Lesson: 5 Types of Conflict

State Standard:

5.LT-F.5. Identify the plot and its components (e.g., main events, conflict, resolution).

5.LT-F.4. Describe the relationships between major and minor characters; analyze how a character's traits influence that character's actions.

Objective

Students will be able to analyze the five basic types of conflicts found in fiction text.

Do Now

Think of the last fiction story you read.  What problem did the character in the story have.

Hook

Share Do now

Direct Instruction

Remind students that all narratives are structured around a problem and solution.  These problems use stem from five basic conflicts.  In each conflict the character(s) struggle with one of five different antagonist or enemies. Discuss each of the five types of conflicts below. Think about the conflicts students shared during hook. Have them categorize the conflict under one or more types. You may even want to create a tally chart to determine the conflict type the class reads most often. 

These five conflicts are: 

Character Struggling Against Another Character

Character Struggling Internally With Self

Character Struggling Against Forces of Nature

Character Struggling Against Society

Character Struggling Against Fantasy/Supernatural/Technology

descriptions can be found here: http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/children-reading/types-of-conflict-in-literature.shtml

Guided Practice

Read Aloud the book Honest to Goodness Truth by Patricia Mckissack. As you are reading, model aloud the conflict type that the character is experiencing Allow students to turn and talk about the conflict. At the end of story determine the types of conflict the main character experienced. 

If you choose, you can introduce the conflict graphic organizer in this lesson or a later lesson.

Independent Practice

Have students read their story and classify it by conflict type

Closing

Why is important to be able to understand the conflict and types of conflict in the story? How does it deepen our understanding of a text?

Quiz/Assessment

Independent work