Plot Building: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Writing and Literary Analysis Skills in Grades 4 to 8

by Arlene F. Marks, Bette J. Walker

Overview

The Let Them Write Seriesis a classroom-tested, teacher-friendly resource for Language Arts teachers of grades 4 through 8. The program is organized in nine sections, each presenting a buffet of from five to nine 1- or 2-week modules. Each classroom-ready module consists of a series of comprehensive, easy-to-follow lesson plans complete with reproducible handouts and cross-curricular extensions, together creating a proven successful template for the teaching of writing and literary analysis skills.

Let Them Write: Plot Building focuses on conflict, suspense and narrative structure. Students practice first-drafting, editing, polishing and sharing original scenes and stories built around these three important elements of storytelling. The textcan be implemented in the classroom alone or in tandem with the two other titles in the Let Them Write Series —SETTING AND DESCRIPTION and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

Also of interest for classroom teachers is the Literacy: Made for All Series

• WORDSMITHING: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Nonfiction Writing and Analysis Skills in the High School Grades

• ENJOYING LITERATURE: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Fiction and Poetry Analysis Skills in the High School Grades

• STORY CRAFTING: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Fiction Writing in the High School Grades

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475818383
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/16/2015
Series:	Let Them Write: Building Literacy Skills
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Arlene F. Marks holds degrees in Modern Languages and Education from the University of Toronto and has twenty years of experience teaching high school English, Literacy and Writer's Craft at all levels from Pre-Advanced Placement to Remedial. Arlene is the author of From First Word to Last (2013, Legacy Books Press) and the LITERACY: MADE FOR ALL series (2014, R & L Education). She welcomes visitors to her web site, www.thewritersnest.ca.

Bette J. Walker holds degrees in English and Education from York University (Toronto) and has thirty years’ experience teaching in Junior (grades 3 to 6) and Intermediate (grades 7 and 8) classrooms. She also spent three years as a Language Arts Consultant with the York Region District School Board (Ontario, Canada). Bette is the author of Adolescent Literacy (York Region DSB), THE DRAMA PROCESS series (with Frank Smith, Summit Educational Services), and Teaching Excellence 101 (Edupress).

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO LET THEM WRITE
Messages from the authors
How to implement this program
The aims and objectives of this program
How to implement Let Them Read
Writing a literary essay
The aims and objectives of Let Them Read
Setting up a writer-friendly classroom
Authors need a writing plan
Publishing students' work
NCCS Anchors addressed


SECTION 1: SUSPENSE

SKILL 1: USING SETTINGS TO BUILD SUSPENSE
As students practice choosing and describing settings in ways that build suspense, they may become more observant about their own surroundings.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 1—SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS Worksheet
PBR 2—SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS HAVE Worksheet

SKILL 2: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Between Hero and Villain
As young authors practice describing a race between the protagonist and antagonist of a story, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 3—WHO WILL WIN THE RACE?
PBR 4—RACE BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE VILLAIN

SKILL 3: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Against the Clock
As students practice describing a character rushing to beat a deadline, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 5—RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Worksheet

SKILL 4: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Near Misses
Young authors will practice using timing to create and intensify suspense in a story. In the process, they may come to understand the role played by timing in determining the course of events in real life.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 6—TIMING CREATES SUSPENSE

SKILL 5: MAXIMIZING SUSPENSE BY TEASING
Young authors will practice building maximum suspense by creating a 'knowledge gap' between the reader and the main character. In the process, they will come to appreciate the story-telling skill shown by the authors they are studying in class.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 7—CREATING MAXIMUM SUSPENSE
PBR 8—SUSPENSE BY TEASING Worksheet

SKILL 6: MAINTAINING SUSPENSE BY KEEPING THE BALANCE OF POWER
Student authors will practice keeping the outcome of the conflict between protagonist and antagonist in doubt by ensuring that their respective strengths remain equal throughout the story. In the process, students may come to appreciate the value of qualities other than physical strength in determining a winner.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 9—MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF POWERPBR 10—THE BALANCE OF POWER

SKILL 7: DEVELOPING THE SUSPENSE IN A SITUATION
As students practice using a variety of suspense-building techniques to make a story exciting, they may come to appreciate the potential for suspense in every situation.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 11—SUSPENSEFUL STORY SITUATIONS
PBR 12—SUSPENSE BUILDING TECHNIQUES


SECTION 2: DRAMATIC CONFLICT

SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING DRAMATIC CONFLICT
By learning to identify the presence of dramatic conflict in a story, student authors will be better able to know whether it is present in their own writing.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 13—DRAMATIC CONFLICT Worksheet

SKILL 2: BUILDING DRAMATIC CONFLICT
Young authors practice building conflict as a first step in developing a story. In the process, they may come to understand the fundamental role played by dramatic conflict in real-life narratives as well.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 14—DRAMATIC CONFLICT B Sheet

SKILL 3: CREATING TEXTURE WITH THREE KINDS OF CONFLICT
As young authors practice including more than one antagonist in a story, they will become more aware of the role played by dramatic conflict in creating texture, deepening suspense, and increasing reader engagement.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 15—THREE TYPES OF CONFLICT

SKILL 4: UNDERSTANDING STORY GOALS AND SCENE GOALS
As student authors practice identifying their main characters' goals, they will learn how to plan and organize a complete story with more confidence. In the process, they may come to understand how having short-term and long-term goals can help them to plan the narrative of their own lives.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 16—STORY GOAL AND SCENE GOALS
PBR 17—SCENES TAKE SHAPE


SECTION 3: STORY STRUCTURE

SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Change Story
As young authors practice organizing a story around a main character who must adapt to a major upheaval in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people are constantly being changed by their experiences.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 18—STORY OUTLINE Worksheet
PBR 19—A CHANGE STORY Worksheet

SKILL 2: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Problem Story
As student authors practice organizing a story around a character attempting to resolve a problem in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people learn and grow from the experience of problem-solving, whether or not an attempt is successful.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 20—A PROBLEM STORY Worksheet

SKILL 3: UNDERSTANDING SCENE STRUCTURE
A grasp of scene-building is fundamental to good story-writing. As students practice constructing and ordering scenes, they may also come to realize how powerful cause and effect are in determining the sequence of events of real life.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 21—STRUCTURE OF A SCENE Worksheet A

SKILL 4: LINKING SCENES
Student authors practice creating coherence in a story by making individual scenes flow together into a seamless narrative. In the process, they may begin to appreciate the importance of this skill in making any type of writing more engaging for the reader.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 22—OUTLINE YOUR SCENES Chart

SKILL 5: WRITING OPENING SCENES
As students learn about and practice writing interesting and engaging beginnings to stories, they may come to understand how important first impressions are in real life as well as in literature.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 23—SETTINGS AND PURPOSES

SKILL 6: WRITING CLOSING SCENES The Climax and Denouement
Student authors will learn about and practice making the end of a story emotionally satisfying to the reader. In the process, they may come to realize how important closure is in real life as well.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 24—REAL GOALS AND STATED GOALS
PBR 25—CHARACTERS AND STATED GOALS

Editorial Reviews

As a novice to teaching English, having taught only Science for twenty years, I found the Let Them Write/ Let Them Read program was easy to follow and easy to implement. This is a structured program for the teacher and built for the individual levels of ability of the students. My students’ enthusiasm for writing and reading, and their blossoming literary skills, resulted in their achieving the highest English language standard for the school. Every student advanced significantly in grade level during the instructional time frame. Every student was successful every day in this program.

Adde Walker

As a writer and teacher of creative writing at a university level, I know how challenging it is to break down the elements of good prose into language that is easily understood. The first step in 'teaching' creative writing is demystifying the process, dispelling fears that 'my writing sucks', while emphasizing the importance of narrative drive. Let Them Write provides building blocks that even the most creative- writing resistant teacher can deliver to students. To all those doubting their ability to inspire young people to write, grab hold of a copy of Let Them Write, follow the carefully orchestrated guidelines, sit back and let your students amaze you.

Cordelia Strube