Post Assessment Task

Creative Writing

Post-Assessment

Grade 7/8

 

Directions

 

Please respond to one of the prompts provided in the box below. Your writing should show that you can organize and express your thoughts clearly and that you have responded completely to the prompt (topic). Remember to use creativity, voice and expression in your response. You may choose whatever genre you like (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or drama), but be sure to format your writing correctly.

 

Choose one of the following prompts to respond to: 1. The asteroid was hurtling straight for… 2. He turned the key in the lock and opened the door.  To his horror, he saw… 3. Silvery flakes drifted down, glittering in the bright light of the harvest moon.  The blackbird… 4. You walk into your house and it’s completely different—furniture, décor, all changed.  And nobody’s home.

 

 

Example Script

EXAMPLE SCRIPT: STAGE PLAY FORMAT


The following is laid out in the way we like to have all scripts sent to us. Here are a

few Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

1. Use Microsoft Word or equivalent text document

2. Use a popular font type such as Arial and 12 point size

3. Single line spaced

4. Character names should be bold and CAPITALS

5. Character names contained in stage directions should be ITALIC AND

CAPITALS

6. Dialogue is indented from the character name

7. Stage directions are to be in italics

8. Stage directions within dialogue should be (in brackets and italics)

Don’t:

1. Use the space bar to indent the dialogue. That’s what Tabs are for

2. Lay your script out using a Table. That drives us nuts!

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ACT I SCENE 1

Set in 1950’s style diner, “McDenny’s”, in the present day England. BERYL is sitting

at the back of a “u” shaped booth. She is tucking into a large burger and reading a

gas bill

Enter LYNDA, SUSAN and RODERICK

LYNDA: (speaking to SUSAN and ROD as they make their way over to BERYL)

...put your back into it man, I said, use some elbow grease, don’t just

tickle it, I want to see my face in it... Hi Beryl...

BERYL hides the burger under the table

BERYL: Oh hi

SUSAN: (sits at the table at the left side of BERYL) He was doing his best.

ROD: Hi

LYNDA: I don’t want to see any smear marks and don’t bend the aerial or I’ll stop it

out of your wages.

LYNDA and ROD sit to the right of BERYL

SUSAN: Lynda, I think you’re being a bit harsh. Hi Beryl

LYNDA: If you’re going to do something, do it right that’s what I say.

One Act Play Assignment

ASSIGNMENT 
A one act play can have as few as one character or as many as 15. It can be set in anytime, cover any theme, be in any language and tell any type of story. The only real definable feature is that a one act play simply has only that, one act. It is like a short story told only with dialogue.

Your assignment, worth 100 points is to write your own one act play. Your plays should be typed and formatted properly. This assignment, besides the guidelines below, is pretty wide open. I encourage you to write what you know and to write about what interests you. Your play can be anything you want it to be. It can be a play for kids. It can have musical numbers, be set in outer space or inside your own house. You can be the star of the play or it can be about people who are nothing like you. You tell the story you want to tell!

*This assignment addresses NYS Arts Standards 1 and 2, along with Common Core Standards for ELA. We will discuss these standards in class tomorrow!


GUIDELINES

• At least 4 pages long (This is easier than expected when writing a play.)
• 12 pt. font
• Follows proper dramatic format
• Is an original creation- all your own work!

TIMELINE

The following are dates when you will have to get something turned in to show your progress and receive feedback. These check-in dates are a third of your grade, 

Wednesday, May 25, 2016- A synopsis, or a summary of your one act play. Compile a list of characters. Identify the conflict; explain how the plot proceeds and how your play will end. 

Friday, May 27, 2016- Minimum of two pages of your play with dialogue and stage directions hand written or typed. 

Wednesday, June 1, 2016- Typed rough draft of your play (at least four pages completed.) 

Friday, June 3, 2016- Final copies of your play typed and turned in by the end of the class period. 

Reminders

• You will receive various resources to help you with the play writing process. Please keep these materials organized and use them!
• If you are unsure of something, ask for help. 
• This is an arts class- do not be afraid to find your voice. 
• Have fun!

Scary Story Guidelines

Today is the second day of our horror and suspense writing workshop. In order to complete your assignment properly, it is important to review the difference between horror and suspense.

Suspense writing keeps the reader at the edge of his/her seat, while horror is more gory.

YOUR TASK

 

Write a short story using horror and suspense.

 

• Stories must be 3-5 pages typed and double spaced.
•  HINT: Use paragraphs and dialogue.
• You must use a 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial font.

 

DUE DATE

• This is assignment is due on Wednesday, May 25th
• Rough Drafts are due this Friday, May 20th.

Reminder

*Your planning pages will be graded. You will get them tomorrow. There are extra copies on the front table!

Here are the elements that make a great scary story!

---

1. Fear

Fear is by far the most important factor of a great horror story. The real trick to constructing a story based on fear is making sure you can scare people with fears they may not have. 

Think about it: Not everyone is afraid of spiders.

Along with establishing fears and connecting them with audiences, it's important to keep an element of surprise. 

2. Surprise

Getting someone to fear what you've created isn't the hardest part; making the fear surprising is. We looked at the example of spiders earlier, lets come back to it again. Once you can make someone fear spiders, you have to keep the surprises going. 

How many ways can a spider story go? If you try to jot them down, you might end up with a page of ideas or so. Right off the bat, I scribbled down about 49 ways. 
  

---

3. Suspense

Some of the greatest stories are also the most suspenseful.

Some surprises come at the end of a long suspense. The best scenario consists of someone waiting for something to happen, and when it does it's completely unexpected. An expansion on the same scenario includes fear. We might even know what will happen to character based on their fears, but there's still the anxiety of waiting. 


A better horror story is one that builds up the suspense. We don't just want minor chords and POP-OUT scary faces, we emotional connection with the characters and we want to live out their stress rather than face obstacles akin to a garden snake popping out from behind some vegetables.

 

Of course, a nice touch to suspense is a good mystery.

4. Mystery

Unless it's in the form of whodunnit, many readers have strayed away from mystery within different genres of literature. Rather than let it go, I embrace a strong element of mystery in an eerie tale. Actually, my personal taste is to process as many unknowns in a story as possible. I enjoy understanding a story during one moment and realizing I know nothing the next.
 

5. Spolier

You may or may have not realized this, but you love spoilers.

 

The main character freaks out at the sight of a spider, so you know they're gonna face one at some point. This can be positive anticipation with surprise and suspense. 

You might realize there's a false sense of identity in a novel. Therefore, you suspect the narrator might be a little unreliable. This adds to every element, especially mystery.

But spoilers are the little nothings authors give away at the very start of the tale. Batman is Bruce Wayne. Freddy Krueger can kill you in your dreams. Fears, anxieties, dislikes, etc.

 

 

Happy writing!

Scary Story Writing

We are going to begin our scary story writing unit today!

AGENDA

Essential Question: Do I know how to write a spooky or suspenseful story?

Class Discussion:What scary stories have you read? What scary movies have you seen? Can scary stories be funny?

Research: Horror Genres with Partners

If time permits, we will begin working on our Scary Story Planning Sheets!

Horror Genres to Research

1. Gothic

2. Paranormal

3. Monsters (vampires, zombies, serial killers, werewolves, ghosts, witches, demons, alien abduction)

4. Dark Fantasy

5. Cosmic Horror

6. Psychological Horror

7. Survival Horror

8. Splatterpunk

9. Horror Comics

10. Suspense/Mystery

11. Comic/Humorous Horror or Horror Parody



Catch Up Day/Extra Credit

Please spend today's class finishing all 5 writing prompts and any missing work you may have.


If you are all caught up, please write something new for extra credit!


DO NOT WASTE TIME! If you get all of your work done, you may earn free time.

Prompt #5 ("Un-invention")

"Un-invent" Prompt

If you could un-invent something, what would it be? Discuss

why, potential repercussions, or a possible alternative.

Prompt #4 (Switching Places)

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why? If that seems too easy, try this one: who would you like to have spend a day as you and what do you hope they’d learn from the experience?


REMINDER: ALL PROMPTS SHOULD BE 3 PARAGRAPHS AND WILL BE GRADED TOGETHER.

Prompt #3 (Charitable)

Charitable!

You’ve inherited $5 million, with instructions that you must give it all away — but you can choose any organizations you like to be the beneficiaries. Where does the money go? Why? As always, please write three paragraphs.

Prompt #2 (The New School)

 The New School

You get to redesign school as we know it from the ground up. Will you do away with reading, writing, and math? What skills and knowledge will your school focus on teaching young minds? (3 paragraphs!)

 

Prompt # 1 (By the Skin of Your Teeth)

Avoiding Disaster


Write about a time when you narrowly avoided disaster. This means that something terrible could have happened, but you were able get away from it. Please write a minimum of three paragraphs for this assignment. (3 paragraph minimum)

Writer's Workshop Guidelines

Peer-editing is a difficult process. Here are some guidelines to help you peer-edit better:

 

• Ask a classmate to read through what you have written.
• Give them at least one thing to focus on (characters, setting, plot, grammar, etc.
• Write a comments for your peer that will help them improve their work.
• Underlining and changes are permitted, but do so in a different color so your peer is able to see your suggestions.
• Answer the questions below as well. Add comments too.

 

1. Is there evidence of prewriting activity (brainstorm, plan)
2. Are the title main words capitalized?
3. Does the title fit the piece?
4. Are paragraphs used to organize information?
5. Is the introduction effective?
6. Is the main idea clear, with a sense of purpose?
7. Is information placed in logical order?
8. Is there enough supporting evidence?
9. Does the writer stay on topic?
10. Is the writing interesting?
11. Is the word choice appropriate?
12. Does each sentence begin with a capital letter?
13. Does each sentence end with a proper punctuation?
14. Is each sentence a complete thought?
15. Are there any spelling errors (underline please)?
16. Are there other words that should be capitalized?
17. Are plurals and possessives correct?
18. Are quotation marks used correctly?
19. Is the conclusion effective and relevant?
20. Is written text well organized on paper?


Other comments:


WHEN YOU ARE DONE RECEIVING SUGGESTIONS FROM YOUR PEER, MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR WORK AND THEN TURN IT IN.

Short Story Guidelines

Bell Work: Write down 3-5 sentences describing the conflict or problem in your first story. Keep in mind that you should be using the character and setting that you worked on last week.

 

Agenda

• We are going to begin writing our short stories today.
• You should have a well developed protagonist, setting and conflict! It is now your job to put this all together and design the plot! (In other words, you are going to write the story.)

Here are the guidelines to help you get an A.

Short Story Guidelines

• Stories must be 3-5 pages typed and double spaced.
• You must use a 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial font.
• Rough Draft is due
• Final copies are due

Reminder

 

*Your planning pages will be graded. Please have them completed so you can turn them in! Finish them for homework if they are not done. All of the assignments given are posted to the blog!

 

 

Happy writing!

Designing Characters and Setting

Bell Work: What is a setting? Why is it important for characters to have a setting in a story?

Essential Question: How do I write a creative short story using complex characters?

Whole Group Time

 

1. Discuss setting

2. Essential Question

4. Arts standards

*Note: If you missed yesterdays's character profile lesson, you must complete at least 20 of the questions provided to be prepared for class tomorrow.

Arts Standards

 

Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts

Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (in this case, theater) and participate in various roles in the arts. 

Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participating in the arts in various roles. 

Work Time

 

1. Choose a setting and describe it on an index card.

2. Discuss with classmates.

3. Decide if we want to swap with a partner or not.

Closure 

1. Write down homework if you do not finish today's task.

2. Clean up your space, log off your computers and push in your chairs. 

Homework

Finish your character profiles and/or setting descriptions to be prepared for tomorrow's lesson.

Have a great day!

Exploring Character

Good Morning/Afternoon!


We are going to start class by reviewing your course criteria sheets. Then we will finish up yesterday's assignment. Once we take care of these items we will begin our first mini unit: Exploring Character.


Bell Work: What is a character? Why are characters important to have in stories?

Essential Question: How do I write a creative short story using complex characters?

Arts Standards

 

Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts

Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (in this case, theater) and participate in various roles in the arts. 

Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participating in the arts in various roles. 

Agenda:

1. Discuss characterization and why it is important to write good, complex characters with back stories.

2. Design our own characters.

3. Use this questionnaire to design a character for your (or a classmate's) next story:


Assignment: Answer at least 20 character profile questions. Use questions from the link below:
http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to middle school creative writing! I will post a great deal of information for the class right here, so be sure to check the blog often!

You are welcome to comment and ask questions on the blog, but please make sure that your posts are school related and appropriate. Thank you!

Here is today's agenda: 

Bell Work: Find and bookmark the class blog!

Essential Question: Am I prepared to start the new marking period?

1. In your notebooks, brainstorm about the following:

• Goals
• Expectations
• Feelings about starting a new marking period.

2. Task: Write a Dear Me Letter
Here are some guidelines on how to get an A: 

• Write yourself a letter discussing your feelings about starting a new marking period.
• How has the year gone so far? Different from what you expected?
• What are your goals and expectations for this marking period? Any changes you would like to make?
• How do you feel about being at SOTA?

*Note: These guidelines are here to get you started. You may add to the them as well!

* If you type your letter, please use Microsoft Word and SAVE YOUR WORK! Don't know how? ASK!

8th Grade Alternative Writing Assignment: Since I know most of you from last year, you may write an All About Me writing assignment. Write about yourself! What would I not know about you right away? Has anything changed in your life from last year? What's different? What's the same? This writing task is about self-discovery, so write about something meaningful!

Prompt #5 (All About ME!)

Today's prompt is more open! Write about you! You can write anything you want (how the marking period went, how you've changed, etc., etc.) HAVE FUN!


When you are done with all 5 prompts, staple them together and turn them in. Do not turn in your folder again. Those are for you to take home and show off to your families!

Prompt #4: (Switching Places)

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why? If that seems too easy, try this one: who would you like to have spend a day as you and what do you hope they’d learn from the experience?


REMINDER: ALL PROMPTS SHOULD BE 3 PARAGRAPHS AND WILL BE GRADED TOGETHER.

Prompt #3 (Charitable)

Charitable!

You’ve inherited $5 million, with instructions that you must give it all away — but you can choose any organizations you like to be the beneficiaries. Where does the money go? Why? As always, please write three paragraphs.

Prompt #2 (The New School)

The New School

 

You get to redesign school as we know it from the ground up. Will you do away with reading, writing, and math? What skills and knowledge will your school focus on teaching young minds?