The planner is split into 3 sections. It uses symbols to help students remember the flow of the plot. It is helpful to use the physical gestures as a writing reminder.
Exposition and Initial Incident. Use a photo or other device to brainstorm ideas. In this section, students consider:
- what kind of hook they could use to entice their audience [eg. sound, action, thought/question/feeling, etc.],
- how they will share the basic beginnings of a story [who, what, where, when]
- how the story changes- in the initial incident.
Rising Action-Climax In this section, the planner is built by imagining a variety of ideas that could happen. [Note the 'maybe...or...or...]
- Students can either build the story one event at a time...brainstorm and then choose- write and then brainstorm, choose again...
- Students could also build the entire rising action... imagining events that happen after the event they just finished writing.
Falling Action- focus on after the event is done.
- It helps students move past 'they lived happily ever after.'