Fiction Writer S Workshop

Hudgins 2015 - English 1

FICTION WRITER’S WORKSHOP: The Short Story

 TYPED – 1000 Words or More.  MLA format: 1 inch margins, double spaced etc.  Each student will craft an original short-story that utilizes the major characteristics of fiction: * Setting * Dialogue *Point of View * Protagonist/Antagonist * Plot * Conflict * Theme  Students will be assessed on how clearly they utilize each of the characteristics in their story as well as how effectively they use class time and stay on-task.  Each student will demonstrate a clear understanding of the major fictional elements in four separate short pieces, which will gradually build on each other to become a creative and entertaining final story that will be shared with others.  Your story can be strange and mysterious or simple and clear, it’s up to you. You can write about any subject and choose any genre you wish.  We will share our stories in small groups, and one representative from each group will be chosen to move on to the next round. The class, as a whole, will then vote on their favorite story and the top two winners will receive substantial extra credit as well as a prize.

______Fiction Workshop Assignment Syllabus Calendar

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Jan 12) Jan 13) Jan 14) Jan 15) Jan 16) *Introduce Final Wordly Wise #1 / Bring Independent - Make them make Assignment Grammar: Agreement reading book to their own reading Protagonist, class calendar with their Antagonist Short Story #1 books / syllabus Discussion *Intro Review - Assign PSA Essay Character elements of fiction for 2nd semester Development project. Short Story #1: - Vocabulary / Grammar Quiz #1 - HWK reading independent novel / write essay / develop character you may use for your own short story. Hudgins 2015 - English 1 Jan 19) Jan 20) Jan 21) Jan 22) Jan 23) Do Now: Make Setting: Vocabulary / Grammar MLK Jr. Day Calendar for Story #2 Quiz #2 Independent reading Setting: No School  PSA second Creative Fiction Round Robin – PSA semester Project Writing Activity second Semester – share out (Setting,) Project. Character Setting:  Descriptions * Deconstruction  Character Activity Deconstructions

26) 27) 28) 29) 30) Introduce Vocab / Dialogue , Conflict Vocabulary / Grammar Grammar Point of View Quiz #3 Story #3: Fiction Workshop

Feb 2) Feb 3) Feb 4) Feb 5) Feb 6) Plot, theme First Draft Due Vocabulary / Grammar Short Story #4 Peer Revision Quiz #4

Feb 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) Book Jacket - Final Draft Due Final Draft Due No School Symbolism Final Share out and Final Share out Lincoln’s Birthday Prize Winners Reading and Prize Groups Winners Reading Groups

16) 17) 18) 19) 20) No School Independent Reading Independent Begin Of Mice and Men book presentations. Reading book presentations.

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RUBRIC/SELF-ASSESSMENT

Element of Fiction FULL CREDIT: NEEDS WORK: Characters are well- The characters are developed through described through dialogue, actions and/or narration rather than thoughts. Motivations established through PROTAGONIST/ANTAGONIST/DIALOGUE: are explained through dialogue, action or the actions and speech thought. Telling instead of the characters, not of showing. The Hudgins 2015 - English 1 simply through the characters may not be narration. fully described. The setting is described The setting is identified through vivid sensory but not clearly SETTING language and described. The setting contributes to the may be vague and in no overall effectiveness of way connects to the plot the story. or characters. Conflict is established, The conflict is properly developed and established and resolved after a clearly resolved, but lacks established point of proper development. CONFLICT climax. The conflict is introduced but is hard to follow or does not make sense. One point of view was Point of view changes used consistently several times POINT OF VIEW throughout the story throughout the story or and it was chosen to is consistently unclear. contribute to the overall effectiveness of the story. The story has a clear The story does not have beginning, middle and a clear beginning, end. Follows a logical middle and end. The sequence and flows sequence of events is PLOT smoothly between confusing. The points. relationship between events is often confusing A meaningful, No theme can be THEME thoughtful theme can interpreted or it is be interpreted from vague and unclear. your story. There are few or no There are many errors CONVENTIONS errors in mechanics, in mechanics, usage, usage, grammar, or grammar, or spelling. spelling. Dialogue is These sometimes make punctuated and the story hard to formatted correctly. understand. Dialogue is Sentences flow punctuated and smoothly and are formatted structurally correct. inconsistently. Present and on-task for Regularly off-task and majority of unit. Used helped partner very PARTICIPATION time effectively and little. Wasted time and regularly helped partner distracted others. write and revise his or her own work. Hudgins 2015 - English 1

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Independent Reading Book In addition to reading short stories in class and writing your own short story, you will be given the chance to read a book of your choice. I want you to love to, or at a minimum appreciate, reading! So please pick a book that you find interesting!

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9- 10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

1. Powerpoint Discussion of Book: a. Template for Powerpoint will be put on my website.

2. Reading Log: You are responsible for carefully reading a novel over the course of the next month and completing three different response logs. Each response must be carefully and thoughtfully completed in blue or black ink – typed is even better – and measure approximately 1 full-page (200 –225) words. Although I have given you a guideline for each response length I will not be grading papers with a ruler in one hand and a pen in the other hand. Each log response must reflect careful reading and incorporate the plot, major themes, characters, and symbolic attributes of the reading. The prompts are designed to let you creatively interact with your book and I expect you to allow enough writing time to fully develop your thoughts and ideas. You may not respond to any one prompt more than once. Each response in worth 10 points. Each response will be scored based on the creativity and development of the response, length and writing mechanics.

3. Ms. Hudgins must approve your book before you begin the assignment. The book must be an average 200 – 300 pages. You are responsible for finishing the book and your logs by Tuesday February 17th therefore you should develop a reading and response log calendar for yourself.

Possible Reading Log Topics: (Pick 3 and write 1 page on each) Hudgins 2015 - English 1 1. Examine the values of a character that you dislike 2. Make connections of the reading and your life 3. Argue about ideas in the reading that you agree or disagree with 4. Make connections between a character in this work and one from another piece of literature 5. Examine the conflicts in the reading and how the characters (or author) are trying to resolve them. 6. Are the people in the text similar or different to the people that you meet in everyday life? Are they more tolerant, wise, superstitious, or thoughtless than the people that you know? 7. Which individuals in the story or the most (or least) true-to-life, the best or least adjusted to their environment, the most or the least determined to achieve some goal: Which character seems to get the most/least out of life? 8. Judging by what happened to the people in the story, give your conclusion as to the factors that make for happiness in life. Why do some people get what they want while others do not? 9. Is there a place in the reading where a very slight incident alters an entire life? What is this incident? How does this incident change a character’s life? 10. Show how the people in the reading prosper or suffer because of devotion to ideals or principles 11. Tell why you would like a certain group of people to read this book: old, young, rich, poor, contented, handicapped, timid, reckless, selfish, successful… 12. How does the book increase your understanding of the relations between: men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, friends, old and young, city and country… a. Discussing significant quotations from your book.