Two Short Story Forms: Narrative Memoir Writing, Timed Creative Writing, Rubrics

Scar Stories is a Narrative Writing Unit to help prepare students to write essays for test assessment in grades 6 through 12. Timed Creative Writing Stuck in an Enclosed Space is a fun two-day writing experience.

Scar Stories description:

Classroom activities include discussion of the Survivor television show relating to scars the participants might bring away from the show.

Red Badge of Courage character Henry Fleming is also discussed and this activity will work whether the class is reading the novel or not.

Students will compare and contrast two poems about scars.

Song lyrics (on youtube) for two songs relating to the theme are also included.

After the pre-writing activities, students will write a personal survivor story based on a scar or "red badge of courage" that each student will possess.

A copy of a human skeleton will allow students to indicate where they have scars or have had broken bones, accidents, or surgeries. Each student will decide on one scar to focus writing about from the personal diagram. (Emotional scars such as a broken heart due to a divorce, death, or personal relationship will be acceptable.)

Please contact seller with any questions. Seller is a member of National Writing Project and a Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant recipient.

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Non-Fiction Test Prep 3 Tiers

Writing Fluency: Fifteen Minute Quickwrites

Creative Writing: Enclosed Space

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Timed Creative Writing Stuck In An Enclosed Space:

Stuck in an Enclosed Space is a Creative Writing Unit to help prepare students to write essays for test assessment in grades 6 through 12. Writing fluency and description are important parts of the lesson. Students should write in active voice and show, not tell, what is happening in the enclosed space. Dialogue can also add much to the voice in the story.

Classroom activities include discussion of the elements of writing including what makes people want to read a story or novel. Students should review what the beginning, middle, and end of a story are before beginning the timed writing activity.

The classroom teacher will need a timer and a projector is recommended to project the five illustrated prompts within the story.

A creative writing rubric is included for students to use during writing revision and should be discussed before students begin to write.

Students will write five seven minute segments of the enclosed space story. The teacher will tell the students at the end of five minutes that they have two minutes left. A powerpoint presentation with questions, illustrated using clip art from several TPT artists, may be projected as students write about each section. Each prompt will take the story in a new direction. The timed lesson will work if it is read and not projected if the teacher prefers to not use the powerpoint.

At the end of the first day, students will be asked to revise their writing into a first draft. Students may add to what they wrote during the timed sessions to improve their description, writing conventions, and transitions. They should have a completed first draft that is ready for peer editing when they arrive for the second day of class.

A PQP peer review sheet is available in a Microsoft Word document which may be printed for students to use. The form is also in the powerpoint presentation.

After two students finish their peer review of each other's papers, they may write their final draft of the story. It is recommended that students share their stories in groups of four. They may either display them on the class writing wall or read them during Author's Chair.

An Exit Pass is available in a Microsoft Word document which may be printed for students. The Exit Pass is also in the powerpoint presentation if the teacher wishes to project it.

Extended Activities for the classroom are presented in the powerpoint if the teacher wishes to expand the lesson with follow-up activities.

PowerPoint Slides, Google Slides, pings, and pdf. Student handouts in docx and pdf.

This lesson has been successful in my English 10 classroom for many years and is often listed in the "Ten Things You Must Continue To Do Next Year" survey at the end of the year.

Students will work in small groups of four with a narrative writing rubric and will provide each other with constructive peer editing on their first drafts. A form for peer editing is provided.

Students will share the final draft in groups of four and will have the option to share the story with the class during Author's Chair or to display it on the class writing wall.

This lesson was used in a National Writing Project Winter Retreat Workshop and has been successful in my English 10 classroom.

Google Slides and Powerpoint. Google flattens the links pages so the links will not work but they will work from the Powerpoint slides. Pdf and pings included. Docx and pdf of Tweet page. Pdf of rubric, student activities page instructions, and copy of skeleton page. Contact seller in Q and A of store with any questions.