Assignment 2 Blog

Fiction Short Story Use your Giant I Refer to

Writing Rubric

A story about characters who have a problem and need to solve it

2-3 characters
3rd person (about the characters)
3-4 settings (scenes)
Resolution
Lesson Learned
Uses DANT (Dialogue, Action, Narration, and Thought)

Planning Fiction
C: Characters
P: Problem
W: Why it was really a problem what was going on in the characters life that
made this really bad?
FS1: Failed Solution 1
FS2: Failed Solution 2
R: Resolution (in the end)
LL: Lesson Learned

Sample Realistic Fiction #1 Lost Key

While walking home from school on Friday, Anthony was busy thinking about
all of the gifts he was going to get for his 12 th birthday party tomorrow. I bet Im
getting a cell phone from mom and dad, Anthony was bragging to his sister Maria.
Not if you dont finish your chores. Mom and dad said that you have to be
more responsible, Maria answered back, kind of jealous of her older brother.
Anthony knew she was right. But it was ok, he was getting home early enough to
clean his bathroom for the party and Mom wouldnt even know he put it off until the
last minute. While searching in his backpack for his keys Anthony had a sick feeling
in his stomach. He forgot his keys! How was he going to get in and clean his
bathroom in time?
Maria rolled her eyes. Great job! Now the only phone youre getting is a toy
one!
Anthony grabbed his little sisters hand and ran to Mrs. Hirshs house. He knew she
had a key to their house. Problem solved, he thought. Thankfully, Mrs. Hirsh was
home and answered the door. Maria explained their problem and Mrs. Hirsh opened
up a large junk drawer and looked for the correct keys. When she pulled out a key
Anthonys heart sank. Thats our old key! We got a new front door two months
ago.
Call mommy, Maria said.
Anthony knew that was going to be a problem. Mom was working late tonight
on a very important project and would never be able to leave work to come and
open the door. Especially since Mrs. Hirsh was home to watch them. He sighed and
thought, there goes my new iPhone!
Anthony and Maria stayed at Mrs. Hirshs house and even ate dinner there until
Mom called that she was home. There was no way to hide the fact that once again,

Anthony wasnt responsible enough do his chores. He knew his parents were not
going to trust him to be responsible with a new phone, especially an expensive one.
He was going to spend the next few months trying to change their minds. Just in
time for Christmas!

10 Prompts at a Glance:
third person prompts
Prompt 1: Jeff is in the middle of a thunderstorm when the power
goes out.
Prompt 2: Maya is trying to find a lost puppy when she too gets lost.
Prompt 3: Deon and Brandon are climbing a tree when the branch
they are on breaks.
Prompt 4: Maria has a kitchen disaster while she is trying to cook
breakfast for her grandmother.
Prompt 5: Tonys class trip to the zoo goes array when he finds a
snake out of its cage.
first person prompts
Prompt 6: Youre nervous at your first tryouts for the basketball
team.
Prompt 7: Your brother creates a disaster while you are trying to
babysit him.
Prompt 8: Youre over at a friends house for dinner when her mother
serves something unrecognizable.
Prompt 9: Your birthday gift is sitting on the table. When you reach
out to touch it the box wiggles.
Prompt 10: Its the first snow day of the school year and your
neighbor is prepping for a big snowball fight.

Watch the Video to help you understand

Realistic Fiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su3R-igFFtQ

Qualities of Short Realistic Fiction Writing:

Establishes a situation (problem and why it is a problem or conflict and why it is a conflict)
Introduces 2-3 characters and writes from the 3 rd person point of view
Has a clear sequence of events
Uses a variety of transition words and phrases (then, all of a sudden, next) to move through the
events
Provides a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events (resolution)
Elaborates consistently across the entire piece

 Uses dialogue and description to develop experiences and events

Includes actions to move the characters through the story
Establishes each new scene with a description including the 5 Ws
Includes some thoughts/feelings/reactions that the characters are experiencing
Uses words, phrases, and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely
Optional: Attempts some compositional risks such as: creative word choice, analogy, metaphor,
other figurative language, simile, repetition, etc.
Optional: Communicates a lesson, insight, or reflection/connection through the narrative
Use grade appropriate capitalization, punctuation and spelling
Day to Day Unit Plan for Realistic Fiction:
Week 1: Immersion Read and Understand the Genre before you are
Assigned to Write
Day 1 Explore the Genre (small group exploration with teacher circulation and
support)
o Name the new genre (were studying).
o Students are given a packet of 3-5 student-written examples. (See attached.)
o Put students in groups and have them read together and jot what they notice all
the texts seem to have in common in terms of features and characteristics.
Ex: Realistic Fiction 2-4 scenes/locations, 3rd person, has a problem, etc.
Day 2 Write the Recipe (whole class instruction) See attached.
o Bring groups together with their observations from previous day
o Post a blank piece of chart paper/smart board and co-create it with students:
What do we notice about ALL Short Realistic Fiction Stories?
o Write the recipe for the genre with the key ingredients necessary
o Students copy the recipe on an index card to save on a ring for test prep or
later review
Day 3 Highlight and Mark Up a Sample Text using the Recipe Card to find the
ingredients
o Select one text from the Immersion packet
o Every student needs a highlighter and pen

o Take out recipe card and as each ingredient is listed, show students where it
appears in the sample text. Highlight it and label it with pen so students have a
reference tool
Ex: This is the hook. It is the first sentence.
Day 4 Small Groups Highlight and Mark Up Another Sample Text
o Students sit with their groups
o Pick any other text from the packet and highlight and mark up the ingredients
o Teacher circulates and monitors confusion, questions, etc.
o Bring back and debrief start to notice different types of hooks, different
transitions, etc. (Dont post it or write it anywhere just expose them to some of the
different ways writers express themselves while in the same genre)
Day 5 Planning Tool
o Now that we know the recipe and see the ingredients in the texts, how do writers
plan this sort of writing?
o Introduce the planning tool - CPW FS1 FS2 R LL (See attached.)
o Model creating one (DO NOT give student a copy. They need to know how to
make it themselves.)
o Students work in their small groups to Back-Plan one of the pieces from the
Immersion packet. What do you think this writers plan looked like?
o Students add plan to the back of the recipe card.
Week 2 Brainstorming and Planning in the Genre
Day 1 Brainstorming
o Students will learn how writers come up with ideas for writing within the genre
Think of a problem you have had or you have read about. (e.g. someone wants
something badly, something gets broken, etc.)
o Use the planning tool to just plan a potential piece that fits the genre
o If time permits, plan a second piece (or HW?)
Day 2 Pre-Assessment Sample
o Students will write a draft using their plan from the previous day
o Give them time and paper and have them write the actual piece from start to
finish
o Collect and Assess based on the Qualities of Good Writing Chart (see attached) to
determine needs (Structure/Elaboration/Craft/Meaning + Significance)
o Optional Give green/red pen on next day and return piece. Ask students to
correct any grammatical (any conventions) errors they see with their green/red pen.
Collect and use to assess small group instruction for conventions.
Based on the data, tailor whole group instruction to where the majority of the
class falls
Tailor small group instruction based on individual needs
Structure: Planning and writing each portion of the piece (Intro, body,
conclusions, sequencing a story, etc.)
Elaboration: DANT (dialogue, action, narration, and thoughts)

Craft: Word choice, transition use, sentence variety, compositional risk, voice,
etc.
Meaning/Significance: compelling the reader to agree, insight into the topic,
lesson or meaning stated or strongly implied, etc.
Conventions: Grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, syntax, usage,
handwriting, paragraphing, etc.
Day 3 Setting up the Writing Process and Independent Writing
o Give students their teams for this unit (Structure Team, Elaboration Team, Craft
Team, Meaning Team, Conventions Team). Have them sit together and understand
their Goal as a team.
o Explain how over the next few weeks they will be using their Writers Notebooks to
get ideas for several pieces they will be writing within the genre
o They will select a few ideas from the notebook to draft on lined paper or type
o They will work in their teams to revise based on their goals (Structure,
Elaboration, etc.)