SO FAR, WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT…
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Essay structure.
Making inferences.
Metacognitive thinking.
Supporting claims with textual evidence.
Characterization strategies.
Some literary elements and the role they play in making
meaning (allusion, epithet, and epic simile).
OUR NEXT FOCUS: NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE
 The term “narrative” is a synonym for “story.”
 It refers to a series of connected events.
 What are some visual ways you could represent the meaning
of the term “narrative”?
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE…
 Source: IncidentalComics.com
SO…WHAT ARE WE DOING?
 We’re focusing on reading and writing narratives that we each
find meaningful.
 Which means I’ll be facilitating and guiding the work you do in
the coming weeks, but you will take on more responsibility for
your own learning.
 Let’s figure out what all of that means.
OVERALL GOALS/OBJECTIVES
 Understand the narrative structure and the dif ferent forms it
can take.
 Determine the role of character, conflict, and plot within a
narrative.
 Analyze the ef fect of character, conflict, and plot on an
independent text of your choosing.
 Apply what you learn to your own writing.
HOW WILL YOU ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS?
Reading Narrative: Independent book
selection.
 Maintain a reading log, including: a daily record of
when/for how long you read each day, a weekly
summary of the text’s events, and a weekly reflection
on one of our main foci (character, conflict, plot).
 Create a project (not a book report) in which you
show what you’ve learned about either character or
conflict from your text. (More information about this
on Friday, promise)
 Periodic “book talks” with your peers.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE…
Writing Narrative: The (Beginnings) of a
Novel
Use a narrative structure to demonstrate your
understanding of character, conflict, and plot by
crafting your own (extended) piece of writing.
You’ll set an individual goal for how much you
believe you can accomplish within the guidelines
provided to you.
Participation in NaNoWriMo (National Novel
Writing Month). (More to come on NaNoWriMo
Monday!)
SO, LET’S GET STARTED!
QUICK WRITE
Tell me about heroes.
Take this prompt where you need to today.
1. You could define the term hero.
2. You might need to talk about heroes in popular culture.
3. Maybe you have a personal story you can tell about a time
you experienced someone else’s heroics.
4. Are you a hero?
TALK IT OUT.
What’d you write about?
Tell your group, but also start considering
whether you’re ready to start sharing with the
whole class. We’d love to hear what you have
to say.
WE ALL SEEM TO KNOW SOMETHING
IMPORTANT ABOUT HEROES.
SO THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO
START WRITING.
WRITING A NOVEL IS AN UNDERTAKING.
Which is why many people never even start.
But you all have a story to tell, and with the
right structure and the right support from this
great group you have all around you, you can
make it happen.
SO LET’S TALK ABOUT STRUCTURE;
HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS MANAGEABLE?
Let’s keep going with this notion of heroes. I
want you to hear what Matthew Winkler has to
say about “What Makes a Hero.” Pay attention
to what he says about “The Hero’s Journey.”
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
S o u r c e : W h a t M a k e s a H e r o ? B y M a t t h e w W i n k l e r. P r o d . G e r t a X h e l o . D i r. K i r i l l Ye r e t s k y . T E D E d .
N.p., 4 Dec. 201 2. Web.
SUM IT UP!
How can you describe the idea of “The
Hero’s Journey” in your own words?
LET’S START WRITING, ALREADY!
Or, at least, planning our writing.
First thing’s first. We need a hero.
You might already have some amazingly
beautiful ideas flowing through that head of
yours. But before I send you off into the wild,
blue yonder, I want to offer you some support
and some options.
LET’S START CREATING CHARACTERS!
Open up your Surface.
Navigate to our Connect site.
> SS LAC I
> Unit 3: Narrative Structure
> Week 9 (10/27-10/31): Week at a Glance
> Download the PPT: “Creating Characters”
You’ll use this PowerPoint as visual support
today.
ONE MORE IMPORTANT DECISION
 How do you want to draft?
Do you want to type on your Surface? If so,
I would suggest using Google Docs.
Do you want to hand write, go ahead and
make an entry in your table of contents.
 It doesn’t matter to me. I just want you
to be comfortable and happy. 
PROCESS
 Today, you’ll “meet” three characters.
 You won’t get to their heart and soul today, but that will come
soon enough.
 Choose one character.
 > Take thirty seconds and just OBSERVE. What do you see in this
image? Make a list. Shoot for 4-5 characteristics.
 Imagine you are his/her biographer. Give me a rundown of
accomplishments, exploits, and/or adventures.
 Remember, you only have three minutes, so you’ll have to use
evidence from the image to help guide your work.
 We’ll repeat this process for a total of three times. With the
time you have left, choose your favorite character to develop
further.
CHECK-IN
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How’d this go today?
What did you feel like you rocked at?
What do you need more help with?
What are you excited about?
What are you apprehensive about?