You've read a whole unit of stories. Now write one of your own, starting with the plan.
Not started yet.
Students will plan and draft a short story of their own on a topic of their choice. They'll prewrite a character, a conflict and a setting, fill in the four parts of the story arc from Lesson 3, and write a first draft on paper.
Prewriting means making the main decisions before drafting: who the story is about, what he's struggling against, and where and when it happens. The arc turns those decisions into a shape: a basic situation that shows the conflict, complications that make it harder, a climax that decides it, and a resolution that settles it.
A draft is a first version, written to the end without stopping to fix it. Revising is the next lesson.
The most common trouble is a story with no conflict, where the character simply has a nice day, and a close second is a plan with no climax. If he can't say what the character is struggling against, the plan isn't ready. Another trouble is stopping to polish while drafting, which usually means the draft is never finished.
Sit with the student for the arc step and ask what the character wants and what stands in the way. Don't suggest the topic. This lesson is graded on a completed plan and a completed draft, and the draft doesn't need to be polished yet.
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Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
Questions about the story you just read. Pick your answer straight off, or press Find it in the story if you would rather hunt for the sentence first.
Part Two
The word cards are at the top of this page. Look back at them as often as you need, then answer.