Thinking Outside the Box and Outside of

Perceptions
For Ninth Grade

Note: The following unit plan has been adapted in large chunks from
Joshua S. Dyer’s “Science Fiction: Critiquing the Present, Exploring the
Future”, Bethany Bishop’s “Recognizing Reductionism: identifying the
Stereotypes Placed on Individuals and Groups by Society”, Michael
William’s “Differing Perspectives”, and Elizabeth Jasperse’s “Utopia and
Dystopias” located at http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/
with consent given at that website.

Rationale
The purpose of this unit is to use the science fiction text as a

vehicle for thinking outside what is considered a normal perception or

stereotype and make it their own ideas using creativity and previous

knowledge. While science fiction is widely read for leisure, it can also

be read with several pedagogical purposes in mind. Indeed, the

enjoyable nature of science fiction may be of immense value in

teaching reluctant readers, unmotivated learners, and students who

demonstrate little success in an English class that studies texts from a

more traditional literary canon. The approachability of science fiction

is one of many reasons why I intend to use it as the central focus of

this conceptual unit.

Science fiction also takes a concept and often exaggerates

stereotypes, ideas, or normality, or science fiction puts the reader into

a world outside of reality or what is thought of as normal. Science

fiction expands the mind’s idea of realty or what is and creates new
ideas and opportunities.

Another advantage science fiction has in the classroom is that

many students seem to gravitate towards it in their own outside

reading. Students will be more likely to engage in literature they

already enjoy. With its fantastic, exploratory nature, science fiction

also serves as an excellent prompt for writing, allowing students an

open invitation for creativity. This creativity may be the easiest tunnel

and tool for assisting the students to think outside of the normal

realms of what may be expected or what is thought to be the said

stereotype of an idea or person. Anthony Wolk (1990) discovered that

science fiction inspires vibrant creative writing in his classroom,

writing, “It allows free reign of the imagination as well as an

opportunity to write freely on personal and social relationships—which

is what literature is inevitably about” (p. 26). I plan on harnessing

science fiction’s power to inspire productive creativity with several

open-ended options for culminating student texts at the end of the

unit.

Different people look at the same things from different

standpoints producing different points of view. When we appreciate

and become sensitive to other people's different ways of looking at

things, we begin to develop an ability shared by few - the ability to put

think outside of the norm and into other perceptions.

Thinking about other possibilities outside the norm and

stereotypes shows students examples of how life could be different. In

many communities, it is rare that a student will have traveled to

another region in the United States, much less out of the country. With

a limited set of geographical and cultural experiences, viewing

different communities and ideas could be very informative for them.

The students will have an opportunity to interact with the material in a

personal way so that they can make real connections with the subject

matter that will be studied over the course of the three-week unit.

My primary goal is to introduce students to thinking outside the

box so they will be encouraged to pursue outside reading and thinking

ideas of their own. A major criticism I anticipate is the accusation that

science fiction isn’t genuine literature—that it’s low- brow, it has no

place in school, and it isn’t to be taken seriously. Science fiction is an

effective means of critiquing reality and opening doors to critical,

meaningful discussions of relevant events. It isn’t simply mindless

entertainment. This goal of critical thinking and discussion

reverberates through all literature instruction, and I believe a similar

argument has been made in support of teaching more traditional

English texts.

Concerning the argument that it isn’t taken seriously, I wish to

point out that traditional texts aren’t always taken seriously either

(especially by students!). I affirm that I take it seriously, and there are

even college courses devoted entirely to science fiction.

 Some would raise the argument that this unit seems unimportant

in relation to other widely-taught concepts such as freedom, pride, or

war to name a few. While this unit’s texts do not display the depth and

range of its counterparts, I would argue that the lessons learned in

perception and thinking outside of the box directly apply to all other

units incorporated throughout the school term. Through this unit

students can not only develop more intuitive reading skills that apply

to all areas of reading, both inside and outside of school; but through

the overarching goals presented, students are given the chance to

grow as writers, analyzers, and creators as well.

Goals and Accompanying Rubrics

As stated in my rationale, “the purpose of this unit is to use the

science fiction text as a vehicle for thinking outside what is considered

a normal perception or stereotype and make it their own ideas using

creativity and previous knowledge.” Keeping in line with my purpose,

the ultimate goal of the unit is to teach students to think outside of the

box – think outside of the normal perception and to draw creative ideas

outside the normal assumptions. In accomplishing this task, students

will have learned to think for themselves and create their own ideas

and theories. In designing goals for this unit I have constructed ways of

assessing students’ learning throughout the unit, including a final goal

that will assess their ability to come up with their own idea and theory

in a science fiction story of their own. The final goal may be formidable
to many students, but the texts we study and the brainstorming we

work on should serve as scaffolding to prepare them to accomplish this

final goal.

Goal #1: Reading Quizzes

Students take responsibility for reading at home for homework.

Because reading is assigned for the students to complete as

homework, there will be four random quizzes at the beginning of four

random periods during the unit. Students will be required to give short

answers and/or answer multiple-choice questions. Not only will this

ensure that students are reading what they should, but it also may

bring what was read into the student’s memory. Quizzes will be graded

by the check mark system in which the student may receive a check

plus, a check, or a check minus. The quiz scored will combined to a

possible 40 points out of the 250 points of the unit grade. The next

page provides a generic template for the reading quizzes, including the

rubric students will receive when they get the first quiz.

Reading Quiz
For the reading you were assigned for homework, I will give
you questions to answer to prove that you have read the
assignment. The following tips may help you to know what
to look for:
- What did the characters do?
- What did the characters talk about?
- Where there some key elements in the setting?
- Was there something that happened that did not involve
the characters?
- Was there a concept that was different from what is
normally thought of?
- Any questions you might have

Rubric for Reading Quizzes

There will be 5 questions on the quiz.
You will receive a check plus if all answers are correct
You will receive a check if one or two answers are wrong
You will receive a failing grade if three or more answers are
wrong

Goal #2: In Class Writing

The in class writing will be 60 points out of the final 250. At the

end of the unit, students will put together their writings, which include

free writes, brainstorming, and other topics into a portfolio or journal.

The writing can be exploratory in nature, it can be expressive of their

personal opinions, and it should also explore their own thinking

through the unit topics, readings, and discussions. What students write

may be an impetus for working on other unit goals. Each installment

will be individually graded. When the writings are put together, the

final grade for this goal will be assessed by averaging the overall effort

and honesty put into the in-class writing. On the next page is the

handout that will be passed out near the beginning of the unit.

In Class Writing Portfolios/Journals

Throughout our unit on perceptions, you will keep your works in
a journal or put the works together in a portfolio for fifty points.
In this journal/portfolio, you will think through the ideas,
opinions, and topics that come up in our reading, class
discussions, and concepts we’ll be discussing or that you think
of. Your thoughts can originate from anywhere: from yourself,
the reading, your classmates, or from any of my tangents. Your
writing is an open-ended response to all our experiences
throughout the unit, and it’s okay if you write about unanswered
questions, mysteries, or things that you still wonder about. You
may also jot down ideas and any extra brainstorming you have
for the final project. The following tips will help you organize
your journal or portfolio. Also included are some factors that will
affect the way I grade it – so pay attention!
- Your journal/portfolio doesn’t have to follow the conventional
complete textbook grammar and English usage. However, I
want it to be readable and I want to understand what you write.
I also would not like a large about of “txt tlk” in your writing. I
am more concerned about the ideas you’re thinking about; so
don’t worry so much about spelling.
- Your response may consist of person opinions, related issues,
experiences, reading, class discussions, and criticisms of the
reading and/or class discussions.
- I will be collecting your journals/portfolios at the end of the
unit
- I will be reading your journals, not just skimming them. Keep in
mind that I am required to report any thoughts of or
suggestions of violence, suicide, substance abuse, family abuse,
or other harmful behavior with the school counselors

Rubric for In-class writing

Please pay careful attention to the following requirements. If
you follow this, you can easily get an A!

A journal earning a grade of “A” will:

- Consistently respond in a manner that is highly productive and
that uses class time efficiently. All in-class writings are present.
Represent a thoughtful response to both the texts and the
concepts and discussions we cover in class by showing ample
evidence of engagement with the material (e.g. opinions,
related issues or experiences, criticisms, or reflections from
discussions). Honesty is also taken into consideration, you don’t
always have to like what is going on

A journal earning a grade of “B” will:

- Show that you were almost always consistently productive.
Some in-class writings may be missing. Represent a thoughtful
response to both the texts and concepts we cover in class by
showing evidence of engagement with the material, though it
only responds with less than the excellence that might have
been possible with one’s best effort.
A journal earning a grade of “C” will:
– Be less than fully legible
– Many in-class writings are missing or represent a response
to both the text and the concepts we cover in class, but
continuously struggles to demonstrate engagement with
the material.

A Journal earning a grade of “D” will:

– Be illegible, sloppy, and/or is difficult or impossible to
understand
– Many in-class writings are missing and Demonstrate no
engagement with the material, or will only demonstrate
scant engagement with either text or concepts (but will
fail to engage in both)

A journal earning a grade of “F” will be on that isn’t turned in, or

one in which there are large gaps because of class cuts.

Goal #3: Participation

(50 points out of final 250) Throughout the unit, students will

participate in small or large groups. There will be also be writing

workshops with a peer-editing format in smaller groups. Sometimes

the goal will be writing and sometimes feedback on writing, and other

times in small or large groups will be for discussion purposes.

Participation and Expectations (Both small and large group)

- Everyone must be involved and actively listening.
- Everyone must be allowed to participate and no one should
dominate and squelch others’ participation.
- (Small Group in particular) No exclusing any member of a
group for any length of time
- You must be proactive and not need prompting to begin to
stay on task
- You must stay on topic – no discussions of outside matters,
chitty chat, or socializing
- (Small group in particular) No interfering with other groups
- You must be considerate of others and their feelings and
needs
- Be productive. Use time well.

Rubric for participation

A = Consistently follows the above expectations
B = Very occasionally falls short on one or more of the criteria
C = One of the criteria characterizes your involvement in group
activity
D = Most of your involvement is violating an expectation
F = You were an asocial and silent presence or entirely
unproductive

Goal #4 Final Culminating Text

For 100 points out of the final 200. By the end of the unit,

students should be ready to engage in the primary unit goal on their

own. I want my students to come up with a concept or perception that

is different from the normal. They will have to provide an explanation

of what the normal concept and/or perception is, and why this

perception or concept is such. The students will then create a story

using the changed concept and how it would affect the audience,

characters, or world. In the process, they will have accomplished our

primary unit goal – analyzing how thinking outside the box and

thinking on their own with their own ideas. This final project will be

introduced to the students at the beginning of the unit, in case some of

them might be interested in starting early.

Final Project – Creative Writing Story

For your final project, you get to assume the creative role of a
fiction writer. You will create a scenario that convinces me of
your ability to think outside of the box and into different
perceptions. Your scenario can be for another world (Ex:
Gravity) or for a type or entity (Ex: one person changes or a
unicorn) You have the freedom to be as imaginative as possible
as you create this fiction story. However, there are a few
guidelines:
- It cannot be something openly discussed in large group
discussions or an idea already in the text
- You will write various stages of your proposals in class
- Anything containing sexually explicit material or excessive
profanity will not be accepted.
- I am required to report any thoughts of or suggestions of
violence, suicide, substance abuse, family abuse, or other
harmful behavior with the school counselors.

If you have an idea for a scenario, run it by me whenever you

want, or bring it up when we talk about the project in class (It’s
always fun to surprise people, on the other hand, your peers
may have some helpful advice) If you should need help, see me;
I have thought of a few suggestions to help orient you in some
sort of direction of your own
- Write your own original fiction short story. We will do it piece
by piece. It should not be an obvious copy of another film,
novel, or television show

Rubric for Creative Writing Story

A final Project earning a grade of “A” will:

– Have a readily identifiable changed concept or perception
in its scenario
– Contains ample evidence for what is different from the
normal
– Provide evidence of having been revised through each of
the stages including the rough draft that has been
reviewed by peers
– Have a creative and unused (in class or text) concept or
perception
– Have few to no grammatical errors that do not interfere
with the author’s communication of ideas

A final project earning a grade of “B” will:

– Have a readily identifiable changed concept or perception
in nits scenario, but it might be less than fully coherent in
 its presentation
– Contains ample evidence for what is different from the
normal
– Provide evidence of having been revised through each of
the stages including the rough draft that has been
reviewed by peers, or may be shy of one of the stages
– Have a creative and unused (in class or text) concept or
perception, thought it may be cliché
– Have a few noticeable grammatical errors, some of which
might interfere slightly with the author’s communication
of ideas

A final project earning a grade of “C” will:

– Introduce the purpose of writing the paper with a general
thesis, but the paper neglects to offer any reasons or
evidence of the changed concept or perception
– Contains questionable evidence for what is different from
the normal concept or perception
– Have a more cliché and overly used concept, though still
not one often discussed in class or from the text
– Missing crucial steps in the writing process
– Have some significant grammatical errors that make the
author’s communication of ideas difficult to understand

A final project earning a grade of “D” will:

– Introduce the purpose of writing the paper, but there is no
recognizable thesis and no evidence of a changed concept
or perception
– Have a cliché concept and an idea often discussed in class
or used in the text
– Contains no evidence of any concept or perception
changed
– Provide evidence of peer review, but it appears that no
attempt at revision has been made
– Have several significant grammatical errors, some of
which make the author’s communication of ideas
impossible to understand, or be significantly short of a
thousand words, or provide no evidence of participating in
the process – an active avoidance of the project or a lot of
missed classes in general. Or the grade must be made
from what little of the process was completed.

A final project earning a grade “F” will:

- Show a disgustingly poor attendance record or lack of

engagement in all the days of the writing process as present in
class, or show cheating or plagiarism, or simply nothing is
turned in or written.

Daily Lesson Plans

Homework:
For…

Day 1: Chapter 1
Day 2: Chapter 2
Day 3: Chapter 3
Day 4: Chapter 4
Day 5: Chapters 5 and 6
Day 6: Chapter 7
Day 7: Chapter 8
Day 8: Chapters 9
Day 9: Chapter 10
Day 10: Chapters 11 and 12 (END)
Day 11 - 15: Note: When working and brainstorming on the final story
project, students may take what they did not finish in class home to
work on it to be caught up in the next class.

It is important to note that I have planned this unit according to block

scheduling time constraints. Under the system for which I’m planning,
our class will meet every day for about 40 minutes, with a maximum of
30 minutes of homework each night. Students are encouraged to read
ahead if they would like. Each period counts as one day of class, and
there will be fifteen days of class. I have planned this conceptual unit
to last for about three weeks.
This means that I have fifteen 40 minute periods for which to plan.
All handouts that I have made for the unit may be found on the next
page from whichever daily plan required them (except for the unit goal
assignments, which are contained in the Goals section above). Class
discussion is intended to be student led; yet I have developed several
open-ended questions for many of the readings, to be used when
student discussion falters or begins to get off task.
Day One: (Detailed Lesson Plan #1)
Title: Thinking Outside the Box and Outside Perceptions Unit,
Lesson 1 of 15

Class: English 10

Objective: To introduce the unit; to introduce the texts we’ll be

reading; to introduce the theme of thinking outside of the box and
outside perceptions; to clearly state expectations; to inform students
of how they will be assessed and where they can find rubrics that
guide that assessment; to introduce the concept of free writing; to
access prior knowledge; to allow students an opportunity to practice
creative writing; to offer a chance to hypothesize about a concept they
could change; to learn to “publish” one’s writing by reading it aloud to
a partner; to practice listening skills, to practice collecting data from a
partner to help answer a question; to analyze a work of literature; to
think critically about one’s own writing and concepts.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on thinking outside the

box and outside perceptions that is designed to get students to think
critically for themselves and creatively, and to gain experience reading
and writing texts that offer different scenarios and concepts. In part
this lesson is designed to give them practice in important learning
skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to
others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original
works of fiction. Also, I am attempting, in the parlance of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, to help students practice upper-level thinking skills,
providing them opportunities to apply what they know and to analyze
and synthesize a diverse range of concepts.

PA State Standards:

1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational

texts and documents in all academic areas.
1.3.11 C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the
conventions of the genre.
1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature
1.4.11 A. Write poems, short stories and plays
1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work,
experience, honors and interests.
1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the
topic.
1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when
appropriate.
1.6.11 A. Listen to others
1.6.11 B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction or nonfiction)
1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and
presentations.

Materials:
Unit Plan Handout

Activites/Procedures:
1. Have students split off into groups of three or four.
2. Give the definition of a cherub.
3. Ask the students to draw their version of a cherub
4. Read Madeleine L’Engle’s description of a cherub.
5. Have the students compare their picture to L’Engle’s description.
What is different? Are there any similarities? Why did most (if not all)
draw similar pictures? Why were they all the same when they are
drawing a picture of a fictitious creature no one has seen?
6. Briefly introduce the unit as a whole. Mention the text we will be
covering for the next several week, and the goals I expect the students
to work on throughout the unit. Pass out the final project assignment
and explain it to the class, and emphasize how they should really begin
thinking about a possible topic now.
7. Explain the expectations of free writing and responding to topics in
their journals/portfolios. Explain how it works and how important it is,
as this will be one of the most important ways I’ll be gauging
understanding and engagement throughout the unit. Emphasize how
open-ended the writing can be, that they are allowed to free-associate
somewhat. Explain that they must write continuously during the whole
time they are asked to write.
8. Introduce Activity
To help you start thinking about your final project, I want you
and your group to come up with a concept or perception you would
change. For example, would you change gravity, time, good vs. evil,
demons and angels? I also want you to think about these questions
[write questions on the board]: How would this changed concept
change life? Would life be easier or harder? Is this a perception or is it
something that would occur in another world? (Ex: Mermaids vs.
gravity)
9. When the time is up, have students switch groups and share with
another small group. If there is not a lot of time left, have each group
answer the questions as a large group.
Assessment: Their writing can be assessed from their journals, from
their participation, and from the ideas they publish by reading aloud.
Their small group work can be assessed by observing their listening
skills and their use of time in this capacity.

Day 2: (Detailed Lesson Plan #2)

Title: Thinking Outside the Box and Outside Perceptions Unit,
Lesson 2 of 15

Class: English 10

Objective: To introduce the unit; to introduce the texts we’ll be

reading; to introduce the genre of science fiction; to clearly state
expectations; to practice the concept of free writing; to offer students
a point of comparison to the novel; to practice reading works of fiction
aloud; to dramatize a work of literature; to learn to “publish” one’s
writing by reading it aloud to a partner; to practice listening skills; to
learn to participate in a discussion; to analyze a work of fiction.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on thinking outside the

box and outside perceptions that is designed to get students to think
critically for themselves and creatively, and to gain experience reading
and writing texts that offer different scenarios and concepts. In part
this lesson is designed to give them practice in important learning
skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to
others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original
works of fiction. Also, I am attempting, in the parlance of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, to help students practice upper-level thinking skills,
providing them opportunities to apply what they know and to analyze
and synthesize a diverse range of concepts.

PA State Standards:

1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts

and documents in all academic areas.
1.3.11 C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the
conventions of the genre.
1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature
1.4.11 A. Write poems, short stories and plays
1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work,
experience, honors and interests.
1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when
appropriate.
1.6.11 A. Listen to others
1.6.11 B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction or nonfiction)
1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and
presentations.
1.8.11 A. Select and refine a topic for research
1.8.11 B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies.
1.8.11 C. Organize, summarize and present the main ideas from
research.

Materials:
None

Activities/Procedures:
1. Introduce the concept of dragons and a special boy in the story.
2. Explain the genres in which the changed concepts can be found.
Usually, you wont find a psychic or special boy like this in a romance or
regular fiction story. You might be lucky to find a special boy in a
horror story (or maybe not so lucky), but dragons and psychic boys can
often be found in magical realism or science fiction stories. Science
fiction often takes the form of a different world or a world with different
ideas. Science fictions also are characterized mostly by the message
they send. Often times, there is a problem that an author wishes to
speak out against or address. The author will then often exaggerate
the problem into the future.
3. Speaking of the future… Have the students free write about the
future and have them answer these questions: What will it be like? Has
some concepts of today changed? (e.g. gravity, aliens, floating cars…)
4. Once the free write is over, have the students get into pairs to share
their thoughts. Have the stupid compare and contrast their ideas as a
whole
5. Bring the students’ attention back as a whole and have each group
discuss their findings in front of the class.

Assessment: Their writing can be assessed from their journals, from

their participation, and from the ideas they publish by reading aloud.
Their small group work can be assessed by observing their listening
skills and their use of time in this capacity.

Day 3: (Detailed Lesson Plan #3)

Title: Thinking Outside the Box and Outside Perceptions Unit,
Lesson 3 of 15

Class: English 10

Objective: To introduce the unit; to introduce the texts we’ll be

reading; to introduce the genre of science fiction; to clearly state
expectations; to practice the concept of free writing; to offer students
a point of comparison to the novel; to practice reading works of fiction
aloud; to dramatize a work of literature; to learn to “publish” one’s
writing by reading it aloud to a partner; to practice listening skills; to
learn to participate in a discussion; to analyze a work of fiction.

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on thinking outside the

box and outside perceptions that is designed to get students to think
critically for themselves and creatively, and to gain experience reading
and writing texts that offer different scenarios and concepts. In part
this lesson is designed to give them practice in important learning
skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to
others, collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing original
works of fiction. Also, I am attempting, in the parlance of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, to help students practice upper-level thinking skills,
providing them opportunities to apply what they know and to analyze
and synthesize a diverse range of concepts.

PA State Standards:

1.1.11 D. Identify, Describe, Evaluate, and synthesize the essential ideas in text.

1.1.11 H. Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading.

1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational

texts and documents

in all academic areas.

1.3.11 A. Read and understand works of literature

1.4.11 D. Maintain a written record of activities, course work,
experience, honors and interests.

1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the

topic.

1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when

appropriate.

1.6.11 A. Listen to others

1.6.11 B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction or nonfiction)

1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and

presentations.

Materials:
- Copies of Sheldon Reid’s “Angel in the Gutter”
Activities/Procedures:
1. Introduce magical realism.
Magical realism is taking a very ordinary and realistic life and placing
something very unordinary and magical into the setting. For example,
having cavemen come into your neighborhood or your husband turning
into a fish. Concepts and perceptions are often changed in these
magical realism stories. [hand out copies of stories] This story is just
one example of magical realism. There is a character that seems very
out of place in the world he is in.
2. Have students split off into groups of three or four.
3. Have the students read the story out loud in their groups. They may
read it with characters assigned or have each person read a portion.
4. Have the groups discuss these questions: What is different in this
world? What concepts and perceptions have changed? Were there any
stereotypes or roles? Or were they reversed?
5. Have the students come back together as a large group and discuss
the questions they answered.

Assesment: Their reading ability can be assessed by there reading

“Angel in the Gutter” aloud. Their participation in small group work can
be observed by watching their listening and other behaviors in that
format. Their understanding of the text can be assessed by their
contribution to the whole group discussion.

Day 4:

Pop Quiz #1

Stereotypes:

Break off into small groups of 2 or 3

- Have each group think of a stereotype

Have the groups act out the stereotype in front of the

classroom

Back in the groups

- Have the students use the same character, but reverse or change
what the stereotype is

Day 5:

Mythical:
Have the students go into a computer lab or library and
research different conceptions or ideas of mythical creatures
or characters of mythology and the perspectives.
- Creatures or characters must have at least two different
possible variations or perspectives
Examples; Dragons, mermaids, fairies, demons, Greek vs. Roman
vs. Norse…

Day 6:

Have students finish up their research

Students present their findings in front of the class

Day 7:

Pop Quiz #2

Have students visualize chapter seven on a piece of paper

- (The scene in which the group meets Sporos – the mouse – and
where it is that they meet him – the scenery or lack thereof)

Have students get into groups and compare their drawings

Freezeframes
In a group of four people, choose a scene form a part of the novel
we’ve read so far, and arrange yourself so that you are acting out a
part of that scene, but you freeze and stay silent and still, and then the
audience will try to figure out what scene you are doing.

Day 8:

Pop Quiz #3

Introduction to creative writing final assignment

Prewriting and brainstorming:

Think of a concept or perception you would change
Share it with a partner

Characters:
Who is the protagonist? What is the personality?
Are there other characters?
Is there an antagonist? (Sometimes the concept or something abstrat
can be the antagonist)

What is the problem? What is happening?

Share with a partner your progress

Day 9:

Have students free write on what they think is a cliché

perception or concept found in the book
Compare in a small group
Share findings with classroom

Have students free write about a different concept or

perception that they found to be interesting, enjoyed, or made
them think.
Compare in a small group
Share findings with the classroom

Day 10:

Setting:
Where is the story set? Describe physical aspects of the world in your
story

Outline:
What is the rising action? What is the climax? What does the character
learn or overcome?

Share with a partner

Narration:
Who will narrate?

Tense:
What tense are you going to use?

Day 11:

Pop Quiz #4

Writing day: Then sit down and start writing your story and see how
far you can get
Day 12:

Writing Day 2: by telling your partner what you’re going to write

about. Pair share.
Have your partner tell you at least one thing that they liked, and what
they think is going to happen next, and vice-versa.

Continue Writing – should be finishing up soon.

Day 13:

Finish up the story and print it out.

Workshop the piece in groups of four. Make one person the

spellchecker and punctuation/ dialogue checker. Make another person
check for sentence fluency and tense errors and to make sure that any
unclear sentences make sense. One person writes down one thing
they didn’t understand about the story and they’d like to see
improved, and the last writes down something they can’t picture about
the main character, or some aspect of a character they’d like to see
developed.

Day 14:

Finish up any loose ends and continue workshopping as needed.

The final paper is due tomorrow.

Day 15:

Have students hand in their portfolio/journal

Final Discussions:
Does this story change any of your conceptions? Did you particularly
like or dislike any characters? Was there anything hard to grasp?

Last questions or comments