Activities

1. List the purposes of dialogue in a story.
   
   
2. Make a concept web showing the conventions of dialogue.

3. Using dialogue, write a scene showing two characters arguing over a decision.  Give each character a distinct voice.
   
   
4. Using a chapter of narrative text, record characteristics about the pacing used.  Explain the author’s choice of pace throughout the chapter.

5. Write a narrative poem with vivid description to describe visiting an exhibit at the zoo.
   
   
6. Write a short children’s story using effective pacing, description and dialogue.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Student lists the purposes of dialogue in a story.  Student understands dialogue is the spoken words of characters.  Student understands:

• Dialogue gives readers information.
• Dialogue propels the story forward.
• Dialogue reveals characters.

2. Student makes a concept web showing the conventions of dialogue.  Student understands dialogue is the spoken words of characters.  Student shows on his concept web, the following ideas:   

• Quotation marks are used around the words spoken by each character.
• Dialogue tags show who is speaking.  “He said” or “she said” are the most used and natural sounding tags.  A dialogue tag doesn’t have to be used for every line of dialogue if the reader can easily follow who is speaking.    
• Each new speaker gets a new paragraph.
• Dialogue should sound like people talking, short and natural.  Use contractions.

3. Using dialogue, student writes a scene showing two characters arguing over a decision.  Student gives each character a distinct voice.  

• Student effectively shows an argument by two characters through dialogue. 
• Student is successful in giving each character a distinct voice.  Student understands that distinct voices mean the two character sound differently and are distinguishable from each other.  Student decides what the characters are like internally and how the characters are different from each other. 
• Student uses life experience and personal observations to determine how to portray the characters through dialogue.  For example, if the student chooses to make one character passive, he must have experience with passive people to write convincingly.  Student considers how passive people behave and uses this knowledge as he writes the dialogue.  For example, he may have a passive person listen more than speak or the passive person may eventually concede in an argument, even if they don’t want to or agree.  If the other character is more aggressive, perhaps the dialogue will be written to show this person being loud, or interrupting the passive person.  Student understands that he cannot infuse character traits into his character that he has no life experience with.   
• Student effectively uses conventions of dialogue.  Student puts quotations around people talking.  Student uses dialogue tags.  Student uses a new paragraph for each new speaker.  Dialogue sounds like two people talking and is natural.

4. Using a chapter of narrative text, student records characteristics about the pacing used.  Student explains the author’s choice of pace throughout the chapter.  Student understands the pace is the speed at which the story is told or events occur.  Student makes correct observations regarding the pacing of the story.  Student gives logical explanations about why the author used a particular pace.  Student understands:

• The author slows the pace of the narrative when he shows or describes what is happening in great detail. 
• The author uses a slower pace when he has something important to convey, emotions to deal with, characters to develop or an important scene.  The pace is slower so the reader gets all the details or can savor the scene. This takes up more pages in the book, effectively slowing down the pace or the rate at which events can happen.   A slower pace might look like, “Ellie swings her brown sack as she makes her way to the riverfront.  She usually sits on the yellow bench across from the fountain, but rowdy boys from Saint John’s Seminary occupy it today and she settles for a spot on the lawn.  She studies the slightly squashed cucumber and tomato sandwich, setting it upon the waxed paper….” 
• The author quickens the pace of the narrative when he tells and does not describe in detail. 
• When the author has little to convey or wants to move from one scene or time frame to the next quickly, he speeds up the pace.  For example, “Two days later…”  The author just covered two days in the space of three words.  This is a fast pace.  Or, “The girl ate her lunch by the fountain and went back to work.”  There is little or no description with a fast pace. 
• The pace of a narrative needs to be varied depending on what author is trying to convey to the reader.  Most readers do not want to read a book that describes everything in great detail nor do they want to read a book that has no description or development. 
• The pace of a narrative needs to move quickly enough to keep the reader from getting bored, but slow enough so that the reader can get all the details and enjoy a well-developed story.

5. Student writes a narrative poem with vivid description to describe an exhibit at the zoo.  Student understands that sensory words help the reader see, hear, taste, touch and smell the world the author is creating.  Sensory words help the writer to describe and make writing more clear and vivid.  Student uses a poem format.  Student uses language that appeals to the senses.  The poem describes an exhibit at the zoo, makes sense and conveys a feeling.  Student uses precise words and phrases when describing the exhibit.  The words used carry the connotations for the desired mood of the poem and reflect the author’s feeling about the exhibit.  Student uses relevant descriptive details and sensory language that helps the reader experience the exhibit.  

6. Student writes a short children’s story using effective pacing, description and dialogue.
   Story makes sense.  Story is well-developed and effectively uses pacing, description and dialogue. 

• Student brainstorms ideas for a story.
• Student chooses a story idea with a suitable problem and solution.
• Student outlines the story using a plot line, briefly noting events that will occur during the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. 
• Student determines which sections of the story will contain the most important, dramatic or emotional events or where they need to develop the characters the most. 
• Student uses a slower pace for the most important, dramatic or emotional events or where he needs to develop the characters as he describes in detail.
• Student uses a faster pace when he has little to convey or wants to move from one scene or time frame to the next quickly.  Student uses less description.
• Student uses language that appeals to the senses when describing.  Student understands that sensory words help the reader see, hear, taste, touch and smell the world the author is creating.  Sensory words help the writer to describe and make writing more clear and vivid.
• Dialogue sounds like people talking, short and natural.  Contractions are used.
• Quotation marks are used around the words spoken by each character.
• Dialogue tags show who is speaking.  “He said” or “she said” are the most used and natural sounding tags.  A dialogue tag doesn’t have to be used for every line of dialogue if the reader can easily follow who is speaking.   
• Each new speaker gets a new paragraph.
• Student gives each character a distinct voice.  
• Student uses life experience and personal observations to determine how to accurately portray the characters through dialogue.