Mapping Out a Novel

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Mapping Out a Novel

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to create a mindmap of a novel which includes setting, characters, plot, and other relevant details.

Explain the objective of the lesson to the students.

What do you already know about creating a mindmap?

What is a mindmap?

A mindmap is a visual way to organize information. It starts with a central idea and branches out into related subtopics.

Explain to the students what a mindmap is and how it can be used to organize information.

Name your novel

Begin by writing the name of the novel in the center of the page, and draw a circle around it. This will be the center of your mind map.

Instruct the students to choose a novel that they will create a mindmap for.

branching out

Next, draw branches from the center circle for each of the following categories: setting, characters, plot, and any other relevant details.

Write the name of the category at the end of each branch.

Setting

Under the setting branch, write down the time and location where the novel takes place. This could be a specific year or time period, as well as a specific city, town, or country.

Main Character

Under the main character branch, write down the name of the protagonist and any relevant details about their personality, appearance, or background.

Under the minor characters branch, write down the names of any secondary or supporting characters in the novel.

Under the minor characters branch, write down the names of any secondary or supporting characters in the novel.

plot

Under the plot branch, write down/draw the major events in the story, including the exposition (where the story begins and the main characters are introduced), rising action (the events that lead up to the main conflict or dilemma), dilemma (the main problem that the characters must solve), climax (the point of highest tension in the story), denouement or resolution (the events that follow the climax and lead to the end of the story).

other

Finally, under the "other relevant details" branch, write down any other information that you think is important or interesting about the novel, such as themes, symbols, motifs, or literary devices used by the author.

Use arrows and lines to connect related ideas and show how they are connected to each other. You can also use different colors, symbols, or images to help you remember or organize the information in your mind map.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.