St. Michael-Albertville High School
Creative Writing
Teacher: Sherri Larson
Month
September
2010
Content
Course Essential Questions



What are the elements of
good writing?
How can one recognize and
compose effective writing?
How do an author's specific
choices affect the overall
impact of the writing?
Skills
Reading Skills
1.
2.
3.
Read a fiction book of
choice
Understand and be able to
summarize plot
Formulate predictions
Assessment
Reading Skills
1.
2.
3.
Writing
Reading and Writing Fiction
Unit
Unit Essential Questions:
1.
2.



How do the elements of
fiction interact in effective
fiction?
How should a reader interpret
and appreciate fiction?
What impact do an author's
choices have on the
effectiveness of fiction?
Reading

Writing
Literary Analysis
1.
1.
2.
Identify elements of the plot
structure diagram,
(exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action,
resolution).
Compose stories
with specifically identifiable
plot structure.
Writing
Fiction a variety of short
2.
Punctuate dialog correctly,
using all three tags correctly
Identify and be able to
Completion of: Apples to
Apples story with 10 given
words; A-Z story; stories based
on a graph; stories based on
postcard images;
a.
Fiction book of choice
1.
1.
2.
3.
Independent reading book of
choice
Plot structure diagram
worksheet with short reading
assignments
Test on independent reading
books
Writing
1. Elements of Fiction
Complete a variety of
prompted fiction writings
Complete revision guides,
including a 6 traits revision
Grammar

Label and identify terms for
each student's independent
reading text for Literary terms
assessment.
Place class short stories on plot
structure diagram.
Assess understanding of literary
terms as applied to independent
reading book via test.
Resources & Technology
Reading Skills
2.
First Line Given
writing, reading, and
analysis
b. Work collaboratively
on Endless Story
(choose your own
ending)
c. Begin collecting
portfolio of completed
work
Complete revision guides,
including a 6 traits revision
2. Short stories including "Pigs" by
Anne Panning, "Children of Strikers"
by Fred Chappel, "Sitting" by H. E.
Francis, "Reunion" by John Cheever
3.. Endless story handout
4. Sentence Composing workbook
(Killgallon)
Literary Analysis
1-3. "Charles" by Shirley Jackson;
"Linoleum Roses" by Sandra
Cisneros; "Waiting" by Peggy
McNally
Grammar
2-4.Comma splices, fragments, and
run-ons worksheet
2-4. Powerpoint presentation on the
above
www.curriculummapper.com
1 of 6
Creative Writing
Larson
Month
Content
assignments to develop
working knowledge of fiction
terms
Literary Analysis




Plot structure diagram
Essential vocabulary for
fiction (protagonist,
antagonist, mood, tone, types
of conflict, points of view,
perspective, etc.)
Analysis of a variety of short
stories
Analysis of student's own
independent reading book
Vocabulary
St. Michael-Albertville High School
Skills
3.
correct and avoid comma
splices
Identify sentences v.
fragment v. run-on
Assessment
3.
Define and be able to
identify the elements of
literature terms in a
published piece
Elements of literature terms
Grammar


Dialog rules
Comma splices
Vocabulary
1. Elements of literature worksheets
Research/ Technology
1. computers, Google
Vocabulary
1.
Resources & Technology
Literary Analysis
1.
Elements of Fiction
writing assignment
2.
Elements of Fiction
Quiz
Research/Technology
Grammar
1.
Open and use a googledocs
account
1.
2.
3.
4.

Participate in group peer
reviews
Dialog test
Comma usage worksheet
Commas, fragments, runons
worksheet
Comma rules assessment
Vocabulary
1. Elements of literature worksheets
Research/Technology
1.
Creation and effective use of
googledocs as classroom tool
Research/Technology
www.curriculummapper.com
2 of 6
Creative Writing
Larson
Month
Content

October
2010


Reading
What are the elements of
good writing?
How can one recognize and
compose effective writing?
How do an author's specific
choices affect the overall
impact of the writing?
Continue Fiction unit
UEQ:



How do the elements of
fiction interact in effective
fiction?
What impact do an author's
choices have on the
effectiveness of fiction?
What are the elements of
effective nonfiction?
Reading


Skills
Resources & Technology
1.
2.
Reading
Identify effects of different
writing choices in fiction,
including voice, dialog, plot
order, flashback
Read and interpret various
nonfiction examples to
examine form and content.
Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
Writing
1.
Write and revise short
stories
Respond thoughtfully to a
variety of journal prompts
Work collaboratively on
Endless Story (choose your
own ending)
Begin composition of a
nonfiction autobiographical
portfolio.
Read and analyze a variety of
published fiction and nonfiction
Identify strong and weak points
of author's technique
2.
3.
4.
5.
Reading
1-2. Independent reading book of
choice
1. Fiction Independent reading test
1. Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather
McElhatton (Endless story example)
Writing
Write short stories based on a
variety of prompts
Journal to a variety of prompts
Complete revision guides on
stories in progress, including a
Six Traits Revision
Revision guide
Nonfiction portfolio collection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Revision guides
List of Journal prompts
Six Traits handouts
Group peer review handouts
Reflection forms
Listening/ speaking
1. classroom microphone
Listening/ speaking
1.
participation in weekly class
readings
Research/ technology
1. googledocs program
2. wiki pages
Listening/ speaking
Structures of short stories
Introduction to nonfiction
1.
Demonstrate effective
speaking presentation skills.
Research/ technology
1.
Research/ technology
Writing
1.

Assessment
googledocs
CEQ

St. Michael-Albertville High School
Continue variety of types of
fiction
2.
Use googledocs as a
collaboration tool for writing
and editing.
Compose and collaborate
2.
Posting and participation in
googledocs writing assignments
on schedule for completion
credit.
Posting and participation in
wikipage story with another
student for completion credit.
www.curriculummapper.com
3 of 6
Creative Writing
Larson
Month
Content

St. Michael-Albertville High School
Skills
Assessment
Resources & Technology
with another student and
instructor on wiki page
short stories based on a
variety of prompts
Listening/ speaking

share from work in class
readings
Research/ Technology


November
2010
continued use of googledocs
as a writing tool
composition of collaborative
fiction piece on a wikipage
CEQ




Reading
What are the elements of
good writing?
How can one recognize and
compose effective writing?
How do an author's specific
choices affect the overall
impact of the writing?
What do different nonfiction
genres require for voice,
style, and presentation?
Nonfiction Unit
UEQ

What is an accurate definition
of "nonfiction"?
Reading
1.
Read a variety of short
1.
2.
nonfiction texts
Read a variety of classic and
contemporary poetry
2.
Nonfiction examples and
responses
Nonfiction and poetry
portfolio
Writing
Write a variety of nonfiction texts
based on class examples
Writing
Write a variety of poems based on
class examples
Nonfiction writing choices
Revise both nonfiction and poetry
Revision of nonfiction
Reading
1. A Choice of Weapons by Gordon
Parks; "Ambush" by Tim O'Brien
(fiction, though written in nonfiction
style); "Polaroids" by Anne Lamott;
"Salvation" by Langston Hughes;
excerpts from The Glass Castle by
Jeannette Walls
3. Naming the World poetry
anthology and other resources, such
as Poetry180.com and Writer's
Almanac
Writing
1-4. Continued use of googledocs as a
forum for writing and reader response
Research/ technology
1. Computers, googledocs, Microsoft
Publisher
www.curriculummapper.com
4 of 6
Creative Writing
Larson
Month
Content


In what ways should a reader
interpret and
appreciate nonfiction
differently than fiction?
What is necessary for the
composition of effective and
appealing nonfiction writing?
Poetry Unit (ongoing, throughout
St. Michael-Albertville High School
Skills
Assessment
writings
6 Traits revision of narrative text
Consider and apply effective revision
strategies, including the 6 traits of
effective writing, to all compositions.
Portfolio preparations
Research/ technology
Collect work into a representative
portfolio
Research/ technology
1.
Resources & Technology
Nonfiction portfolio collection
rubric
both fiction and nonfiction units)
UEQ:
1.



What is poetry?
How can one recognize and
appreciate effective poetry?
What are the elements
required to compose effective
poetry?
Create visually appealing,
effective nonfiction and
poetry collection using
graphic designing
Reading


Examination of a variety of
nonfiction examples
A variety of classic and
contemporary short examples
Writing

How to compose a variety of
nonfiction choices
A variety of forms in response to and
in imitation of class examples,
including triolet, pantoum, sonnet, and
villanelle.
www.curriculummapper.com
5 of 6
Creative Writing
Larson
Month
Content
Skills
St. Michael-Albertville High School
Assessment
Resources & Technology
Research/ technology

Creation of visually
appealing, published works of
nonfiction
www.curriculummapper.com
6 of 6