I skipped writing a post last week due to the shortened week, and here we go with another one! Sometimes the shorter weeks turn out to be the busiest! I'm not complaining, though--found time outside of school is always a blessing. Speaking of blessings...in the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to express my gratitude for having such sweet, intelligent, and creative students under my wing. It is truly a privilege to be able to work with them each day!
It seems that most have returned energized and excited to dive into short story writing. Someone even texted me yesterday asking if they could begin--because they just couldn't NOT begin! Today we discussed why we're writing stories, reviewed the instructions and criteria, and I explained the process of moving through prewriting stations to drafting. These stations, covering character, setting, conflict/plot line, dialogue writing, and "show not tell" language, allow all students to engage the writing process in steps in order to dispel any feelings of angst. I've attached below the instruction handout outlining criteria and the prewriting tracking chart.
Homework:
Wednesday: think/list story ideas (any genre and topic)
Thursday: work on story prewriting station #1 as needed
Friday: finish station #1 prewriting
Short Story Writing Workshop (instructions/tracking chart)
