Lesson 20: Story Structure with the Adventure piece "The Black Stallion"

The Target Skill in this lesson is Story Structure

Concept Question: What are all of the important events that help make this story exciting?

From Journeys:
Story Structure  As you read “The Black Stallion,” identify the setting and the main character. Then look for the conflict (the central problem faced by the main character), important plot events, and the resolution of the conflict. Use a graphic organizer like the one shown below to help

you chart the overall structure of the story.

The term story structure refers to the important parts of a story. These parts include the setting, characters, conflict, events, and resolution. The conflict, or problem, is usually introduced near 

the beginning of the story. The setting may play a major part in causing this conflict. The characters’ efforts to resolve the conflict may lead to further challenges. The story becomes more and more exciting, until finally the conflict is resolved. 

The setting, main character, and conflict of “The Black Stallion” are introduced in the note on page 600. The events that follow, woven into story scenes, fit together to provide the overall structure of the text.

Genre:

Adventure stories include exciting action that takes place in unusual settings. As you read, 

look for:

     -a mood of excitement or suspense

     -an ongoing conflict or multiple conflicts

     -characters who show strong personal qualities

Spelling List 17 – Unit 4 Lesson 20

Word	Verb Root	Part of Speech	Definition
diminishing	diminish	v.	to make or become less
eerie		adj.	both strange and scary
stallion		n.	Specific: an adult purebred male horse that is able to reproduce  General: an adult male horse
soothing		adj.	having a gentle, calming effect; able to reduce pain or discomfort
obtain		v.	to get something
aching		adj.	having pain in one’s body
quivered	quiver	v.	tremble or shake quickly
marveling	marvel	v.	being filled with wonder and astonishment
mane		n.	A growth of long hair on the neck of an animal such as a horse or a lion.
yard		n.	a unit of length equal to 3 feet or 0.9144 meters.