THREE THINGS TO FOCUS ON WHEN STUDYING A STORY 1. Characters (Who) The characters are the important people in a story. The relationships between these people make up the important parts of the story. Details to look for about characters include the following: Age Sex (male or female) Employment Family Relationship with other characters Motivation (why they do what they do) 2. Setting (Where) This tells the place in a story. Important elements to look for include: Country, state, city Time in history (the year, the decade, the era, etc.) Weather Economic situation Social situation 3. Plot (What) The plot is the plan or main story. It tells the information about conflict, climax, and resolution. Types of conflict include man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. self Climax is the highest point in the story Resolution conclusion of the action