Analyzing Conflict

Analyzing Conflict has become one of my favorite activities to teach my students.  Identifying the type of conflict is usually pretty easy for kids to grasp, but analyzing things like the origin of the conflict, things that contribute to the conflict, and what events help to resolve the conflict can be difficult to understand.

I teach analyzing conflict in steps.  We start out simple: identify the types of conflict in the story and provide text evidence that supports the conflict.  As soon as they start to master that skill, I throw in a new element.  I keep adding new twists throughout the year.  Because I like to teach in steps, I have created eight different activities that are meant to be progressive.  I believe kids thrive when they have a clear routine, but I also believe that repeating the same lesson over and over again leads to less engagement.  These activities are just different enough to add some variety without losing the gains they have made.  So far this year I have used three of these activities with my eight graders, and I am looking forward to taking it to the next level with them in our next unit.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphic-Organizers-for-Analyzing-Conflict-3440217

All of these activities require the students to cite relevant evidence.  With my 8th graders I am color coding these activities for our different units.  After grading, the students will keep them in their binder so we that we can not only see the progression, but we can also compare and contrast the impacts of conflicts between texts.

Some of the analysis tasks in this set include:

Conflict origin
Character influence
Setting impact
Events that lead to resolution
How the conflict impacts the characters, setting, theme, and plot
Positive & Negative Outcomes
Making Connections
Synthesis

Here are some samples:

I hope you enjoy these activities that I have put together.  Many of these are tasks that I have taught for many years, as I am sure you have too, but putting them together in a new format has been energizing for both me and my students!

~L