Literary Analysis Introduction

Name:

Date:

📚 Part 1: Understanding Literary Elements

WALT: Identify and explain key elements of literary texts: themes, characters, and settings.

1. Match each literary element to its definition by drawing lines:

Theme

Character

Setting

Context

The people or beings in a story

When and where a story takes place

The main message or idea of a story

The background that influences a text

2. Which of these is an example of a theme? (Circle one)

A teenage girl named Sarah

Auckland in the 1990s

The importance of friendship

A dark, stormy night

3. Why is context important when reading literature? (Check all that apply)

It helps us understand the author's perspective

It shows us how historical events influenced the story

It makes the story longer

It helps us understand cultural differences

✏️ Part 2: Text Analysis Practice

Read this short excerpt from a New Zealand story (or listen to the audio version):

"Kaia stood at the edge of the marae, watching her whānau gather for the pōwhiri. She had been away at university in Wellington for two years, and now everything felt different. The familiar karakia echoed across the courtyard, but she wondered if she still belonged here, or if the city had changed her too much."

4. Complete this graphic organiser based on the text above:

Main Character: ________________________________

Setting: ________________________________

Possible Theme: ________________________________

Context clues (cultural/social background):

5. Using sentence stems, explain how context influences this story:

Sentence stem options: "This text shows Māori culture by..." / "The character's experience reflects..." / "The setting is important because..."

6. Whose perspective is this story told from? What might be missing or excluded?