Story Catalyst Peach Worksheet
Name / Nombre:
Date / Fecha:
Class / Clase:
Literary Terms & Story Sparks • Vocabulario Literario
Story Catalysts & Inciting Incidents 🍑 James & The Giant Peach
English / Español Scaffold
Story Context / Contexto de la Historia:
James Henry Trotter lives a lonely, miserable life on a dry hill with his cruel aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Nothing ever changes until a mysterious event sparks an impossible adventure! James vive triste con sus tías crueles hasta que un evento misterioso desata una aventura mágica.
Key Literary Concepts • Conceptos Clave
1
Catalyst
El Catalizador
Definition: A person, object, or force that causes an event or change to happen quickly.
Definición: Algo o alguien que causa un cambio o reacción rápida sin cambiar por sí mismo.
💡 Cognate Alert: Catalyst = Catalizador
2
Plot Catalyst
Catalizador de la Trama
Definition: The specific spark, object, or character decision that triggers the action of the plot.
Definición: La chispa, objeto o decisión específica que pone en movimiento la acción del cuento.
🌱 In the Book: The glowing crocodile tongues in the bag!
3
Inciting Incident
Incidente Incitador
Definition: The primary event that disrupts the character's normal world and launches the main conflict.
Definición: El momento crucial que interrumpe la vida normal del personaje y arranca la aventura.
🍑 In the Book: Spilling crystals & the peach swelling!
Visual Anatomy of a Story Spark • Anatomía Visual
Read from left to right / Lee de izquierda a derecha
Normal Life
Status Quo
James is trapped & sad with his aunts.
Vida triste y aburrida.
The Spark
Plot Catalyst
Old Man's Gift
A sack of glowing green magic crystals.
Bolsa mágica verde brillante.
The Turning Point
Inciting Incident
The Peach Swells
James drops crystals; peach grows huge!
Cae la magia y nace el durazno.
New Conflict
The Journey
James enters peach & escapes.
Inicia el gran viaje fantástico.
Part 1: Quick Concept Match • Emparejamiento Rápido
Write the letter of the correct matching term in the blank / Escribe la letra del término correcto en la línea:
- The sudden moment James trips and the magical peach begins expanding.
Answer:
- The glowing bag of magical crocodile tongues handed to James by the stranger.
Answer:
- Any trigger or agent (in science or stories) that speeds up a big reaction.
Answer:
(A) General Catalyst (B) Plot Catalyst (C) Inciting Incident
Part 2 • Close Reading & Writing Scaffolds
Analyzing James's Giant Turning Point
Target: 7th Grade ELL Reading & Analysis
Read the Story Excerpt • Lee el Fragmento
Adapted from Roald Dahl
James was weeping in the garden when a tiny, mysterious old man crept out from the bushes. The man handed him a white paper bag filled with tiny, luminous green crystals that looked like sparkling crocodile tongues. [Plot Catalyst] "Listen to them rustle!" the old man whispered. "Pour them into water, and wondrous things will happen. Your life will never be horrible again!"
Trembling with excitement, James ran back toward the house. But near the withered old peach tree, his foot slipped on the wet grass. The paper bag burst open! The glowing green things spilled upon the ground and sank into the roots of the tree. [Inciting Incident] Next morning, an ordinary tiny peach on the highest branch began swelling, growing rounder and bigger until it was as large as a two-story house!
Luminous: glowing brightly / brillante
Disrupt: interrupt/break normal life / interrumpir
Withered: dry and dying / seco y marchito
1 Identify the Plot Catalyst • Identifica el Catalizador Object & Action
What physical object or gift serves as the catalyst that introduces magic into James's ordinary world?
Sentence Frame: The plot catalyst in the story is ___________________________________________________ because it introduces magic when _____________________________________________________.
2 Analyze the Inciting Incident • Analiza el Incidente Incitador Story Shift
What exact event changes James's everyday situation and makes it impossible for him to return to his old life?
Sentence Frame: The inciting incident happens when ___________________________________________________, which completely changes James's life by _____________________________________________.
3 Compare & Connect • Compara y Conecta Critical Thinking
How is a plot catalyst different from an inciting incident? Choose words from the word bank to help explain.
Word Bank / Banco de Palabras: spark / chispa action / acción consequence / consecuencia change / cambio
A catalyst is the ________________ (cause), while the inciting incident is the ________________ that launches the whole adventure.
Self-Check / Autoevaluación: I know catalyst (catalizador) I know inciting incident (incidente incitador)
Ready for Lesson Discussion!