Unit 3: Major Writing Assignment
Narrative Writing/ Short Story
Essential Question: What is the power of the narrative essay? How can you become a powerful story teller?
Common Core Standards: W.3a-eWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.W.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.W.5Develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for specific purposes and audience.L.1bUse participial phrases to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing L.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuations, and spelling. L.2cSpell correctly.The power of storytelling is clear in the literature that you have read in this unit and in the stories you hear in your own life. Stories have the power to convey important life lessons. Stories can also be an excellent way to entertain others!
Now, you have the opportunity to create your own Narrative/Short Story! In this writing assignment, you will invent your own narrative that includes characters, a setting, and a plot. You will need to be sure to have a conflict, a resolution, and a theme. Use techniques such as dialogue, description, and pacing to develop your s tory and engage your readers.
Write with a Purpose:Your writing task: Write a short story in which you develop characters, a setting, and a plot. Be sure that your plot includes all stages (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution). Your story can be inspired by true events, or be completely from your imagination.
Get some ideas for your story from the following sources:
-newspaper articles on events, discoveries, or weather disasters
-magazine features that profile interesting people
- situations that you have observed or experienced
-something from your imagination
The Basics:
Here are some common purposes, audiences, and formats for short story writing.
Purposes:
-to entertain
-to express a theme or lesson about life / Audiences:
-classmates or teacher
-contest judges
-younger students
-friends or family / Formats:
-literary magazine
-school newspaper
-student writing contest
-blog
-class assignment
/ Common Core Traits:
- Development of Ideas
-introduces an develops a narrator and characters
-uses dialogue and description to develop a plot
-provides a conclusion that follows from story events
-conveys a theme or message about life
- Ideas are Organized
-uses effective pacing
- Language Facility and Conventions
-uses active voice throughout the story
-includes precise words and phrases, revealing details, and sensory language
-uses quotation marks and participles properly
-uses the accurate grammar, mechanics, and spelling
Stage 1: Prewriting and Planning
Common Core Standards: W.3a-eWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.W.5Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning.Getting the Process Started
Decide on a story to share:
Begin by brainstorming some possible plots, characters, settings, and themes. Use a web diagram to organize your thoughts and ideas. From those ideas, choose the ones that seem to have the most potential for making a great story. Sometimes visuals help writers to generate ideas. Look through a magazine or online art gallery to produce some more ideas for your story. / Visual of Web Diagram
Develop Your Characters:
You want to create characters that are realistic and believable. To do this, you will need to include well-chosen details that share how each character looks, speaks, and relates to other characters. You will also need to decide what conflict(s) characters will face. Using a character chart can help you plan and develop interesting, unique, and realistic characters. / Characters / Details
Jasmine / Super laid-back; likes to go with the flow; doesn’t worry about her looks or the labels on clothes or other items; considers herself a modern-day hippie, doesn’t want to be viewed as materialistic
Jake / Younger than Jasmine; looks up to her as a role-model; is teased often; shy
Visual of Character Chart
Create a Map of Your Story:
Create a diagram to plan the plot of your story. Start with the exposition and introduce characters, the stetting, and the conflict (the problem to be solved). Identify the rising action, the complications that lead to climax. Determine the climax of the story, the most important or exciting event in the story. The climax can also be considered the turning point of the story. Last, chart the falling action and resolution – how the conflict is resolved or solved. / Visual of Plot Chart
Use this online interactive plot diagram@ or use the template below
Use this plot diagram to help you create a map of your story!
Prewriting and Planning, continued.
Next, decide on a point of view. Choose who will narrate your story. Think about the following information as you choose who will tell the story.
Point of View / ExamplesFirst-Person Narrator
Who: a character in the story
Pronouns: I, we, my, me, us
Knows: only aware of what they know (one character)
Effect: can create sympathy for one character / First-Person Narrator
We went out for organic ice-cream, and Jasmine insisted on paying for me.
Third-Person Narrator
Who: not a character in the story
Pronouns: he, she, they
Knows: only what one character knows
Effect: creates sympathy for one character and distance from other characters / Third-Person Narrator
Jake, happy and relieved that he was finally getting some one-on-one time with his sister, didn’t care what kind of ice-cream they ate or who paid for it.
Third-Person Omniscient Narrator
Who: not a character in the story
Pronouns: he, she, they
Knows: the inner feeling of all characters; knows what all characters know
Effects: broad view of characters and events / Third-Person Omniscient Narrator
Jake was overjoyed to spend time with Jasmine. Jasmine was preoccupied and worried about problems she was having at school.
Create Suspense for the Reader:
Use point of view to create suspense by holding back information from both characters and the audience. Another option that creates suspense is sharing information with the audience that a character does not yet know. / Example:
“Jake!” she whispered, but there was no way he could have heard her. Watching from outside the ice-cream shop, Jasmine stood frozen with fear.
Peer Review: Describe to a classmate the purpose and audience for your short story. Then, ask: Which point of view would best communicate my purpose?
Writing Tip: If you are planning on writing a longer short story, consider weaving in multiple first-person points of view. Create sections told by different first-person points of view. Doing so can give readers more than one perspective on the characters, setting, and plot.
Stage 2: Drafting Your Story
Common Core Standards:W.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience. L.1bUse participial phrases to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing.Organization of Your Short Story
Exposition
-engage and orient your readers with action or dialogue that sets up a central conflict, problem, or situation
-establish a point of view by introducing a narrator, or the voice that will tell the story
-introduce the audience to the characters and setting
Rising Action and Climax
-Include the plot events that build suspense and lead up to a climax. Do not include events that do not progress the plot forward.
-Use pacing that keep the action moving forward and naturally progresses from one event to the next
-Use techniques such as dialogue to develop events, characters, and suspense
-Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the setting, events, and characters.
Falling Action and Resolution
-Explain how the conflict is resolved or solved
-Tie up loose plot points, and add a surprise or twist for the audience
-Leave the audience with something to reflect on, perhaps by clarifying your story’s theme, or main message
Grammar in Context: Participles
A participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective. Verbals, such as participles, add color and descriptive details to writing. A present participle ends with –ing. Past participles use the form as the past tense of the verb which ends in –ed.
Present participle / She pulled tentatively, and the door let out a brief, screeching sound.
Past Participle / “In this heat?” she asked, fanning herself with a manicured nails.
Irregular Past Participle / Jasmine, known for her commitment to the environment, was not interested in wasting resources
Your Turn: Develop your first draft of your short story using the structure outlined in the plot diagram (online or use paper diagram). As you compose your story, add participles to add colorful details to your story.
Stage 3: Revising
When it is time to revise your story, think about the characters, setting, pacing, and plot elements of your short story. The goal is to determine whether you have successfully fulfilled your purpose and effectively conveyed your ideas to your intended audience. Use the chart below to help you determine which components of your draft may need rewriting or a new approach.
Ask Yourself / Suggestions for Revision / Strategies for RevisionDoes the exposition grab the attention of my intended audience? / Draw a box around the dialogue, action, or description that engages readers. / Add dialogue, action, or description. Provide just enough details to force the audience to ask questions that will only be answered if they keep reading.
Are my characters realistic and believable?
/ Put a star next to each example of dialogue and realistic character description. / Add believable dialogue that includes contractions, slang, pauses, jargon, or exclamations that match each character’s age and personality.
Is the setting vivid? / Draw an arrow next to each sensory detail.
/ Add sensory details to describe the time and place of action. Include details that appeal to the senses.
Is the conflict obvious? Do the plot events build toward a climax? / Underline each detail that tells something about the conflict. Bracket the climax. Draw a line from event in the rising action to the climax. / Add details to develop the conflict. Add transitions or details to create a smooth progression of events, so that each event clearly leads to the climax.
Does the pacing keep the action moving?
/ Draw a wavy line under any details that are unrelated to the central conflict. / Delete any unnecessary details to tighten the pace and propel the action forward.
Does the resolution contain a message or lesson for the audience as well as the character. / Write a theme of the story on a sticky note. Ask your partner to write the theme of the story on another sticky note. Compare the two statements of theme for similarities. / Add some concluding dialogue or action that makes the story’s theme clear to your audience.
Peer Review:Exchange your short story with a peer, or read your story aloud to a partner. As you read and discuss the two stories, make sure to focus on character and plot development. Discuss how each writer develops these elements through dialogue, suspense, and sensory details. If you story is not flowing smoothly, utilize the revision strategies in the chart to rewrite and strengthen your writing.
Stage 4: Analyze a Student Draft
Common Core Standard: W.5Develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for specific purposes and audience.Directions: Read the draft; notice the comments on its strengths as well as suggestions for improvement.
Sufficiently StrongBy Sam Watson, Evans High School
“Just lend me twenty bucks, Ryan,” Jamie begged. “Come on!”
“I’m sure the skirt you want is very trendy and socially conscious, Sis, but I don’t even have ten. Now move – I gotta mow the lawn.”
“In this weather?” she asked, cooling herself with her homemade fan.
“You know, Mom and Dad pay me twenty bucks to mow,” Ryan said.
“Oh! So you can lend it to me after you finish?”
Hegrunted. “Yeah, right. I’ll let you mow the lawn for me, though.”
“That’s impossible! The mower’s heavy!” Jamie said, rolling her eyes.
“No skin off my back. You’re the one who wants to be the organic, naturally made skirt!”
“Ugh! Fine. Show me how this machine works,” shebarked. They went into the shed, and Ryan pulled the mower out for her.
“So, what’s the deal with this thing? Do I just pull this cord thingy?” She pulledtimidly, and the mower made a short, alarming growl. Jamie jumped backs and let out an “Ahh!”
“It’s cool, Jamie. Pull a little harder this time,” said Ryan. Jamie steadied herself and pulled as hard as possible. The mower rumbled to life. Her self-assured look made Ryangrin.
“Awesome job!” he shouted. “You got this!”
“Um, wait!” shepeeped, but he was long gone. She took a deep breath and pushed the mower forward a couple inches. It made a dreadful crrunchas twigs were munched and spat out. Shesquealed, thinking of how “socially conscious” she would look with a missing foot. The mower keptrumbling, and she realized she had no idea how to shut it off. / Comments:
Dialogue and descriptive details show the personalities of each character.
The writer maintains a third-person point of view.
Sam utilizes vibrant sensory language to share with his audience (the reader) how it felt to move the mower and mow the lawn. Yet, the narrative might be more engaging if Sam used active voice through the story.
Language Tip-Practice Active Voice: When the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice. An example of active voice is: Jamie mowed the lawn. Conversely, in passive voice the subject is acted upon: The lawn was mowed by Jamie. In the paragraph above, Sam begins writing in passive voice which makes his narrative less vibrant and lively. In the paragraph below, he makes revisions to his writing to include more active voice.
Story continued (with some revisions):
“Um, wait!” she peeped, but he was long gone. She took a deep breath and pushed mower forward a couple inches. It made a dreadful crrunch as twigs were munched and spat out it chewed up some twigs and spat out what was left of them. Shesquealed, thinking of how “trendy” she would look with a missing foot. The mower keptrumbling, and she realized she had no idea how to shut it off.
“Ryan!” she shouted, but it was impossible for him to hear her. She nudged the mean mower ahead and observed grass gush out the side. It was sort of interesting. Scary, but interesting.
She kept pushing to the other end of the lawn. The mower was heavy, but she was sufficiently strong. When it came time to turn it around she ran into a little trouble. However, she was tough and she pushed the handle and was able to tilt the mower back with little trouble. The mower growled even louder. She slowly turned, and then she pushed forward to move the next strip of grass. The grass fell as she mowed. By the time she reached the end of the lawn, she had perfected the turning system so that it was a smooth and easy motion.
Now that she was no longer scared of the lawn mower, she moved in closer to examine the controls. She searched until she found the off button and turned off the engine.
Ryan appeared from the house and looked over the lawn. “Not bad. Not bad at all, Jamie.”
“Thanks, bro. Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to collect my money and take a shower. I have skirt to buy!” she declared as she moved past him.
That evening, she looked incredibly in her new trendy and organically made skirt. Her friend Laura exclaimed, “You look so pretty! Like a field of flowers!”
“Oh thank you!” Jamie said, thinking to herself how much enjoyable it might be to mow down a field of flowers, petals whirling all around her. / Here Sam changes passive voice to active voice, which makes his writing more engaging.
Sam develops a plot and main conflict that make the text a narrative rather than a description. Yet, the story would be more effective if Sam added additional sensory details.
Sam uses sequence of events to resolve the conflict in a realistic manner.
The cheerful conclusion demonstrates the character of Jamie hastransformed. The character transformation emphasizes the story’s theme of main message.
Language Tip - Practice UsingSensory Details : Sensory details allow writers to paint lively pictures of the conflict and the setting. Sam adds sensory details to move the readers to the scene and to include them in Jamie’s experience.
Your turn: Use the feedback from your classmates and teacher as well as the two “Practice” sections to revise and rework your short story. Pay special attention to plot elements, characterization, pacing, and sensory details.