Lesson 3.2

Welcome to AP Lit Unit 1, Lesson 3! This lesson's objective is...

Identify and describe how plot orders events in a narrative

A deeper understanding of plot and structure in texts includes examining how the ordering of events in narratives affect readers' interpretations of texts. Additionally, exploring the relationships of particular events or a series of events to other literary elements, such as conflict, provides opportunities to examine how these plot relationships contribute to meaning. Furthermore, students develop a more sophisticated understanding of structure as they analyze part-to-part and part-to-whole relationships in texts, which may involve contrasts, and develop interpretations considering these structural relationships.

Essential Questions:

  • To what degree does a plot's ordering of events reflect a chronological sequence?

  • Which plot event(s) seems to break an established chronological sequence, and where does this event fit into the chronology of other events?

Text of Study...

In this lesson, we will begin to read and to analyze Jason Reynold's book Long Way Down

Reading Schedule

Before we begin analyzing the text for elements of plot and structure, we need to read the book! Below is the reading schedule for the text, along with dates for upcoming Socratic Seminars. You will need to take notes prior to participating in the seminar, and turn in your notes (either a picture of your handwritten notes, or a copy of your digital ones) to Google Classroom before the seminar date.

  • Reading #1: pg 1 - 70 - Socratic Seminar on Thursday, November 12

  • Reading #2: pg 71- 146 - Socratic Seminar on Thursday, November 19

  • Reading #3: pg 147 - 192- Socratic Seminar on Monday, November 30

  • Reading #4: pg 193- 234 - Socratic Seminar on Thursday, December 3

  • Reading #5: pg 237- 306 (end)- Socratic Seminar on Thursday, December 10


3.2 Notes

Please click the following link to be directed to College Board in order to watch the instructional video on the significance of plot events and structure: https://apclassroom.collegeboard.org/d/hnr7gfalao?sui=13,3

You should take notes as you watch the video in order to maximize your retention of the information provided.

3.2 Assignment #1...

Within Reading #1 of Long Way Down, Reynolds provides a vivid description of his brother's death and ill-aligned "middle-drawer." Read the section carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Reynolds uses poetic elements and literary devices to convey the speaker's complex attitude towards his brother's death and the middle-drawer.

This essay should be in MLA format and turned in to Google Classroom by midnight on Thursday, November 19.

3.2 Assignment #2...

After reading sections #1 and #2, students will create a timeline of events that are presented in the text Long Way Down. Although the events that are described in the text appear to be happening in a chronological sequence, many of the events that are depicted are memories from the speakers past, or stories told from other characters. Because of the author's use of flashbacks and the plot structure, it is important to take a look at how the text changes when the events are rearranged in a chronological order/

For this task, students will draw, or create a digital timeline of the events that are described in the text from page 1-146. The timeline should be organized chronologically. Each event should be labeled with a brief description and placed chronologically on the line. Additionally, students should include when the information is presented in the text. Students should then answer the following reading reflection question either on their timeline, or on a separate piece of paper/document: how does the ordering of events in the narrative shape the readers understanding of the text?

This is due by Thursday, November 19 at midnight.