Exposition

introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers.

Example: The Finch family lives in maycomb, Alabama. Although it's the 1930's, a time of depression, the family is not struggling. Atticus, the father, is a prominent lawyer. The narrator explains this is a time of racism and prejudice. 

Conflict

involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

Example: A young black man is accused of raping a white woman, and Atticus is asked to defend him. This is not easy; Atticus must overcome the prejudice and preconceptions people of Maycomb have against Tom Robinson.

Rising Action

the series of events that begin immediately after the exposition (introduction) of the story and builds up to the climax.

Example: Atticus' children, Scout and Jem, become a center of attention becuase their father is representing a black man. Throughout the trial, the children go through tribulations of their own as they learn valuable lessons about justice, commitment, and what is right.

Climax

the highest point of tension or drama in a narratives’ plot. Often, climax is also when the main problem of the story is faced and solved by the main character.

Example:Tom is found guilty, and Atticus's innocent children cannot believe that the people they knew could send an innocent man to the electric chair.  

Falling Action

occurs right after the climax, when the main problem of the story resolves. It wraps up the story, resolves its loose ends and leads towards the closure.

Example: One man in particular, Bob Ewell, has made his disapproval of Atticus well known, During the move, he threatened both Atticus and Tom's wife, Helen. The children fear he will do something to hurt their father. 

Resolution

The ending to the narrative.

Example: In the end, Ewell goes after Scout and Jem, instead of Atticus. In the process, their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, comes to the children's rescue. He grabs Ewell's knife and kills him.