Plot, Setting, Theme and Figurative Language: Grade 6 Study Guide
Sixth graders look at how authors build stories and why they choose particular words.
A story's plot follows a pattern: exposition (characters and setting), rising action (problems build), climax (the turning point), falling action and resolution. Setting includes time and place and can shape what happens. Characters respond to events and change; readers analyze how.
The theme develops through details and events, not through a single statement. Figurative language such as similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole creates images and tone. Connotation is the feeling a word carries: thrifty sounds positive and stingy negative, though both describe careful spending.
Plot structure
Introduces who, where and when.
A problem grows.
The most tense moment.
Problem is solved; the story ends.
Figurative language
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | quick as a fox | compares with like or as |
| Metaphor | The classroom was a beehive. | direct comparison |
| Personification | The wind whispered. | gives human traits |
| Hyperbole | I've told you a million times. | exaggeration |
| Alliteration | silver snow slid softly | repeated sounds |
Tone, mood and word choice
Tone is the author's attitude (humorous, serious, hopeful); mood is the feeling the reader gets. Replace a word with a synonym and notice how the feeling changes: 'The man strolled down the street' versus 'The man stomped'. Quote a phrase and explain what it suggests.
Worked example and common mistakes
Example: 'The storm clawed at the shutters.' This is personification; it creates a threatening mood. Common mistakes: summarizing the plot when asked to analyze, confusing mood with tone and naming a device with no explanation of its effect. Always answer 'so what?'
Check your understanding: model answers
1. The climax. 2. Personification. 3. Tone is the author's attitude; mood is the feeling the reader gets.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Plot has exposition, rising action, climax and resolution.
- Setting and character interact.
- Theme develops through events.
- Explain the effect of figurative language.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Name the turning point of a plot.
- What device is 'the sun smiled down'?
- What is the difference between tone and mood?