GRADE VI

IDENTIFYING THE PLOT OF A STORY

GETTING STARTED

Hello! I guess you have learned in your previous grades how to identify important details from
stories you read. This basic skill in Reading becomes useful in recalling names of
characters/events.

In this module, you will learn how to identify the events in the plot of a story

There are lots of fun and games in this module that you will surely enjoy doing as you learn.

Review Time

Welcome to the first stage of this module. Your task is to do the following
exercises to determine your starting point. In every activity you still earn
points. Add all your points and at the end of this module you’ll get a surprise.

I guess you are aware that many Filipinos particularly

our doctors and nurses go abroad to work there for
better life. You may be surprised to know that even
our Filipino priests do likewise.

Read the newsprint below.

1
 Now that you have read the news article, answer the
following questions and test how well you can remember
the information. Work honestly and with by yourself; don’t
look back at the article. Remember: Honesty is the best
policy! Write your answers in your notebook.

Questions Answers
1. Why do Filipino priests move to the
United States?
2. Aside from our Filipino priests, who
went to US to work?
3. Who is Rommel Tolentino?
4. Why do you think many of our
Filipino professionals decided to
leave the country?
5. In your point of view, what possible
effects would Filipino priests moving
to US bring to the Catholic church –
here and abroad?

Exercise 1 Pre-Level 1: Find out the things that happened to Danilo in the farm on the story
below. Then, answer the questions that follow.

IN THE FARM
It was a Sunday in summer when Danilo together with his family went to a farm
remotely located in Barangay Paitan in Bulacan.
In the farm, Danilo happily played with “Bambi” his pet dog while father
and mother made themselves busy with farm work.
Mang Jose with some helpers harvested twenty cavans of palay which was
10% more than last year’s harvest. Aling Nena cooked “sinigang” and fried
fish for lunch. They ate together happily.
The family enjoyed the day in the farm.

Let us find out how well you can recall details of the story. Write your answers in
your notebook.

2
 1. Where did the story happen?
2. Where exactly is the farm located?
3. Who were Danilo’s parents?
4. How many cavans of palay did father harvest?
5. What did the family have for lunch?

Study Time

Welcome to our main lesson today – Identifying the PLOT of a story. But before going through
that, do the exercises on Vocabulary Building below.

Before going through that, do the exercises on Vocabulary Building.

VOCABULARY BUILDING

Complete the sentences by picking out the word that will fit the meaning of
each sentence. Do this in your notebook.

1. The old man _________ along the sidewalk.

2. She _________ the switch to have light.

3. It was a _________ evening on a Halloween.

4. Delia is _________ as she covers herself in fear.

5. The power of the enemy _________ in the soldier’s imagination,

WORD BANK

loomed flickered grope panting spooky

3
 A NIGHT AT BENNY’S
No one answered. The whole house was blacker than octopus ink. Along the hall we
groped, into the lounge. Benny flickered a switch on the wall. No light.
“Felicity!” Benny called again. No reply. It was spooky, just like being in a
haunted house at midnight on Halloween. I reached out and touched Benny. He
screamed “Don’t do that!” he roared.
We stood together in the hall, listening. We heard nothing but the sound of our
own panting breath. Shadowy figures loomed up in the dark. My heart pounded
faster than a prize-fighter’s glove in a little fight.
“Ghosts!” I squealed, pointing at the advancing shadows.
“Help!” shrieked Benny.
We turned and ran. The ghosts grabbed us. For ghosts, they sure hit hard. They
hit so hard we were knocked to the ground. The laughed as they clouted us: one two,
one two.
“I told you I’d get even with you,” panted Felicity.
By the time Graham turned the electricity back on at the fuse box outside, Benny
and I had recovered… sort of. Felicity threatened to dab us in if we didn’t go to bed,
so we went.

Source: A Night at Benny’s by

Dianne Bates
Core English & Mathematics
Book 4 p. 53

Activity 1 Answer the following questions about the story to find out how good
you are in remembering details. Write your answer in your notebook.

1. How was the house described in the beginning of the story?

2. How many children in the story were playing ghosts at night?

3. Where was the fusebox positioned?

4. What was the atmosphere present in the story?

5. List down the phrases or sentences that prove Benny was scared?

4
 Activity 2

After learning the different parts of a story’s plot, try completing the story
map for “A Night at Benny’s” illustrated here by writing the important events
from the plot for each number. These events have been listed for you.
5
4 6
3
Benny was totally
scared 7
2

1 One evening at Benny’s house there was no light.

The atmosphere was scary. No one answered.

Practice Time

For you to master this skill more, continue doing the exercise on the next page.

Exercise 1- Read the selection below.

A Boy Hero
It was raining so hard. Streets in Malabon were heavily flooded due to clogged
drainage, high tide, and garbage everywhere.
Lito was worried while watching some stranded vehicles outside the
window. On board were mostly students and some others who were supposed to
go to their workplace.
In a sudden, he heard a loud scream!
“Help! help! please, anybody help!” a middle aged woman was shouting in
great terror while helplessly watching a drowning little boy. In an instance, Lito
immediately dove into the water. He swam as fast as he could but the flow of
water was heavily opposing his direction yet still he tried and tried gasping for
breath. His determination kept him to move on and at long last, he was almost
there to save the young innocent boy of about 2 to 3 years old.
There it was! Lito was indeed a hero. He saved the boy! He was not only a
champion swimmer during athletic meets, but also a champion of bravery in
times most needed.
Cecilia E. Valderama
Division of Bulacan

5
 The next thing for you to do is to identify important details and events that
happened in the story by providing the needed information in the story map.

A B C

Setting Characters Plot

1. Initiating Event

2. Conflict

3. Internal Response

Study these significant events that happened in the 4. Attempt

story. Remember: A plot is made up of the order of
events in the story as shown by this diagram. Later in
this module you will learn more on noting important
story events when you write your own story.
5. Climax

8. Ending 7. Conclusion 6. Consequence

6
Exercise 2 - Match the following parts of story plot to its meaning. Write the letter of your
answer on your notebook.

A B

F. conflict peak of the story

E. consequence move or act done to solve the problem
C. initiating event beginning the story
B. attempt feeling of the character towards the problem
A. climax
G. ending result of the attempt
D. internal response struggle or problem to be solved
how the story ended

Exercise 3 - Be creative! Provide your own plot based on the given situations.

1. Climax :There was a thick black smoke coming out from the roof
top. Everyone is screaming.
Consequence: _______________________________________________

2. Conflict : Nina is supposed to graduate this year but she was not able
to pass the final exams.
Attempt : _______________________________________________

3. Initiating Event: The whole class of Ms. Cruz went swimming. Everybody
was happy when …
Conflict : _______________________________________________

4. Consequence : After 10 years of navigating, two detectives found the secret

tunnel in the Philippines where a treasure was found.
Ending : _______________________________________________

7
Key Points

A plot is the sequence of related events in a story. It is generally constituted by

three (3) main stages. Beginning, climax and ending. However, in each stage, there
are sub-stages found. Study the illustration below.

Climax
5

4 attempt
6 consequences
3 internal response
7 conclusion
2 conflict

Beginning

Initiating 8 Ending
Event

Alright, let us talk about the meaning of each stage.

A. Beginning (initiating event) this is the beginning of the story

B. Conflict – problems to be solved, struggle between two opposing forces
C. Internal Response – character’s feelings about the problem and the
decision made
D. Attempt – action taken to solve the problem or achieve his goal
E. Consequence – result of the attempt
F. Climax – peak of the story/the most suspenseful part
G. Conclusion – states how the story end

You have now the concept of how a story is organized according to the different
events that happened. Your task now is to read the story below and identify
important events that happened in the text.

8
 Test Yourself

Activity 1

Read the story below and identify the following events if beginning, conflict, response, attempt,
climax, consequence, ending. Write your answer in your notebook.

A MODERN DAY FABLE

The animals were standing around a barbecue boasting about their strength.
Horse sprung up and said, “ I have never been beaten in the backyard sprint!”

“I challenge anyone to race against me,” he said. “Oh … I accept your

challenge,” said the Turtle. The animals stared at each other in disbelief. “What a
good one!” replied the Horse. “I could beat you hands down.”

The two animals started the race. “On your marks, get set, go …” They went off
for the race. Turtle plodded along and along and along. Horse was off us quick as
lightning. Suddenly Horse stopped, there was a vacant weeded lot along the way. He
got some and eat.

Turtle by now was about 5 centimeters away from the wooden fence. Just then,
the Horse in great surprise saw the Turtle won the race!

(Adapted – Core English and Mathematics 4

Page 79)

1. The animals were off for the race. ________________________

2. The animals were standing around a barbecue boasting about their strength.
______________________
3. The Turtle accepted the challenge. _______________________
4. The Horse challenged any of the animals to race against him.
_____________________.
5. The animals don’t believe the Turtle would win. ________________
6. The Horse stopped to eat on a vacant lot full of weed so the Turtle won the
race. ____________________

9
 Key to Correction

Exercise 1 Pre-Level 1 In the Farm

1. in a farm at Barangay Paitan, Bulacan

2. Barangay Paitan in Bulacan
3. Mang Jose and Aling Nena
4. 20 cavans
5. Sinigang and fried fish

Vocabulary Building
1. groped
2. flickered
3. spooky
4. panting
5. loomed

Activity 1
1. blacker than octopus ink
2. three
3. on the wall
4. suspenseful, spooky
5. “Don’t do that” he roared, “Help” shrieked Benny.

Activity 2
1. answers given
2. The house is in total darkness..
3. answer given
4. Turn the switch on so that there will be light.
5. The children seemed to be haunted by ghosts.
6. They got scared and run away.
7. There’s really no ghost.
8. The children went to bed.

Exercise 1
A. Setting – Street - Malabon
B. Character – Lito – students – mid-aged woman – young boy
C. Plot

1. Initiating Event – There was a hard rain in Malabon.

2. Conflict – Streets were flooded due to clogged drainage.
- High tide and garbage – a little boy is drowning

10
 3. Internal response – The woman was shouting in fear.
4. Attempt – Lito dove into the water to save the boy.
5. Climax – The flow of water heavily opposes Lito’s direction while he swims.
6. Consequence – Tried hard gasping for breath to save the boy.
7. Conclusion – Lito finally saved the boy.
8. Ending – He was declared a true hero in times of need.

Exercise 2
1. F
2. E
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. G
7. D

Exercise 3 – Answers will vary.

1. climax
2. beginning
3. attempt
4. conflict
5. response
6. ending

11