Writing scenes with conflict and resolution.

Objective: Help children understand conflict and resolution in storytelling by using examples from familiar children’s stories and engaging them in writing their own scenes.

Lesson Steps:

1. Introduction to Conflict and Resolution:

• Explanation:
  • Explain that conflict is a problem or challenge that characters face in a story, and resolution is how they solve that problem.
  • Use simple language: “Conflict is the big problem in the story, and resolution is how the characters fix that problem.”

2. Example from a Familiar Story:

• Story: “The Three Little Pigs”
  • Conflict: The wolf tries to blow down the pigs’ houses.
  • Resolution: The pigs build a strong house of bricks that the wolf cannot blow down.
• Discussion:
  • Ask the children: “What was the conflict in ‘The Three Little Pigs’?” (The wolf trying to blow down the houses.)
  • “How was the conflict resolved?” (The pigs built a brick house that the wolf couldn’t blow down.)

3. Another Example from a Familiar Story:

• Story: “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”
  • Conflict: Goldilocks enters the bears’ house and uses their things without permission.
  • Resolution: The bears come home, and Goldilocks runs away, learning not to enter others’ houses without permission.
• Discussion:
  • Ask the children: “What was the conflict in ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’?” (Goldilocks using the bears’ things.)
  • “How was the conflict resolved?” (Goldilocks runs away when the bears return, learning a lesson.)

4. Writing Activity: Creating Conflict and Resolution Scenes:

• Activity Instructions:
  • Give each child a conflict scenario card with a brief description of a conflict.
  • Ask them to write a scene based on the conflict, describing how the characters feel and what they do.
  • Then, give them a resolution scenario card that complements their conflict scenario.
  • Have them write a scene where the conflict is resolved, showing how the characters feel after solving the problem.
• Examples of Conflict and Resolution Cards:
  • Conflict Card: “A child loses their favorite toy.”
  • Resolution Card: “The child finds their toy under the bed.”

5. Sharing and Discussing:

• Activity:
  • Have the children share their conflict and resolution scenes with the class.
  • Discuss how the conflict made the story interesting and how the resolution provided a satisfying ending.
  • Ask questions like, “How did the conflict make you feel?” and “Was the resolution satisfying? Why or why not?”

6. Combining Conflict and Resolution:

• Activity:
  • Ask the children to combine their conflict and resolution scenes into a complete story. Encourage them to add details and dialogue to make the story more engaging.
  • Example Prompt:
    • Combine the conflict scene (losing the toy) and the resolution scene (finding the toy) into a short story. Add any extra details to make the story interesting.

7. Reflecting on Conflict and Resolution:

• Activity:
  • Ask the children to reflect on what they learned about writing scenes with conflict and resolution.
  • Use prompts like, “Why is conflict important in a story?” and “How does the resolution help the story feel complete?”

8. Continuous Practice:

• Activity:
  • Encourage children to include conflict and resolution in all their storytelling activities. Provide regular opportunities for them to write and share stories with different types of conflict and resolution.

Answers to Conflict and Resolution Scenarios:

• Scenario 1:
  • Conflict: A child loses their favorite toy.
  • Resolution: The child finds their toy under their bed.
• Scenario 2:
  • Conflict: A group of friends disagrees on what game to play.
  • Resolution: They decide to combine their favorite games into one new game.
• Scenario 3:
  • Conflict: A boy is afraid of the dark.
  • Resolution: He gets a nightlight and learns there is nothing to fear.
• Scenario 4:
  • Conflict: A girl feels lonely at her new school.
  • Resolution: She makes a new friend who introduces her to other classmates.

Conclusion:

By the end of this lesson, children should understand how to identify and create conflict and resolution in their stories. They will learn that conflict adds excitement and keeps the reader engaged, while resolution provides a satisfying ending. Encourage them to practice these skills regularly to improve their storytelling abilities.