RPS Content Literacies

Writing a Short Story Developed by RHS English Language Arts teacher Allison Casper Standards: W3 Narrative writing, W7 Development, organization, and style, W8 Planning and revision, W10 Writing routinely. L1-1 Language conventions, L3 Effective language choices, L5 Figurative language

In this writing activity, students will develop a real or imagined experience or event into a short story that establishes a setting, a conflict that builds toward a resolution, and a dynamic main character (i.e., protagonist). Throughout the process, students will explore a universal theme related to the conflict in their stories.

Important Terminology • Setting: The time frame and location in which the story takes place. Constructed with vivid imagery, the environment in which a story is set can have a powerful effect on the characters, conflict, mood, and theme. • Dynamic Character: A major character that encounters conflict and is changed by it. The change can be gradual or sudden, positive or negative. A character that fails to change is referred to as static. • Conflict: A struggle between two or more opposing forces. Conflicts can be external: a character struggles with an outside force. Conflict can be internal: a character experiences opposing emotions or desires such as love and hate or good and evil. The struggle reaches its peak in the climax. • Climax: The most intense point of the action; the turning point. • Resolution: The conflict in the story is resolved for better or worse and the action comes to an end. • Dialogue: The conversations that characters have with other characters. Dialogue reveals the speaker’s character traits and advances the action. Sometimes, what a speaker doesn’t say can be as revealing as what is spoken. • Figurative Language: Vivid language that expresses and enhances meaning (e.g., imagery, similes, metaphor, personification, irony.) • Imagery: Figurative language that appeals to the senses of sight, sound, taste, smell, and/or touch. • Point of View: The perspective from which the story is written. The first person POV uses I or we; the third person POV uses he, she, it, they, or names. Also, be sure that you write your narration in the same verb tense throughout.

Criteria for Success You will write a story that includes: ü A plot that develops a problem with an intentional progression of experiences or events ü Narration, written in the first or third person point of view, that conveys a deliberate and appropriate tone and advances the conflict to a climax and resolution ü Narration that describes the setting and the appearances of the characters, including the characters’ body language ü Dialogue that reveals the speakers’ character traits and advances the action ü Precise, descriptive words and phrases, details, and figurative language

Suggested Short Story Sparks 1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

Adapted from the work of Professor Hilary Rao Write a story in which the main character lies all the time. Maybe the character gets caught or maybe s/he never gets caught? Create the conflict! Write a story in which a character is supposed to be home but isn’t. What happened to the character? Let the image of an odd juxtaposition trigger your story. The image can be at the center of what you write or it might be a secondary element in your story – it’s up to you! Here are some odd juxtapositions: A tree in a house, a single key in a bucket of water, a wedding cake in the middle of the road, a desk with pencils, paper, a ticking clock, and a cup of water in the deepest part of the forest. Write a story with a character that has a great fear. Is there something that s/he doesn’t want to happen? Explore the fear. How does it affect the character’s actions or relationship? Whatever the fear is, it happens, or at least it nearly does. Show the character’s fear through dialogue or the character’s actions. Write a story or begin a story in which one character steals something from another character. What’s stolen – is it an object, a person, or an idea? Why does each character want it? From whose point of view is the story told? At what point does the story begin – before or after the theft?