SAINT JOSEPH COLLEGE

Saint Joseph High School Department

Academic Year 2020-2021

LEARNING MODULE

ENGLISH GRADE 10
1ST QUARTER
WEEK 3

NAME: ____________________________________________________

GRADE & SECTION: ______________________________________

 LESSON
OBJECTIVE

MELCS: Appraise the unity of plot, setting and

characterization in a material viewed to achieve the
writer’s purpose

LESSONS
I.Analyzing Elements of Fiction

II.Keeping a Reading Journal

DISCUSSION

Analyzing Elements of Fiction

You will be able to better understand and appreciate the meaning of a short story by
analyzing its elements. Each element contributes to the overall meaning of the short
story. Hence, it is important that you know these elements and discover how writers use
them to present the message they wish to convey.

• Characters are the persons (or animals or figures) involved in the story. They can
be classified as protagonists (lead or main characters) or antagonists (villains), or flat or
round. Flat characters remain static or unchanged throughout the story. Those who are
dynamic and are able to switch from being a protagonist to an antagonist and vice versa
as the story progresses are referred to as round characters.

• Setting is the time and place where the story takes place. It also includes the social
and the historical context of the story.

• Plot refers to the series of events that takes place throughout the story. It begins
with an exposition where the writer describes the setting and presents the characters
of the story. Complication happens as the story builds up. This is where the writer
presents a problem or the conflict in the story. As the tension builds up, the story
reaches its highest point known as the climax. Thereafter, the action falls and the
characters are able to find solutions to the problem presented. This is known as the
denouement. The plot is completed and the problem is solved in the story’s resolution.

• Point of view refers to the narrator of the story. The story may either be told using
the first person (“I”) or the third person (limited or omniscient) point of view. A narrator
who knows what all the characters are thinking and feeling is said to be omniscient.
Those who can only see things from the perspective of a single character in the story
are said to be limited.

• Conflict is the struggle presented in the story. An internal conflict (man versus
himself) may arise when a character struggles against his or her own values and beliefs.
Likewise, conflicts may happen between or among the characters in the story (man
versus man). In some cases, the characters struggle against natural disasters or their
society (man versus his environment).

• Tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter presented in the story.
For instance, a writer may sound serious, ironic, or humorous.

• Symbolism is the use of any object to represent something beyond its literal
meaning.

• Theme refers to the message conveyed in the story. It answers the question, “What
is the story about?”
One of the most important reading comprehension skills that you need to develop is
identifying the writer’s purpose. Identifying the writer’s real purpose or intent in writing a
text will help you become a critical thinker. In general, writers write for three reasons: to
persuade, to inform, or to entertain. Writers whose purpose is to persuade, share their
opinions in their work. Writers who intend to inform their readers present factual
information. Those who intend to entertain provide their readers with some amusing
details.

Keeping a Reading Journal

One of the main problems of today’s technologically advanced world is the spread of
fabricated or “fake news” fueled by propaganda. Technologies, like the internet, make it
easy to spread false, malicious, and harmful information. Many people are deliberately
misled into believing something inaccurate and untrue. However, readers can easily
determine if the information presented is false through critical reading, which is the
process of analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating a text. Through this skill, readers will
be able to scrutinize the given data of a text, evaluate the evidence provided, and make
a sound judgment on whether to believe it or not.

A useful tool in critical reading is a reading journal. A reading journal records a reader’s
reflections and insights about a reading material. Here, the reader can write his or her
ideas, notes, comments, and queries regarding the text that he or she has read.

Here are some suggestions in keeping a reading journal:

1. Read and understand the reading material.

2. Highlight or keep track of important passages.

3. Write your initial reaction to the selection.

4. Write the things that you like and dislike about the reading material. Explain why you
like or dislike it.

5. Identify the theme of the reading material and relate your own experiences to it. You
may begin writing your reading journal with the following statements:

• I enjoyed reading this selection because . . .

• I did not quite enjoy reading this selection because . . .

• I can relate well with the selection because . . .

• I find it hard to relate with the selection because . . .

• What struck me the most in the reading selection is . . .

• What I did not like about the reading selection is . . .

• One particular scene in the story which I like is . . .

•One particular scene in the story which I did not like is . . .

• The protagonist/antagonist reminds me of . . .

• The setting of the story reminds me of . . .

• The struggles presented in the story make me think of . . .

• The message of the story remains to be relevant because . . .

• The message of the story is no longer relevant because. ..

READ
EVALUATION
A. Answer briefly and concisely.

Comprehension Questions

1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe each.

2. Who is the narrator of the story? How does this (identity of the narrator and point of
view) affect the message of the story?

3. What is the setting of the story? How does the writer describe it?

4. What is the conflict in the story? How is it resolved?

5. Why do you think Leon and Maria went to Nagrebcan?

6. What was Baldo’s impression of Maria?

7. Why do you think Baldo’s father asked him to follow the waig instead of the camino
real?

8. How does the story end?

9. What is the theme of the story?

10. In your opinion, should family members who are about to get married introduce
their future spouse to their parents? Why do you think so?

SOURCE:
Practical English 10-DIWA Textbooks