Course Description
The course, Story Writing 101: Parts of a Story, provides young writers with the tools needed to write creative and interesting stories. The instruction and practice will focus on how to identify and develop characters, settings, plots, and conclusions for an original story. 

Planning guides and graphic organizers will be provided to assist students in writing a story plan. The instructional focus will be on trait-based writing and developing skills in the writing areas of conventions, voice, ideas, word choice, sentence fluency, and organization. 

Activities for Sessions One and Two - Identifying and Describing Characters

1. Class and course introductions: In the introduction, the students will share what they know about storytelling or story writing.  The teacher will provide an overview of the course and sessions one and two. 

2. Opening: The teacher reads the familiar story, “The Three Little Pigs,” from The-Three-Little-Pigs-PDF.pdf (familyandhomeliving.com). 

3. Guided Practice: After reading the story, the teacher will have the students work as a group to describe the pig with a straw house, the pig with a twig house, the pig with a brick house, and the wolf. As the students describe each of the characters, the teacher will chart the student's responses. The teacher will also emphasize the importance of making descriptions clear so others can easily identify the characters.

4. Independent Practice/Identify the Characters:  After describing the characters from the story, The Three Little Pigs, the students will be instructed to list at least three main characters from a book of their choice and write words and phrases to describe each character. When finished, the students will share their character descriptions and provide evidence that supports the description they gave for each character. 

5. Guided & Independent Practice/Describe the Characters: The students will practice writing character descriptions in four different activities. The first activity is guided practice. It begins with the teacher providing the students with a list of descriptive words and phrases. Next, the teacher will show the students photos of a girl walking a dog and a robot. The students will work with the teacher to choose be instructed to choose words and phrases from the provided list to describe each photo. After describing each of the characters, the students will pick one of the characters (the girl, the dog, or the robot) to introduce in a paragraph. The paragraph that introduces the chosen character should include the descriptive words and phrases provided at the beginning of the activity. 

6. Independent Practice/Describe the Characters: In this activity, the students will be given a list of descriptive words and phrases and three photographs. The photographs are images of an elephant, a monkey, and a zookeeper. Independently, the students will pick one of the images and write a character description in a paragraph using words and phrases from the provided list. When complete, the students will share their descriptions with the class and offer feedback on each description. 

7. Guided Practice/Describe the Characters: In this activity, the students will be given three photographs. The photos include images of a cowboy, a cowgirl, and a western sheriff. The students will NOT be provided with a list of words and phrases. They will work in pairs or groups to generate at least seven words and seven phrases that would be good to describe each of the characters in the three photos. When the students have generated their lists, they will share their lists with the class. After sharing, each student will select one character and use the descriptive words and phrases they created to write a description of their selected character. The descriptions should describe how the character looks and how they would think or behave. The description should not specifically identify the character. It should be clear so that anyone reading the description would know the character being described. 

8. Independent Practice/Describe the Characters: In this activity, the students are given photographs of a wrestler, a princess, and a pirate. Independently, each student must generate seven words or phrases for one of the photographs and write a one-paragraph description. In the paragraph, the students should describe how the character looks and how they think the character would act or behave. When complete, the students will share their descriptions with the class. 

9. Evaluation: After the students have completed the practice activities for describing characters, they will create an original character. They will begin by drawing a picture of their character and then writing a descriptive paragraph. When they have finished, they will share their description paragraphs with the class without showing the drawing of their character. Students will try to guess the identity of the character. After several guesses, the student author will reveal the character's identity. 

10. The lesson concludes with an assignment for each student to create character descriptions for three different original characters. These characters will become part of a plan for writing an original story. 

Activities for Sessions Three and Four: Identifying the Setting

1. Opening: The students will begin by sharing the three original characters they developed for their original story. Then, the teacher will introduce the next lesson by defining the setting as both the location where the story takes place and the time in which it occurs.

2. Introduction Activity/Identify the Setting: After discussing the setting, the teacher will read ‘Part One – You are Entering Camp Green Lake,’ from the novel Holes, by Louis Sachar. The students will be directed to listen for the purpose of identifying the location of the story and the words and phrases that describe the setting. The teacher will record the student's response and then lead a discussion of how the setting may change as the story develops. 

3. Guided Practice/Describe the Setting: Next, the teacher will provide the students with a photo of a desert scene. The students will also be given a list of 18 different words and descriptive phrases. The students will select words or phrases that describe the scene and then write a paragraph describing the scene. The students will share their completed paragraphs and discuss their work with the class. 

4. Independent Practice/Describe the Setting: After completing their paragraphs describing the desert setting, the 
students will be given a photograph of an underwater scene with a list of 18 descriptive words and phrases. The students will select words or phrases that describe the scene and then write a paragraph describing the scene. Then, the students will share their completed paragraphs and discuss their work with the class. 

5. Guided Practice/Describe the Setting: Students will continue to practice writing descriptions of settings. The guided practice involves the students choosing one photo from a group of three photos. The photos include an island beach scene, a scene from outer space, and a fairy tale castle. After choosing one of the settings to describe, the students must develop a list of original words and phrases to use in a one-paragraph description. The students will share their final work. 

6. Independent Practice/Describe the Setting: This practice follows the same directions as the guided practice. They will use three different photos, generate descriptive words and phrases, and write descriptive paragraphs. The photos include a city skyscraper scene, a scene of a ship sailing on the ocean, and a desert pueblo scene. The students will share their final work. 

7. Evaluation: To demonstrate their understanding, the students will draw a setting and then write a paragraph describing the setting that includes the location and time. The students will share their completed paragraphs and discuss them with the class.

8. Assignment: The session concludes with the students creating a setting for the characters they planned for their original story. 

Activities for Sessions Five & Six: Plot of the Story

1. Opening: The session begins with students sharing their story plans that include their three original characters and their plan for their story's setting. After the students share, the teacher will discuss how the plot of a story includes the events or actions that affect the characters in a story. 

2. Introduction Activity/Identifying the Plot: The teacher will read the story, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by A. Wolf.” The students will be listening for the purpose of identifying the important events of the story, the characters, the setting, the plot, and the conclusion. As students identify the story elements, the teacher will record the events in a list for students to examine. 

3. Guided Practice/Describe the Plot: The teacher will provide an illustration of a camping scene and a list of 12 descriptive phrases. The students will select phrases from the list that describe what is shown in the illustration. Using their selected phrases, the students will write a paragraph describing what is happening in the illustration. 

4. Independent Practice/Describe the Plot: After the students share their paragraphs describing the plot of the camping scene, they will be given a sequence of illustrations. The illustrations will be of an underwater diver and a treasure chest. The students will be given a set of phrases to select from to write a paragraph about what is happening in the illustration. 

5. Guided Practice/Describe the Plot: After sharing their paragraphs about the underwater illustration, the teacher will provide students with three illustrations that involve flat tires on three different types of vehicles.  The students will select one illustration and write a description of the situation that is illustrated. Their writing should describe other events that may happen due to the situation. Their writing should also be clear so that the reader can easily identify the illustration chosen for the description. 

6. Independent Practice/Describe the Plot: After sharing their writing about the flat tires, the students will be given three more pictures illustrating children with three different types of boxes. Again, students will select an illustration to describe in a paragraph. Their paragraphs should identify other events that may happen in the chosen situation. Also, the descriptions should be clear so that the reader can easily identify the illustration chosen for the description. 

7. Independent Practice/Create a Plot: After sharing their paragraphs, the students will be directed to reflect upon the three different original characters and setting they created in sessions one, two, three, and four. Using those original characters and setting, the students will be instructed to 1) think about what may happen to those characters in the setting they described and 2) describe three problems or events that might occur in their stories. Students will share their plans for a story using their original characters and story setting. 

8.  Guided Practice/Identify the Conclusion: After sharing, the teacher will guide the students in comparing the conclusions of the two stories, “The Three Little Pigs” and “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf.” In the comparison, the students will discuss 1) how the author ended each story, 2) if the ending solved the problem faced by the characters, 3) the sensibility of the endings, and 4) the importance of perspective in choosing an ending to a story. 

9. Choose a Conclusion: The students will be given provided two different problem situations with four different conclusions for each. Both problem situations will be provided as two separate practices. In each practice, the students will be instructed to select a conclusion, explain why they picked the conclusion, write a different conclusion for the same problem situation, and create an illustration to accompany their original conclusion.  

10. Choose a Conclusion: The students will be given two different stories to read and write a reasonable ending for each one. When completed, the students will share their conclusions with the class. 

11.	Wrap-Up: The students will think about the problems their original characters have faced and write a conclusion that resolves the problems and ends their stories.  

12.	End-of-Story Writing 101: The students will share their writing for their original stories. The stories should include three characters, a setting, a plot, and a conclusion. 

13.	Wrap-Up: Course evaluation.

14. Next Steps: Story Writing 102: Writing in Different Genres