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Delete - Last Modified By: JCA at 18/03/2014 5:49:47 PM
STUDENT ACTIVITY 1
Planning:
1.
When does
your story begin? My story
begins just when the war begins.
2.
What is your
story line?
Beginning:
Middle:
End:
3. Is there a problem to be solved? The main character must try and survive.
4. Who are the main characters? Describe them.
5. Where is your story set? My story is set in Germany.
6. Does the setting change? The setting changes from the city to the country when the main character escapes and hides in a mountain range.
6. Is there any
description of feelings? There are descriptions of feelings when the main character finds a safe place to sleep after being so cold and exhausted. Also at the beginning when he panics and must try and find his family after the village has been occupied by soldiers.
7. Is there
dialogue? Yes there is dialogue to make it more real. I have used dialogue for the soldiers.
This is an unfinished sample of the questions you need to answer on your short story. Notice that it lacks sufficient detail. Make sure you provide more detail than this. Attach this to your final story.
For example when and how does your story begin?
STUDENT ACTIVITY 2
SETTING and INTRODUCTION
A quick look at establishing place in your introduction..
Essential details are needed so that the reader can 'see', 'hear', 'feel' and 'touch' the place you have described.
Example 1 : Example 1 : The sun set and the children were already tired as the train lurched through the mountains. Through the cracks in the carriage walls they could see snow and dark trees which had replaced the familiar buildings of the towns they had been taken from. The smell inside the train was strong. Human waste and fear mixed together to create a toxic place. David fell hard against the wall as he had almost fallen asleep from exhaustion. He felt claustrophobic being with so many in such a small space. His throat was dry and he felt hungry and dizzy but still he managed not to fall.
Discussion - what could this be describing? Why did they transport Jewish children in World War 2 in such terrible conditions?
How is the setting described? Is it warm and welcoming or not?
What is the protagonist's 'problem' at the beginning of the story?
Will he reach his destination (what could it be?) or will he manage to escape?
How will the story be developed?
How will it end?
(read survivor's stories of the Jewish transport : http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-camps/daily-life/journeys/#.UuNQ4ze4ZlY )
Example 2 : Silence except for the buzzing of flies. Stephan opened his eyes, barely knowing where he was. The dust in the trench had settled on him as if he was already buried. He shook it off and looked around, carefully. No wounds on his body. Then he remembered the massive burst of gunfire from the enemy. Stephan was the last man; all others had left, assuming he was dead, and with him were his fallen comrades. Here he was in a zig-zag of trenches in a land where no trees would grow and bomb craters were hollowed into the earth. Alone.
Setting - is sound described? How does this add to the story? Is place described? Where is the main character Stephan? Could he be a German soldier?
Short story elements :
All stories have a beginning,
middle and end – a problem to be solved – or leave readers with a ‘cliff
hanger’. Not all stories have a full resolution as the writer may choose to
leave the reader questioning/imagining what happens next, or, the resolution
may be clear-cut.
Checklist
Who? This may mean who is the main protagonist if there is one or other characters who are important to your story - protagonists and antagonists.
What? Plot - what happens in your narrative at the beginning, middle and end? Is there
a climax in your story or are there a number of incidents that build up to the main
event? How do you maintain readers' interest?
Where? Place, setting, time, era, more than one setting?
When? Time, era, World War I or 2, or the Vietnam War, or a futuristic war
Why? Reasons for writing the story? Reasons for choosing the plot, character
and setting.
Edit Delete - Last Modified By: JCA at 13/01/2014 9:13:03 PM