, hyperbole, flat or round characterization, and static or dynamic characterization. ||
 * Reaction Paragraph || Write a short PARAGRAPH of reaction to the story. This paragraph needs to include more insight than simply, “I didn’t like the story because it was boring.”
 * Literary Devices || Authors use literary devices to represent a deeper meaning or to covey an old idea in a new, unique way. Some literary devices that might appear in a short story include foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, simile, personification, dialect, flashback, imagery, (first, second, or third person limited and omniscient) narration, suspense, hyperbole, flat or round characterization, and static or dynamic characterization. ||
 * Reaction Paragraph || Write a short PARAGRAPH of reaction to the story. This paragraph needs to include more insight than simply, “I didn’t like the story because it was boring.”
 * Reaction Paragraph || Write a short PARAGRAPH of reaction to the story. This paragraph needs to include more insight than simply, “I didn’t like the story because it was boring.”
 * Questions or
 * Questions or