mhamlin

Unit Title: -- Connections - From Family to Short Story
By Margaret Hamlin

Prefatory Statement
This unit is an introduction to short story writing. The unit is
divided into two parts. First, students will research their family
history. They will gather as much information that they can based on
questions I give them and on questions they come up with. They will be
looking for interesting characters and stories from their relatives. As
they are gathering this information, they will be also reading a variety
of short stories and doing mini lessons on such things as character
development, point of view, and setting. One story we will be reading
together as a class is "The Moons of Jupiter" by Alice Munro. This short
story was taken from the author's memorabilia, and it would be very useful
for students to use when looking for and writing about their own family
history. Students will also be working on helping each other during class
time with the information they are seeking. Secondly, they will find a
story from the information they've gathered about their families and make
it into a short story. This process should take about three weeks, as the
students will be going through several drafts. The final product will be a
polished piece of literature that the students have written and which
contains memories from their family history.

This unit is important for students for many reasons. First, it
gives them more experience in doing research. This is a useful learning
tool for many different future career opportunities students will be
seeking. Students who receive an education which involves research will be
more likely to habitually use this method in their futures. Also, it gives
them an opportunity to make connections with their family. Students can
feel stronger ties to their families and maybe even share this piece with
them, adding it to the records of their family history. Students who are
adopted or under foster care could feel more connected to the family they
are with. It would give them a piece of family history to belong to.
Another reason this unit is important is that it teaches students the
structure of a short story. It helps them think "little" in a short story.
People generally don't get shot; nothing huge happens. It's just a little
happening; a little story. This is contrasted from the story lines that
have been programmed into people's minds from the media. The short story
requires greater discipline of the mind. Still another reason this unit is
important for the student is that it teaches them writing skills. Not only
do students get practice at writing sentences, they also learn the beauty
of creating on paper. They see that they can make people and places and
stories. It is more empowering to give students the opportunity to write a
short story than it is to have them study the short story. It's also the
most effective way to teach the short story. It works towards higher order
thinking skills.

This unit is important to the world for a variety of reasons. First
of all, it helps build self-esteem through identity. Students can find out
more about who they are and where they've come from. This can be related
to adopted students as well. They can feel better about themselves by
feeling more connected to the family they're with. This universal need,
self-esteem, creates a better world for people to dwell in. Also, students
with culturally, geographically, and socially diverse backgrounds might
find underlying themes from their past histories that are similar in
content. And whether or not they are similar, these students would feel
more connected to each other. They would learn about each other's history
and know more about each person which leads to unity.

Class Specification
This unit is designed for tenth graders. The short stories assigned
might be too difficult for younger readers. The unit is designed for all
different groups of people. Many activities will involve small group work
or whole class work so that everybody is engaged in what's happening. A
mixed group according to race, class, and ability would actually be
richer. The only concern is for those who don't have family. I would hope
that the families they are staying with would cooperate. I will be sending
notes home to parents, and those who are adopted or in foster care would
be given special notes about the importance of connecting the child they
care for to their own family.

Significant Assumptions - In writing this unit, I have assumed that:
n Students don't necessarily have previous experience in writing short
stories.
n Students are capable of conducting research.
n Students have experience with small group and whole class discussions.
n Students will enjoy this method of writing because it is relevant to
their own lives.
n Students can learn through creative processes.
n Students will feel more connected to their families and to each other
upon completion of the unit.
n Students will feel they are making an important contribution to society.
n Students will be provided with the possibility of having their stories
published.

Desired Outcomes
Completion of Minnesota High School Graduation Standard 3: Literary and
Arts Creation and Performance.

Students will demonstrate understanding of the elements, techniques, and
processes of the selected art form and how works of the art form are
structured; and, in the art form, the student shall create an original
artistic presentation.

Students should:
1. Understand the elements and skills of the short story:
a. read a variety of short stories
b. understand character development in a story
c. become familiar with the structure of the short story
d. identify setting in a story
e. learn the technique of vignettes

2. Create an original artistic presentation in literary arts:
a. demonstrate elements and skills of the short story by developing
characters, describing settings, showing as opposed to telling, and
writing details.
b. demonstrate artistic decisions to communicate intent through writing a
story based on a piece of family history
c. demonstrate a sense of an artistic whole by keeping the structure of
the story small
d. demonstrate a consideration of audience by writing as a historical
piece for their family
e. use multiple sources for critique and feedback by referring to
structures, elements, techniques, and skills involved in short stories
they've read

Possible Whole Class Activities
n Discussion of possible questions to ask family members.
n Discussion of possible family members to contact.
n Reading excerpts or part of "The Moons of Jupiter."
n Reading short stories
n Discussion of written vignettes.
n Mini-lectures followed by class discussion on character development,
scenes, etc.
n Discussion of "The Moons of Jupiter."
n Discussion after research is completed. What do we do next?

Possible Small-Group Activities
n Helping each other with vignettes
n Participation in discussions about "The Moons of Jupiter."
n Participation in discussions about other short stories they've read.
n Discussions about progress reports
n Group activities related to mini-lectures.

Ongoing activities
Students will be handing in progress reports throughout the unit in
order to be accountable for the research. These reports will be in a
notebook and will contain interview information they've gathered. They
will also be handing in vignettes and drafts of their writing. Students
will be doing response journals or writing questions they have about short
stories they're reading. Students will be given specific questions to
answer in their responses.

Student Resources
n The Moons of Jupiter by Alice Munro
          -Questions for Moons of Jupiter: How does this story connect to
family? What
            strategies does the author use to weave this connection in? Is
there anything
            in this story that relates to information you've gathered
about your family?
n Other short stories to choose from. A detailed list of possible short
stories to use will occur under Teacher Resources.
           -Questions for other short stories students choose from: What
did you like
             about the writing? Dislike? How did the author develop the
characters?
             What questions do you have about it? What's the author's
point of view?
             What is the setting? Give examples of the author "showing"
who a
              character is.
n Journal/notebook
n Notebook for research

Unit Launch/ Anticipatory Set/ Set Induction

Objectives: Students will learn:
a. elements of the short story
b. strategies for family research
c. expectations for the unit

Methods
1. I will ask students to write down everything they know about one of
their grandparents. It can't be someone that lives in their home. If they
don't have any grandparents, they can pick another relative that doesn't
live with them, preferably someone older. If they are adopted or under
foster care, they can choose a relative from the family they live with.
(15 min)

2. Then I will ask a few students to tell about their favorite short
story. We can do this as a whole class activity. Then we will talk about
why they chose these stories. (10 min)

3. Then I will introduce them to the unit. I will hand out a list of
questions they can use in their research. The class will brainstorm any
other possible questions students could ask their relatives. (15 min)

4. Then I will hand out copies of "The Moons of Jupiter." We will begin
reading this and discussing it until the class period is over. I will
assign a portion of the reading and a response for the next class period.
How is the author using this story to connect to family history? Questions
about the text would be welcome. (10 min)

Organization of the Unit

Week 1
Students will be given a list of questions they can use when
conducting research. The class will brainstorm any other possible
questions students could ask. We will read and discuss "The Moons of
Jupiter." Students will use this story for direction when gathering
information about their family history. Students will do journal writing
about the story. They will write about reactions to the story as well as
the author's use of her family history in the story. We will also do a
lesson on character development. This will involve a mini-lesson followed
by small group discussion. In small groups, students will be asked to
describe a character, someone they all know, with as much detail as they
can. This will help them get a feel for what questions to ask when
conducting interviews. It will also help them to begin thinking about
their story. They will then be given an assignment. They will need to pick
someone they know and write about them. They will need to focus on what
the person is doing rather than merely giving us the information about
that person. We will use some of these in class and see if we can tell
what that person is probably like. During this week, we will also have a
mini-lesson on the kinds of information they should be looking for.
Students will learn the difference between biographical notes, i.e. "My
mom has three sisters," and information that would help with a story i.e.
The story of mom's sister when she got stuck in a tree. Two extra short
stories would be assigned to those seeking a higher contract followed by
journal responses. At the end of the week, students will hand in progress
reports. These must be at least three pages long of information they've
gathered.

Week 2
Students will choose a short story to read and respond to. I will
give them five to choose from. The reason I'm limiting the number is
because I want them to do small group work with others who also know the
story. Students will also be doing small group work and learn from each
other what questions are working and which aren't in their research. Some
interesting stories students found could be shared with the class. We will
have a mini-lesson on setting. Students will do small group work on this.
Students will be asked to write in their journals about possible settings
for their story. They will then do group work and help each other
brainstorm. Those seeking a higher contract will be asked to read 2 more
short stories and respond to them. Three more pages of progress reports
will also be assigned.

Week 3
This will be the last week of gathering information. Students will
have needed to draw from as many resources as possible. Students will be
given another short story to choose from and discuss in small groups.
These groups will give opportunity for students to gain understanding and
insight from each other as to the content of the story. They will also be
analyzing the development of character and the development of the story.
The groups could work together for two to three days for short periods of
times on these stories. We will have a mini-lesson on point of view.
Students will again be given an assignment writing a paragraph from two
different points of view. We will have a large group discussion on
information gathered. Students would need to bring three vignettes to
class and work with each other in small groups on ideas. This could lead
to interesting discussions on the similarities and differences in
students' histories. Connections with regards to wars relatives fought
could be looked at. Progress reports containing interview information
they've gathered would again need to be handed in. By Friday, students
would need to find a story they wish to write about.

Weeks 4-6
Students will be spending most of their time writing their stories
during these weeks. Rough drafts will be handed in during weeks 4 and 5. I
expect students to write and rewrite. No more stories would be assigned
except for higher contracts. The students seeking a higher contract would
need to respond by answering the questions I listed under on-going
activities. I will be responding to their responses. These last weeks will
be set up like a writing workshop, where students could work together
during class periods on their stories. Students would need to find where
they would want to embellish without losing the historical pictures of
their families. This part would be emphasized during this time. Students
would need to check back with the relative(s) they are writing about to be
assured the original storyteller(s) aren't offended by any of the
embellishments. The final draft would be due the sixth week. Students
would be given the opportunity to try and have their work published. They
would also be encouraged to send copies to their relatives.

Detailed Plans for Two Days of the Unit (third day is under the
anticipatory set)

Week One - Day 5

Objectives: Students will learn:
a. the skill involved in learning how to show what a character is like by
his/her actions.
b. elements of character development in stories
c. to develop a character by writing about one

Methods

1. Students will journal about characters they've read about in short
stories. What do they know about these characters? How did they find
out what they know? (10 min)

2. As a whole class activity, students will be asked to brainstorm as many
considerations as they can come up with about characters. (5 min)

3.Taking into consideration what they wrote about the characters in their
journal, students will use this in small groups and write a sentence or
two that would tell about a character from a television show without
actually "telling" about it. (20 min)

4. Students will share with the large group what they wrote. (10 min)

5. Homework will be assigned. Students would need to find someone they
know and show things about them in writing that would reveal their
character. (5 min)

Assessment: I will know the students are learning if:
1. They can brainstorm what they know about characters as a class.
2. They report to the class written developments of characters.
3. Students demonstrate that they can "show" characters.
Week Three - Day 4

Objectives: Students will have learned:
a. how to construct a vignette connected with family history
b. how to compare and contrast across vignettes
c. how to research history from their own histories
d. elements needed for a story

Methods
1. We will begin in a large circle. Students will go around and share
their vignettes that they were supposed to have prepared for class. Others
could ask questions about the history or context of the vignette. We will
begin to look at common threads in the vignettes and talk about them. (30
min)
2. Students will do small group work brainstorming with each other ideas
for stories. (15 min)
3. Students will need to have their story idea ready for class tomorrow.
(5 min)

Assessment: I will know the students are learning if:
1. They have found comparisons in vignettes.
2. They have been given feedback to help them find their story.
3. Learn more about each other from shared vignettes.

Supporting Materials for Teachers Who Teach the Unit

The following is a list of questions one could use to give students for
their research. These questions are taken from an article in the English
Journal (Oct. 1987, p. 58-59).

Are there stories about how a great fortune was lost or almost (but not
quite) made? Do you believe them? Are these incidents laughed about or
deeply regretted?

Do you know about your family surname? Origin? Meaning? Has it undergone
changes? Are there traditional family names-first names, nicknames?

Do you have a notorious or infamous character in your family's past? Do
you think the stories about this person are accurate? Exaggerated?
Feasible?

Are there objects of sentimental or monetary value that have been handed
down? What family heirlooms does your family have? What are the stories
connected with them?

How does your family greet each other? When you or other relatives have
been apart for a long period of time, what sort of welcome do you get?

What particular expressions are used in your family? Are there stories
which explain their origin? Have you contributed to any new ones?

What recipes have been preserved in your family from past generations?
What was their origin? How were they passed down-word of mouth,
observation, written recipes? Are they still used today?

The following is a list of possible considerations in the study of
character. (taken from "Fiction In and Out" internet source)

1. Name of Character
2. Age
3. Height
4. Weight
5. Birthplace
6. Birthdate
7. Color hair
8. Color eyes
9. Scars or handicaps (physical, mental, emotional)
10. Educational background
11. Work experience
12. Best Friend
13. Other friends
14. Enemies and why
15. Present problem
16. How will it get worse?
17. How can it get better?
18. Strongest and weakest traits
19. Parents
20. Sees self as.
21. Basic nature
22. Ambitions
23. Philosophy of life
24. Hobbies
25. Kinds of music, art, reading preferred
26. Dress
27. Favorite colors
28. Description of home
29. Most important thing to know about character.
30. Why is this character worth writing about?
31. Why will I remember this character?
32. Do I like this character?

How the reader can come to know a character:
n by what they say
n by what they do
n by what others say about them
n by the way the author describes them

Grading Contract
Everyone must complete the "C' option, and present work that shows
good quality or it will be handed back for revision.

C Option
n In-class participation in all activities (If you miss a class, we will
figure out a way for you to make up for the class time missed.)
n Whole class reading assignments
n Journal entries for reading assignments
n Completion of all progress reports
n Short story drafts and final product that is 4-7 pages long

B Option
n Complete all of C option
n Read two extra short stories per week
n Respond to short stories read

A Option
n Complete all of B and C options
n Read three extra short stories per week
n Write a response to each story read