Focus Question: How does a writer develop a short story?
Part 1
Tell students that they are going to complete some activities to prepare for writing a story of their own. Introduce the elements of a short story by watching a short video such as “Starless Night” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30AZF8ZKhnY). As students watch the video, have them write answers to the 5 Ws (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) on a piece of chart paper. Ask the following questions, and after students respond, identify the story element that corresponds to each question.
- “Who is involved in the events?” (a cat and a dog who seem to be friends) “These are the characters.”
- “What happens?” (The cat sneezes and the stars disappear. The dog chews up the moon and creates new stars in the sky.) “This is the plot of the story.”
- “Where do the events happen?” (a rooftop in a city) “This is the setting.”
- “When do the events happen?” (at night) “This is also part of setting.”
- “Why do the events take place?” (The cat is sad because the stars have disappeared. The dog wants to help.) “This is the problem or conflict that drives the story.”
“Every short story is composed of these basic elements. When you put all of these elements together, you usually get a message or theme. What might be the theme of this story?” (Answers will vary. Possible responses may include, “A person will do what he/she can to make a friend feel better,” or “Everyone needs a good friend,” etc.)
“A video uses images to convey ideas, but writers must use words to do the same thing.”
Language Skills Mini-Lesson
Mount a copy of the short-short story “Four Skinny Trees” by Sandra Cisneros on the overhead projector (Another appropriate, very short story may be used. It is important that the story be short enough that it can be read in a few minutes but still contain essential story elements for discussion.) “This story is from the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.” Ask students to read the story silently to themselves.
Use “Four Skinny Trees” to show correct examples of pronouns in the proper case. “Let’s use ‘Four Skinny Trees’ to review pronouns and their ‘cases’ or ‘forms.’ Give a simple definition of a pronoun.” (A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun.) “In the short story, ‘Four Skinny Trees,’ there are lots of subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns. Let’s just focus on ‘they,’ ‘them,’ and ‘their.’ Listen for these pronouns in the sentences that I read from the story. 1. ‘They are the only ones who understand me.’ 2. ‘I am the only one who understands them.’ 3. ‘Their strength is secret.’” Write and number these sentences on the board, and underline ‘they,’ ‘them,’ and ‘their.’ “A subjective pronoun is the subject of the sentence. In the first sentence, ‘they’ is a pronoun that is the subject.” Label “they” as a “subjective pronoun.” “An objective pronoun is used after an action verb or in a prepositional phrase. In the second sentence, ‘them’ is a pronoun that is the object after the action verb ‘understands.’” Label “them” as an “objective pronoun.” “A possessive pronoun shows ownership. In the third sentence, ‘their’ is a pronoun that shows ownership of ‘strength.’” Label “their” as a “possessive pronoun.” Allow students to ask questions and discuss these examples further if needed.
“With a partner, look for another example of each of these three pronouns in the story, ‘Four Skinny Trees.’ There is at least one more example of each form. For each example you find, copy the sentence, underline the pronoun they, them or their, and describe how you know it is subjective, objective, or possessive.”
When students finish, write out their examples on the board in organized rows labeled, “subjective,” “objective,” or “possessive,” asking for justification of their designation.
Copy these sentences on the board and have students insert the correct pronoun (they, them, their) into each.
1._____ are hilarious. 2. We like _____. 3. _____ like us.
4. _____ jokes are witty. 5. We wave to _____.
6. _____ walk with _____ friends and laugh with _____.
“You will use pronouns in your stories. Refer to these sentences if you need help.”
Part 2
“Let’s look at how one writer conveys an important message with very few words. We will reread ‘Four Skinny Trees.’ Look for the 5 Ws as you read, highlight, and label them.”
After reading, write the 5 Ws for the class to view and ask for student responses to complete the chart for the story. (Possible responses are listed below.)
Who? (A narrator and four trees; explain that the trees are considered characters here)
What? (The narrator admires the four trees for their strength and persistence. Explain that not every story has a lot of action.)
Where? (A city)
When? (The time is unclear. Explain that sometimes a story element may not be developed in detail.)
Why? (The narrator faces unknown challenges and the trees offer hope.)
Ask, “What possible message or theme does this story convey?” (Possible responses: You must be strong to overcome challenges; Don’t be afraid to take charge of your own life.)
Part 3
Return to the display of “Four Skinny Trees” (or other appropriate short story). “We’ve discussed the basic elements of this story. Now let’s look at the author’s craft. The author’s craft is shown in how the writer uses words and other techniques to make meaning.”
Divide students into small groups and give each student a blank copy of the Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer (LW-6-2-1_Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer- Blank.doc). Tell students that they will work together to complete the graphic organizer for “Four Skinny Trees.” Explain how to complete the organizer and review the literary terms used. Explain that in the evidence column they should write down specific words or sentences from the story that the author uses to convey the individual elements of character, setting, plot, etc. In the effects column, they should write down how these words or sentences contribute to the overall story, or what impact they have on the reader. Model with an example. “What is the effect of the author beginning the story with, ‘They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them.’?” Help students see that this quickly establishes the bond between the narrator and the trees and emphasizes the narrator’s sense of isolation. Give students time to ask questions before they begin the organizer. Feel free to provide further examples from the story to help illustrate other elements like characterization, setting, and theme and what effects they create in the story.
Allow students to discuss the story in their groups as they complete the organizers. Monitor the groups and answer any questions. Then complete a blank organizer with student responses that the class can view. Look at the completed Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer (LW-6-2-1_Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer Complete.doc) for sample student responses.
“Good writers show instead of tell. Here is an example of telling: ‘It was a gloomy day.’ Here is how a writer could show it was gloomy: ‘The clouds hung low and heavy like gray, lead-filled balloons.’ Now you have a picture of the gloomy day. What are some examples of showing in ‘Four Skinny Trees’?” Responses will vary, but the use of personification, with the trees grabbing the earth with their toes and biting the sky with their teeth, is a strong example. “One way writers show instead of tell is by using figurative language such as personification. Personification is giving living traits to nonliving objects. Here’s an example, ‘The chair in the room looked tired.’” Review figurative language techniques such as simile, metaphor, alliteration, rhyming, onomatopoeia, etc., and give examples as needed. “Figurative language can convey intense emotion or meaning with very few words.”
“Soon you will begin to work on your own story. Every author starts with an idea. What idea might have inspired Sandra Cisneros to write this story?” (Answers will vary; students will likely see that the strong voice of the narrator comes from real experience and that Cisneros wanted to share the point of view of a young girl growing up in challenging circumstances. If possible, watch the interview with Cisneros at http://www.amazon.com/House-Mango-Street-Sandra-Cisneros/dp/0679734775/ref=sr
_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297363451&sr=1-1 in which she discusses wanting to write about people like her and stating the importance of writing from one’s own experience.)
“Most experienced writers tell new writers: ‘Write what you know.’ Often writers will examine their own lives to find a story they can write about. Everyone has a lot of detail in his/her own memories and experiences. What do you know that you could write a story about?”
Ask students to jot down a list of story ideas on notebook paper. If students have trouble coming up with ideas, ask them to look for inspiration in sports activities, their neighborhood, a pet, a friendship, etc. You should make a list for yourself as well. Once students have a list of ideas, ask them to circle the one that seems richest with possibility or the one that they feel most confident about. They will use this idea to develop their own story. Model this for students by thinking aloud as you weigh the items on your list. Have students make a list of reasons why they settled on a story topic. They should submit their ideas for your evaluation. Make sure the chosen topics are ones about which they have enough knowledge to write, which should be evident by their list of reasons. Tell students to come to the next class prepared to develop their story idea.
Extension:
- Give students more practice understanding “show, don’t tell” by using advertisements or cartoons, pointing out the use of figurative language and how pictures convey significant information and emotion. For practice, have students write to describe these pictures. Then use sample paragraphs from previously read stories to point out vivid examples of how authors show instead of tell. Or have students practice by developing sentences like “The snowstorm struck” or “The kitchen was a wreck” with specific descriptive details.
- Assist students who need help coming up with ideas by meeting with them individually or pairing them with another student to brainstorm what they know. Ask them to think about problems they have faced or their accomplishments.
