Molly Cedarberg
A Journey in Words: How to Craft a Short Story
Prefatory Statement
By being exposed to different types of themes in stories, students will gain new perspectives through which to live. Reading different stories as told by various authors, students will see the portrayal of events similar to what they have experienced and look at the events in a different way. They will also be able to experience events that they have not encountered and are able to see how others may respond to these events and can imagine how they might also respond in these events. Part of this exploration of the unknown and how to respond to circumstances is what will happen largely through the writing of their own short stories. Writing prompts will address difficult issues and will ask “What if…?” questions to encourage this initial phase of self-discovery through writing. Students will be able to see the world through multiple lenses; have new understanding for what they have already experienced; and will be more apt to relate to their peers and those around them. Students will also understand that writing truly is self-discovery and can be therapeutic. This unit is to be all about taking a subject (reading and writing short stories) and making it into something that they had not anticipated it to be: the students are to learn that writing is not a silly or mundane, or purely academic activity, but instead that it is something with more depth than that and that each student’s depth is dependent on where they are in their walk of life. Students will understand basic drafting and organization skills in the relaxed format of writing a short story that they will be able to carry into larger works which require more intensive drafting, such as essays and research papers. Students will also learn how to give effective and meaningful feedback and will learn how to make changes based on feedback given to them.
Class Specification
8th grade
This unit is good for different ability levels among diverse students. Each student brings personal experience to the classroom to write about. No matter what the background (race, class, developmental level) of the student is, each student can write something with the basics of story composition.
· an oppressed student--s/he realizes that s/he has a story to tell
· an unorganized student--s/he will learn how to be organized and to accomplish things in a timely manner
· a creative student--s/he will be able to capitalize on strengths
This unit may not, however, be appropriate for students younger than 8th grade; it may be too detailed and developed for younger students. The difficulty of this unit depends heavily upon the selection of short stories and what it is that you, the teacher wants to focus on in each story. This determination of which aspects of a short story that you focus on impacts the development and progress of students’ own written stories.
Significant Assumptions
Prior to entering the classroom, students will have:
· obtained basic knowledge and understanding of how a short story is put together and how to approach one to read it individually and as a class or small group.
· participated in class discussions about the analyses of short stories and other works of literature.
· not yet explored short stories or other works of literature via multiple critical lenses.
· written short stories, but not by following a model containing all of the essential elements of a short story.
· practiced standard conventions of writing.
· had some prior experience in using a computer to revise and edit their own work.
· had little to no experience writing the same piece multiple times with revision.
· had little to no experience with writing as being a recursive process.
· yet to discover what writing recursively means.
· gained some understanding of the function that a writing portfolio has for displaying a final product.
· had little to no experience working in peer revision groups.
· had little to no experience in learning how to give constructive feedback to peers.
· understand the basic idea of student-teacher conferences.
· written consistently in a daily journal.
· not yet used a journal to keep a log of progress throughout the writing process.
· not yet used short stories they have already read as models for writing their own short stories.
· had some experience with doing Literature Circles or literature small group discussions.
· had some experience using online blogs.
· had little to no experience using google docs and wikis
Objectives
Students will know how to and be able to:
· identify the 5 basic elements to a short story
· effectively use peer revision
· write using a recursive process
· reflect thoughtfully on their writing process in a journal
· travel through the entire short story writing process from beginning to end
Minnesota State Standards
8th Grade
II. Writing
B. Elements of Composition: The student will engage in a writing process with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose.
2. Create narratives that develop settings, people / characters, dialogue, and conflicts using descriptive, concrete language to engage audiences.
Possible Whole-Class Activities
discussion, read aloud, skit of important aspect of the story
Possible Small-Group Activities
peer conferencing, literature circles, discussion
Possible Individual Activities
journaling, drafting, typing, reading, conferencing with teacher
Ongoing Activities
Journal for writing prompts, free-writes, reflections on process work
Process Log to record daily progress on what student learns from lesson or what was accomplished in the writing process
Peer Revision Reflection for each time students meet with peers to read, revise, edit, and proofread each other’s work to reflect on how well s/he and her/his partner is doing to help the writing process
Drafting will occur during all of the second week of the unit
Student Resources
- short stories to read in class (“I, Hungry Hannah Cassandra Glen…” by Norma Fox Mazer; “On Being Crazy” by W. E. B. DuBois; “Seventh Grade” by Lynda Barry (see: attached)
- pen or pencil
- journal
- process log
- computer lab
Unit Launch
“Your previous 24 hours” free-write
(see lesson plan)
“Introduction to Final Short Story” assignment
(see lesson plan)
Organization of the Unit
Week One This week will present an introduction to the short story itself and the basic elements generally associated with a short story in both reading and writing. Students will primarily be reading short stories, and then applying what they learn to some initial story ideas. Students will conduct initial basic brainstorming and some may even begin first drafts of their short stories.
Week Two This week involves major brainstorming and the beginnings of drafting and revision. Each day there will be a writing or revision tip as students work through this writing process. Students will meet with their peer conferencing groups starting mid-week.
Week Three This week students will be in the computer lab for at least 3 days: they will do their initial drafts, make revisions after peer conferences, and do final editing of the short story. They will be given one day to collect and organize all of the necessary components of the portfolio, and on this same day students will do their self-assessments. On the final day that the portfolios and final short stories are due, students will read the best 1-2 minutes of their stories aloud to the class.
Supporting Materials for Teachers Who Teach the Unit
-Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom Harvey Daniels
-Writing With Passion by Tom Romano
-In the Middle by Nancie Atwell
Handouts
Graphic Organizers/or to be used for journal prompts
PLOT
Identify each aspect of the story on the plot chart.
__________Climax
3)__________Rising Action Falling Action__________3)
2)__________Rising Action Falling Action__________2)
1)__________Rising Action Falling Action__________1)
__________Introduction Resolution__________
CHARACTER
For each character in the story, identify:
-personality
-physical description
-relationships with other characters
-important aspect(s) of personal history
SETTING
-location in the world
-specific location (e.g. house, room, etc.)
-time (e.g. time period, season, time of day)
THEME
-identify the theme and describe it specifically in terms of your story
-discuss why that author chose to focus on this theme
CONFLICT
-identify the type of conflict (character vs.: self, character, nature)
-describe the origin of conflict
-How will the conflict be resolved?
DIALOGUE
-How is the dialogue a realistic portrayal of authentic conversation?
-How accurately does the dialogue portray the traits of the characters?
Daily Journal & Process Log Expectations
-Responds to each journal prompt thoughtfully and addresses each part of the prompt fully
-Identifies either:
*one area that needs/wants improvement
*asks a question about a current assignment or how to…
*progress made
*what the student has learned
-Responds to each session of peer conferencing:
*what went well (I.e. how the student helped a peer or vice versa)
*criticism of meeting (I.e. how it could have gone better)
*new insights gained
*plan for further work in response to the peer conference
-Has journal at the beginning of class each day
-Process log included as an entry each time student work on something related to the story
-Process log addresses:
*(pre-write)goal for the session
*(post-write the following): duration of time spent working
*what was accomplished
*any roadblocks, successes, questions
*goal for next session
Peer Conference Group Expectations
-peer whose work is to be reviewed:
àAlways tell whether or not your work can be written on!
(Tell your peer reviewer the answers to these questions.)
*What specifically do you want your peer to look for?
*What do you think is going well or not so well?
-peer reviewer:
àAlways ask permission to write on another’s work!
*Give feedback on what the writer told you to focus on.
*Turn in each session to teacher to be checked off so that you receive credit for conferencing.
Assessment Guidelines
-Rate self and each group member’s cooperation and participation:
(1=little to no cooperation or participation;
2=some cooperation and participation;
3=mostly cooperation and participation)
-Grade self and each group member for peer conferencing:
A
B } Write a paragraph explaining why student deserves this grade using specific C examples
Etc.
-Grade self on (Respond in paragraph form):
àPortfolio Process
*overall use of and effectiveness of class time for drafting, revising, editing, etc.
*overall use of journaling and brainstorming activities
àFinal Product of Short Story
*adherence to conventions of short story
*what did you learn from writing recursively?
*Biggest struggle? Biggest accomplishment?
Portfolio Checklist
-everything is dated, labeled, and arranged in chronological order
-typed excerpts from journal that contributed to the writing process of the short story
-evidence of peer conferences and revision in response to conferences
***These should be the last three pieces in your portfolio:
-final story placed after all process work (near the end of the portfolio)
-self-assessment and grade
-blank grading rubric
Discussion Questions
Prompts to be written on the board:
- Talk about characters, plot, setting, conflict, theme, and dialogue of the story we read in class (and the story that you are writing).
- What works well in your writing? What needs more work? What do you need help to do in order to move forward with this draft?
Short Story Questions:
(Note: Short stories are meant to be read together in-class, so questions can address the literature specifically.)
“I, HUNGRY HANNAH CASSANDRA GLEN…” by Norma Fox Mazer
-How does the author use specific details of the characters’ physical descriptions to create a solid character?
-Why is the story titled what it is?
-What role does the title play in a short story?
-What role does Willie play in the story?
-How does using a brief description of an outside character help the reader to better understand a main character?
-How does the description of Willie help the reader to understand Crow?
-How does using specific nouns and verbs help to create a more vivid picture for the reader?
-How does the author use the descriptions of food to create a vivid picture and meaning?
“On Being Crazy” by W. E. B. Du Bois
-How does the author use dialogue?
-Why does the author use minimal place descriptors?
-How does eliminating beats (I.e. he said, she said, etc.) contribute to or detract from the story?
-How does the author show, and not tell, the story using primarily dialogue?
-What do you learn about each character through what they say?
-How might adding character’s physical descriptions contribute to or detract from the story?
-How does the setting contribute to the tone of the story?
-How might the setting be elaborated on to give more important information to the reader?
“Seventh Grade” by Lynda Barry
-How do you relate to the characters in this story?
-How does the author’s use of varied sentence length and structure contribute to the pace, tone and theme of the story?
-Who is the main character?
-What do we know to be true about each character?
-How does the author present conflict?
-What type of conflict is exhibited in this story?
-How does the use of metaphor (e.g. “like permanent baby teeth after baby teeth”) contribute to the story?
-Why does the author choose to tell the events of the story rather than show them?
Assessment Task
Final Short Story will be written using the continual and recursive writing process and a portfolio of collected drafts and other process work leading to the final product.
Grades
TOTAL: 100 pts.
Final Short Story (see rubric): 50 pts.
Portfolio: 30 pts.
*process work (20 pts.)
*self-assessment (5 pts.)
*peer assessment (5 pts.)
*checklist present (so that they know they have included everything)
Journal: 20 pts.
*process log (10 pts.)
*daily prompts (10 pts.)
Lesson Topic: Brainstorming and Identifying Elements of Short Stories
Grade Level: 8th
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Content Standards: 8th Grade
II. Writing
B. Elements of Composition: The student will engage in a writing process with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose.
2. Create narratives that develop settings, people / characters, dialogue, and conflicts using descriptive, concrete language to engage audiences.
Understandings/Goals:
Students will understand:
- the importance of the written word
- how to express emotions in writing
- how they can connect to literature
Essential Questions:
- What makes a short story different from a newspaper or magazine article?
- What makes a short story different from a poem?
- What basic elements form a short story?
Student objectives (outcomes):
Students will be able to:
- begin brainstorming activities to generate ideas for the topic of their short story
- begin writing a scene in their own short story
- identify the basic elements of a short story that they already include in their own writing
Performance Tasks:
- 24 hour brainstorming list (credit: derived from Donald Graves)
- 24 hour free-write (credit: derived from Donald Graves)
Other Evidence:
- Process Portfolio
- Final Short Story
Learning Activities:
1. Students take out journals for writing prompt.
2. Explain that students will make a list of the events that have occurred in the last 24 hours.
3. Have students partner with someone next to them and share what they want to of their lists. Then, students will choose the best event to write about.
4. Students will take 15 minutes to write about the event that they chose.
5. Have students set this writing aside.
6. Ask what students know about the makeup of a short story.
7. Introduce one story element at a time (character, setting, conflict, theme, dialogue) and ask students to expound on what they already know about each element.
8. Have students look at their own writing that they just did for the 24 hour activity and identify which components they have already used in their own writing and which they have left out.
9. Students will take 10 minutes to revise and craft what they have already written into a short story.
10. Students will volunteer to share what they have written.
11. Review the components of a short story, and then give brief instructions about how the class will be reading short stories and writing their own over the next couple of weeks.
Lesson Topic: Introduction to Final Short Story Assignment
Grade Level: 8th
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Content Standards: 8th Grade
II. Writing
B. Elements of Composition: The student will engage in a writing process with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose.
2. Create narratives that develop settings, people / characters, dialogue, and conflicts using descriptive, concrete language to engage audiences.
Understandings/Goals:
Students will understand:
- the importance of the written word
- how to express emotions in writing
- how they can connect to literature
Essential Questions:
- What makes a short story different from a newspaper or magazine article?
- What makes a short story different from a poem?
- What basic elements form a short story?
Student objectives (outcomes):
Students will be able to:
- complete a graphic organizer that outlines their story
- record personal progress in their process logs
- begin work on the initial stages of their final stories through free-writing
Performance Tasks:
- graphic organizer
- process log entry
- free-writing in journal
Other Evidence:
- Process Portfolio
- Final Short Story
Learning Activities:
1. Hand out assignment sheet guidelines for the final short story and for the process portfolio.
2. Read through the instructions and answer any questions that students may have.
3. Review elements of a short story.
4. Ask students to write what they are thinking about writing for their final story on a scrap piece of paper anonymously to hand in and teacher will read or write their ideas on the board. (If the idea is too personal or private, have students write “please do not share/read to class.”)
5. Give a graphic organizer to each student and have them complete it for the preliminary writing of their story.
6. Students are to work on writing their story for the remainder of the hour. Depending on what specifically has been covered in the previous class periods, students can work on a particular aspect of their stories. This is the teacher’s choice and may choose that students can decide for themselves which aspect of their story needs the most attention.
7. In the last 5 minutes of class, remind students to fill out their process logs.