Thursday 1/7/10

IN CLASS:

Hours 2, 5, 6--Today we finished up the terminology we needed from yesterday (dialogue, imagery, metaphor, simile) and did some brainstorming for possible ideas for our 60 second stories. Here is a list of some suggestions:

• Start/end of a sports game
• Waking up in the morning after break
• Falling on the ice
• Car accident
• Performance
• Waiting at the principal's office
• Waiting at the doorbell
• Waiting for bag at airport
• Turbulent flight
• Lost
• Naming a winner
• Ride
• Plane crash
• Phone call from office
• Picking names
• Noises in the night
• Procrastinating
• Falling up/downstairs
• Start of concert
• Ride
• Plane crash
• Choosing numbers in the lottery

On the back of their assignment page, students need to write three possible lines to start their story. Each should be creative, engaging, and unique. Then in the boxes below, they need to start mapping out the story. Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the plot? What is the conflict? All this should be completed by tomorrow so they can begin writing the story in class.



Hours 7, 8--Students got their next round of assignments: mapping out the story and developing the character for the protagonist. This, along with the four possible first lines, should be completed by tomorrow. We will begin typing the stories tomorrow in class. Flash drives are helpful when transferring between school and home for typing. At the end of class, we went to the computer lab to take a quiz over the four parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) we have been practicing in class.



ASSIGNMENT:

Hours 2, 5, 6--

1. Decide on a topic.

2. Write three creative, unique, and interesting possible first lines for your short story.

3. Map out the story: Brainstorm ideas for setting, character, plot, conflict



Hours 7, 8--

1. Choose a first line

2. Map out the story: setting, character, plot/conflict, theme

3. Fill out characterization page