writing the short story

Posts on Thursday (Grades 4-8)

Course Objective: To provide an introduction to the 5 elements of story creation as a starting point for both writing a short story and improving comprehension of classic short stories.                   

Course Description:  Students will learn the 5 elements of story creation by learning techniques, reading examples, and practicing their new skills. The elements of successful story writing will be broken down into manageable units including characterization, setting, plot, dialogue, and more! By understanding how a short story is constructed, students will become more proficient in their reading and writing skills as they write their very own short story.

$175

Syllabus:

Week 1:         Deconstructing a story

                        Snow White and Rose Red: Brothers Grimm

Week 2:         Setting–imagery and descriptive language

                        Ugly Duckling: Hans Christian Andersen

Week 3:         Characters

                               sympathetic vs unsympathetic 

                        The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Beatrix Potter

Weeks 4/5:   Plot – Freytag’s Pyramid

                        City Mouse & the Country Mouse Aesop

                         The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

Week 6:         Dialogue – direct/indirect, tags 

                        Tom Thumb: Richard Johnson

Week 7:         Titles and transitions

                        The Gift of the Magi: O.Henry

Week 8:         Common errors & proofreading

                        Winnie the Pooh Goes Visiting: A.A. Milne

                                               © 2021 Online Scribblers