To finish a graphic organizer for the first draft of their own short story, students will apply their understanding of the following elements of stories: characterization, plot, conflict, setting, and point of view. Students will be able to:
- recognize and employ strong pronouns.
- comprehend and use other literary devices, such as climax, resolution, rising action, and exposition, in their own short story.
- recognize characterization techniques and use those techniques to create their characters.
- employ their comprehension of settings to create their settings.
- use the writing technique of "showing, not telling" in their work.
- distinguish between different points of view and choose the most appropriate one to use in their narrative.
- finish a graphic organizer that contains the components of their own short story's first draft.
- discuss and implement feedback from classmates on their story ideas.
- listen to and respond to other students' ideas.

- How do grammar and the conventions of language influence spoken and written communication?
- How do readers know what to believe in what they read, hear, and view?
- How do readers know what to believe?
- How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
- How does a reader’s purpose influence how text should be read?
- How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
- How does what readers read influence how they should read it?
- What is the purpose?
- What is this text really about?
- What makes clear and effective writing?
- Why do writers write?
- Who is the audience? What will work best for the audience?

- Characterization: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities. 
- Climax: The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax. 
- Conflict/Problem: A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions. 
- Exposition: Writing that explains something, often at the beginning of a story. 
- Falling Action: All of the action in a story that follows the turning point or climax. The falling action leads to the resolution or conclusion of the story. 
- Imagery: Language that appeals to any sense or any combination of the senses. 
- Intensive/Reflexive Pronoun: A pronoun that refers back to the subject of the sentence; it emphasizes a noun or pronoun in the sentence. 
- Literary Devices: Tools used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the writing (e.g., dialogue, alliteration). 
- Literary Elements: The essential techniques used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme). 
- Plot: The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the exposition, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict. 
- Resolution: The portion of a story following the climax, in which the conflict is resolved. The resolution of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is neatly summed up in the following sentence: “Henry and - Catherine were married, the bells rang and everybody smiled.” 
- Rising Action: The part of a story where the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Rising action leads up to the climax, or turning point. 
- Setting: The time and place in which a story unfolds.

- copies of the Narrative Graphic Writing Organizer for each student 
(LW-6-2-1_Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer- Blank) 
- notebook paper and pencil

- Completing the graphic organizer will identify students who need assistance early in the writing process because they lack an understanding of the significance of literary elements and their effects. 
- Getting individualized feedback will assist students in identifying any gaps in their narrative before they start writing and will demonstrate whether or not their expectations have been satisfied.

Explicit instruction, modeling, scaffolding, and active engagement 
W: Using the writing advice "show, don't tell," students will focus on point of view, characterization, setting, and plot in their stories. 
H: After visualizing their stories, students start to develop their ideas using the 5 Ws. 
E: After learning the value of point of view, students will each complete a graphic organizer of story elements. In groups, they will then assess the organizers that they have completed. 
R: Students receive a synopsis of their story after completing the five Ws. By finishing the graphic organizer, they can delve deeper into the development of story elements. Before they write their draft, students can identify any gaps in their knowledge of literary elements by having a group evaluate the graphic organizer. 
E: Students can discuss and evaluate which ideas would work best in their story draft by comparing their graphic organizers with those of their classmates. 
T: Students work individually at first, then in groups to receive feedback after seeing new activities modeled. Students who are struggling can get assistance from the instructor and other students in their peer group. 
O: Students have developed the fundamental components of their own stories and received detailed feedback on their ideas before writing the first draft of their own stories. 

Focus Question: How do you create a short story's fundamental components?

Language Skills Mini-Lesson

"You will soon draft the various parts of your short story, but first, in order to facilitate our discussion of pronouns, let's go back and revisit a few sentences from The House on Mango Street. We have been practicing using possessive, objective, and subjective pronouns in their correct cases. We will now look at intensive pronouns. Intensive pronouns highlight a noun or pronoun in the sentence and allude back to the sentence's subject. The suffix "-self" or "-selves" ends them. Take note of the intense pronoun in each of the following sentences after listening to them aloud from The House on Mango Street:"

“‘I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees.’” (My Name)

“‘Marin, under the streetlight, dancing by herself, is singing the same song somewhere.’” (Marin)

“‘They are without respect for all things living, including themselves.’” (There Was an Old Woman…)

“‘She takes her dog Bobo for a walk and laughs all by herself, that Ruthie.’” (Edna’s Ruthie)

“‘Bit by bit, after the monkey left, the garden began to take over itself.’” (The Monkey Garden)

“‘Things had a way of disappearing in the garden, as if the garden itself ate them, or, as if with its old man memory, it put them away and forgot them.’” (The Monkey Garden)

Together, go over the answers. 1. myself; 2. herself; 3. themselves; 4. herself; 5. itself; 6. itself.) Put a few of these sentences on the board, highlight the intense pronoun in each, and describe how the intensive pronoun highlights a noun or pronoun in the sentence or refers back to the source of the sentence in each case.

Write down on the board all of the intensive pronouns:

myself, himself, herself, itself, yourself/yourselves, themselves, ourselves

"Write a sentence using an intensive pronoun from the board's list. Explain why the pronoun you selected is intensive in the space provided below. Think carefully. What noun or pronoun does the pronoun emphasize, or what subject does it allude back to?

"With a companion, share your sentence. Pay close attention! Ask your companion to clarify why the pronoun "intensive" is used in your sentence. The pronoun refers back to which subject, and it emphasizes which noun or pronoun.

Did your partner get it right? If not, assist your companion in comprehending why. Raise your hand, and I'll assist if you're unsure."

Permit students to switch partners and carry out the activity once more.

Next, request example sentences from the students, have them copy a few onto the board, identify the intensive pronoun, and explain what noun or pronoun the pronoun emphasizes or refers back to. This can be practiced either orally or in writing.

"After learning how to recognize and define intensive pronouns, try to look for them when you write your own short story. Recall that their purpose is to draw attention to a noun or pronoun. Please let me know if you use an intense pronoun, and we'll share it with the class."

Part 1

Students should write their story ideas on top of a fresh sheet of notebook paper. Explain to them that they will use the 5 Ws to do some prewriting for their story. Request that they write the five Ws on the page in a vertical fashion, with lots of space between them. (If needed, have them refer to the chart paper from the start of Lesson 1.) Use your story idea as an example for them. "Consider your story like a movie for the time being. Who is involved, and what is going on? When and where does the narrative occur? Why are things taking place the way they are? For every letter W, write one or two sentences."

Say to the class after they have finished their 5 Ws, "Writers need to choose their point of view before they can make too many decisions about a story. When narrating a story, an author presents characters, events, and ideas from this point of view. " Explain the available points of view:

First-person: A character uses the pronoun "I" to narrate the tale.

Example: I was anxious for the hockey game to start, but I was still trembling in my skates even though I thought the team appeared ready.

Third-person limited: Because the story is told by an impartial narrator who refers to characters by the pronouns "he" or "she," readers' knowledge is limited to what one character is aware of.

For instance, he was anxious for the hockey game to start, even though he thought the team appeared prepared. He was still trembling in his skates.

Third-person omniscient: A third-party narrator who is not involved in the narrative uses the pronouns "he" or "she" to tell the story and reveal to readers the feelings and deeds of every character.

Example: He was trembling in his skates, anxious for the hockey game to start, despite the team's assurance and preparation.

Request proof from the students that they can identify the point of view in "Four Skinny Trees" or any other story from Lesson 1. In addition to identifying the first-person point of view, students should provide instances of how the narrator uses the pronouns "I" and "me" throughout the narrative. Ask them to consider how a different point of view from the author might have altered the plot. Ask, "Would we be aware of the same details about the narrator? Would the trees have significant roles to play? " Assist students in realizing that a shift in perspective impacts every aspect of a narrative. In light of this narrative, the first-person point of view heightens our emotional response as readers. It is far more intimate to be able to see and comprehend the narrator's relationship with the trees. She personifies the trees by observing them, which gives them the ability to become characters.

Consider telling your story from several perspectives.

Ask students to write the opening or a brief scene in the first person of the story they have imagined. Next, request that they rewrite the same scene in the third person, either limited or omniscient. Say, "You are in charge of your narrative. By selecting a specific point of view, you determine what information readers will learn or discover about characters and events." Allow students enough time to select the viewpoint they want to present. Pose queries to get them thinking about things like:

"Do you want to share the characters' thoughts and feelings from their minds, or do you want to tell your story 'from above,' looking down on them?"

"Consider your characters. Does the story benefit more from knowing what they are thinking, or is it best told from the outside, looking in?"

"How does the point of view you select affect other aspects of the story, such as the setting, plot, rising action, etc.?"

Distribute blank copies of the LW-6-2-1_Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer-Blank to every student. Inform the students that they will be working in pairs to provide and receive feedback on the development of their stories based on the graphic organizer after they have completed the organizer on their own.

Describe how to fill out the organizer. Direct them to start with the first column and list the main problem or conflict, the setting, the character or characters, the plot structure, and the message or theme they want to get across for each of the story's elements. Tell them to finish the figurative language cell last, once they have identified every other element. Request that they list any figurative language that they believe could enhance the narrative. Provide an example of these tasks for the students.

Next, say, "Now you are starting to write like a real writer," pointing to the evidence column. "You must consider the kinds of characters you want to create. Do they have kindness? Bewildered? Audacious? Consider how you will convey to your readers the types of characters your characters are. Character can be shown via speech, deeds, and revelations from the narrator, as in "Four Skinny Trees." Which proof are you going to provide? " Inform them that they need to fill in this column for every element of the story. Model by providing instances as required.

Lastly, indicate that they should write what they want the evidence's effect to be in the effect column. Ask, "What sort of reaction do you hope your readers will have? Do you wish for them to have empathy? Surprised? " Return the students' completed "Four Skinny Trees" (or another short story) organizer to them. Assist them in remembering the importance of the author's word choices, other literary devices, and their results. Tell them they are honing their author's craft as they finish the organizer.

As students finish the organizers, keep an eye on them to make sure they comprehend the assignment.

Part 2

Allow students some time to go over their finished organizers. Next, split the class into pairs. Inform them that they will assess one another's story organizers. Provide students with a list of questions to help them with their assessments, similar to the ones listed below. Make this list of questions specific to the writing strengths and weaknesses of your students, then post it for the class to use as a guide.

Will each character have a unique personality? Is there enough proof for readers to perceive and comprehend them?

Will the setting be obvious? Is the supporting data sufficient and relevant to paint a clear picture?

Will the reader be able to understand the conflict or issue?

Will the metaphorical language used in the story be appropriate? How will it advance the plot?

Will everything fit together in the plot? Does the plot come together in a way that completes the story? Is there a clear exposition at the start, rising action in the middle, and climax and resolution at the end?

Will the main idea be expressed clearly? Is it connected to the conflict, story, and characters?

Describe how the assessment is crucial since it will enable students to produce rough drafts of their short stories that are more polished and comprehensive. Say, "The majority of working writers belong to writers' associations." They provide and receive feedback in the same manner that you will. They are aware that this criticism will enable them to produce a better narrative." As they listen to feedback, instruct students to take detailed notes so they can determine what, if any, changes need to be made before they write the rough draft. Encourage students to consider the feedback as a chance to grow and to be receptive to their partner's recommendations. Gather the finished graphic organizers and notes after the lesson so you can review them before the next one.

Extension:

If the point of view is difficult for your students, assign them to retell a well-known story—like a fable or fairy tale—from a different perspective.

Ask students to sketch out the characters, setting, or events if they are having trouble coming up with story ideas. Students should then go back to the images and "translate" them into words.

Students who require further explanation of the effects of literary devices can look at "The Three Little Pigs" or any other well-known story and talk about how the narrative would be different if personification or dialogue repetition were not employed.

If students are having trouble giving feedback, ask them to go back and review one of their own earlier works. Have them analyze it as they would in a writing group, noting areas where their work could be improved.