| Components of a Narrative | Overhead notes we used to outline basics elements of a short story. We used this sheet to discuss elements of the story "A Mountain Legend". We used an editing checklist to go over sections of "A Mountain Legend" and then to check the students' own poetry novel project to look for narrative elements. |
| Listening for Components | Class is divided into expert groups to listen and notes elements of the story "The Sound of Thunder". At this point the idea of a theme or purpose to the story is in one of the group's question set, and also during brainstorming which occurred after reading the story. Groups are then jigsawed for Reading Theatre Project. |
| Reading Theatre #1 to create a script | The new jigsawed groups attempt to write a script of one of three scenes (Time Safari Office, The Jungle Scene, Tyme Safari Office). |
| Conflict Notes for March 18th | After taking note of these additional elements of any story, we then
tackled our first "quick write" section using the beginning lines:
"I had planned this ecape for months. Now, in the darkness just
before dawn, it is time to...."
This story will then be "snaked" around the room to different students for comments and peer editing, and we will discuss a few as representatives of internal and external conflict. |
| Lesson plan for story "On the Bridge" from March 22 | At the end of last class the students read and began answering questions from the back of the story "On the Bridge" (in series More Strawberries), along with three others from the "Questions to Ask Myself" |
| Lesson plan for film "Go to the Head of the class". March 22 | After taking up notions of conflict and introducing "foreshadowing" and "point of view", we took notes on the Protagonist, Antagonist and the Secondary Characters. Then we viewed the film Go to the Head of the Class to search for ways these ideas were played out in a short fiction. |
| Lesson plan for suspense plot line. March 23 | After viewing the film, we then go over the questions while creating a plot line appropriate for a suspense story. This is followed by a quick write of an outline and the rough suspense story of their own. |
| Lesson plan for "Uneasy Homecoming" March25th | A way of having students prepare the study questions for the short story we are studying. |
| Reading Theatre #1 Peer Evaluation Sheet for March 26th | For 20 percent of the mark on the group's reading theatre version of The Sound of Thunder, the groups readings will be evaluated by their peers. Feed back comments will be added on the bottom of the form sheet, then students will have 3 days to finish the project. |
| Internet Research class | This class is a break from the short story unit to use our internet time for essay research purposes, though the contents of the essay will also be used in an up and coming short story project. |
| Lesson plan for Maestrom II, March 30 | We prepare vocabulary, read the story and examine it for conflicts. We then prepare our own outline for an original short story which is to include one sort of external conflict. |
| Lesson for a story with an external conflict March 31 | We try to extend our description of a calm place by including a conflict with nature/the unknown/ technology, after we have discussed the same with Maelstrom II |
| Essay editing lesson for April 6 | Preparation for the next day's peer editing session, when we will focus not only on the grammar elements but also whether the conflicts have been successfully developed. |
| Test on whole unit and vocabulary |