Unit 3: Short Stories
During the unit you will learn about the elements of fiction that work as the building blocks of narrative writing! You will also develop your ability to work in groups. You will be exposed to a number of short stories, memoirs, and television shows with various conflicts and themes, so that you have many examples to draw on when it comes time to create your own piece of writing. In this unit, we will seek to build on this knowledge in order to 1) get more out of the stories we read and, 2) put more into the stories we tell |
Unit Assignments & Activities
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DESCRIPTION |
RESOURCES |
10) Graphic Short Story Due Date: Monday, April 3rd (first day back from Spring Break) |
Now that you've gained a comprehensive understanding of BOTH the elements of fiction AND the visual elements, it's time to put your learning to the test by creating your very own 8-12 frame graphic short story. You may create your story by hand, by photography software (Comic Life), or by online comic generator (see "Resources) In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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Assignment: Graphic Short Story (Word document) Assignment: Graphic Short Story (PDF document) Online Comic Generators Pixton StoryboardThat |
9) Visual Elements Study Due Date: N/A |
Now that you've covered the 7 elements of fiction, it's time to see how they look when presented in a visual form! In this part of the unit we will study a variety of short graphic stories utilize 7 key visual elements. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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All materials for this part of the unit will be in print form |
8) Unit-Wide Theme Study Due Date: Monday, March 13th |
Throughout this unit we have focused on 6/7 of the elements of fiction on an individual basis. Now that our unit is coming to a close and we are approaching our final project, it is time to examine the biggest element of them all: Theme. During this part of the unit, you will take a look back at all of the short stories we've read during this unit, and identify the themes and main ideas present in each. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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7) Finding My Voice Due Date: Friday, March 3rd |
During this part of the unit, we will explore the importance of strong characterization/believable characters by reading and analyzing Finding My Voice by Willow Dawson In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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6) The Sniper Due Date: Monday, Feb 27th |
During this part of the unit, we will explore the impact a story's "setting" has on the story's quality by reading and analyzing The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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5) Lamb to the Slaughter Due Date: Tuesday, Feb 21st |
During this part of the unit, we will dig a little deeper into "point of view" by reading and analyzing Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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4) CSI - "Down the Drain" Due Date: Tuesday, Feb 13th |
As we watch an episode of CSI Las Vegas, we will study the episode's primary plot line - if you've ever seen/read a murder mystery, I think you will find the plot line verrrrrrry familiar. As you view the film, identify the episode's: introduction/exposition, rising action (5-6 key points), climax, falling action (1-2 key points), and resolution (hint: the resolution is IMPLIED rather than shown; i.e. it takes place off-screen). In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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Episode of CSI to be viewed in class - if absent, you may find a copy on your own or ask Ms. Hammond to borrow hers. Plot Diagram |
3) On the Sidewalk Bleeding Due Date: Thursday, Feb 9th |
Now that you have a basic understanding of the 7 elements of fiction, we will dig a little deeper into "conflict" by reading and analyzing On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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2) The Taste of Melon Due Date: Friday, Jan 27th |
By now you have brainstormed all the prior knowledge you've gathered about the 7 elements of fiction from your Middle Years education. As we read The Taste of Melon, we will be examining all 7 elements at a glance, and also focusing on the skill of comprehending and summarizing. In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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Unit Handouts |
These are handouts that we will refer to throughout the entire unit! Please download and keep them in your "Unit 3 - Short Stories" folder. |
1) What is a Short Story? Due Date: Wednesday, Jan 11th |
In our intro to the Short Stories unit, we will be seeking to answer the BIG question: "What makes a story a story?" We will be doing this by exploring a few 10-word stories, an example of a genre known as "micro-fiction." In this portion of the unit, you will be:
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Additional Resources
Online Image Editors
Picmonkey (photo editing site) PixlrExpress (photo editing site) BeFunky (photo editing site) Free, Copyright-Free Audio
Sound Bible (sound effects) YouTube Audio Library (independent music and sound effects) Bensound (independent music) Free Music Archive (independent music) |
Copyright-Free Photos & Graphics
Creative Commons (copyright-free images, audio & video) Morgue File (use the free search option) Pexels (high-quality stock images) Albumarium (high-quality stock images) Free Pik (vector images, photographs, PSD files, and more) Open ClipArt Gallery (free clipart graphics) Clkr Clipart Gallery (free clipart by the people for the people) Classroom Clipart (free clipart for school use) The Noun Project (icons for just about anything) Giphy (shareable memes and GIFs) |