August 14-18
This Year we will begin our writing workshop with the genre: The Arc of the Story writing realistic fiction...Unit is roughly 7-8 weeks
Realistic Fiction writing
unit 1 arc of the story
In this first writing unit students will become aware that writers see ideas for fiction stories everywhere. The students or our writers of realistic fiction will begin by collecting story ideas in their writer’s notebook, fleshing them out to include elements of an effective story. Then our writers will story tell their ideas to a partner, making sure to use a storyteller’s voice and include literary language. Once the writers have chosen a story idea, they will learn ways that writers develop their main characters: by thinking not only about a character’s external traits but also his or her internal life and surroundings. Writers think about a character’s needs, letting a story line emerge in which the character meets obstacles.
Our writers will learn to write using a "story mountain" or a "story arc” to tell the story. Our writers will focus on the small moments using two or three strong scenes that will successfully show the development of a character, a plot, and even a setting over the course of the story. The arc that our student writers create in the planning stages becomes a touchstone for drafting. Each scene or event in the story arc is assigned its own page in a booklet, and this, plus an emphasis on skills developed in earlier years, helps fiction sound and feel story like.
Next our writers will work on their their story for audiences through focused drafting, deep-revision, and editing. our student writers will learn how to intersperse dialogue with action to create a story that shows the reader the story not just tells it. Our writers will learn endings don’t come out of nowhere. Our writers will learn that in fiction, as in life, solutions are generally hinted at all along:they are solutions we arrive at little by little.
Through the course of this unit students will will work with their partners, confer with the teacher, and by the end of this unit I know they will realize that they can continue writing fiction throughout their lives.
Our writers will learn to write using a "story mountain" or a "story arc” to tell the story. Our writers will focus on the small moments using two or three strong scenes that will successfully show the development of a character, a plot, and even a setting over the course of the story. The arc that our student writers create in the planning stages becomes a touchstone for drafting. Each scene or event in the story arc is assigned its own page in a booklet, and this, plus an emphasis on skills developed in earlier years, helps fiction sound and feel story like.
Next our writers will work on their their story for audiences through focused drafting, deep-revision, and editing. our student writers will learn how to intersperse dialogue with action to create a story that shows the reader the story not just tells it. Our writers will learn endings don’t come out of nowhere. Our writers will learn that in fiction, as in life, solutions are generally hinted at all along:they are solutions we arrive at little by little.
Through the course of this unit students will will work with their partners, confer with the teacher, and by the end of this unit I know they will realize that they can continue writing fiction throughout their lives.
Constructed Response Throughout the year...
A key factor in being able to solve problems in real-world situations is the ability for students to be able to apply knowledge and use thinking strategies to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. In the real world, answers are seldom black and white, and there are often many solutions to a problem. Preparing students with only surface-level knowledge does not lead to “deep thinking,” to intellectual independence, or to building a student's capacity to problem solve and analyze complex situations in the real world. Requiring students to think and process information at much deeper levels prepares them for the real role they will face in life and in tomorrow's workplace.
What is a Constructed Response?
Constructed-response questions are assessment items that ask students to apply knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities to real-world, standards-driven performance tasks. Sometimes called “open-response” items, constructed-response questions are so named because there is often more than one way to correctly answer the question, and they require students to “construct” or develop their own answers without the benefit of any suggestions or choices. Constructed-response items can be very simple, requiring students to answer with only a sentence or two, or quite complex, requiring students to read a prompt or a specified text article, reflect on the key points, and then develop a meaningful essay or analysis of the information. Whether simple or complex, all constructed-response questions measure students' ability to apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize the knowledge that they have acquired in a more abstract way. Using the RACE strategy, (most students are familiar with this strategy) (RESTATE-ANSWER THE QUESTION- CITE WHERE IN THE PASSAGE YOU FIND THE EVIDENCE and finally to EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPnt9AFaTdc
What is a Constructed Response?
Constructed-response questions are assessment items that ask students to apply knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities to real-world, standards-driven performance tasks. Sometimes called “open-response” items, constructed-response questions are so named because there is often more than one way to correctly answer the question, and they require students to “construct” or develop their own answers without the benefit of any suggestions or choices. Constructed-response items can be very simple, requiring students to answer with only a sentence or two, or quite complex, requiring students to read a prompt or a specified text article, reflect on the key points, and then develop a meaningful essay or analysis of the information. Whether simple or complex, all constructed-response questions measure students' ability to apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize the knowledge that they have acquired in a more abstract way. Using the RACE strategy, (most students are familiar with this strategy) (RESTATE-ANSWER THE QUESTION- CITE WHERE IN THE PASSAGE YOU FIND THE EVIDENCE and finally to EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPnt9AFaTdc
This year, I will also teach the students a second strategy to use while writging a constructed response called TEACH.
Responding to Literature:
Responding to literature helps students construct their own meaning which may not always be the same for all readers.
These are some of the ways a student can respond to a passage:
• Describe the text requires the reader to give an initial reaction to the text and describe its general content and purpose.
• Interpret the text requires the reader to construct an interpretation and/or explanation of the text and connect the text to personal knowledge.
• Move beyond the text requires the reader to reflect on the text and make personal judgments about its quality and meaning.
Responding to literature helps students construct their own meaning which may not always be the same for all readers.
These are some of the ways a student can respond to a passage:
• Describe the text requires the reader to give an initial reaction to the text and describe its general content and purpose.
• Interpret the text requires the reader to construct an interpretation and/or explanation of the text and connect the text to personal knowledge.
• Move beyond the text requires the reader to reflect on the text and make personal judgments about its quality and meaning.
