READING WORKSHOP

NYC Standard E2C:

The student produces a narrative that engages the reader.

I.O

Students will be able to identify the setting of a story as well as create a setting for their own short story.

Motivation:

Why is the setting of a story so important?

__H.W. #14:

Write a description of your ideal outdoor spot. Real or imagined. Use vivid details to describe light, water, plants, rocks, etc.

Must be at least 2 paragraphs.

Mini-Lesson

What is setting?

Artifact

The setting is where the story takes place, (The time and place). The setting needs to tell the reader about where and when the story occurs.

EX: It was 12 midnight and I was tossing and turning in my bed. For some odd reason I could not sleep. I had such a long hard day, a day I just wanted to forget…

Read aloud

Students will take notes of the time and place as I read some examples to them.

Students will close their eyes to visualize the setting better.

Work Period

Students will read their independent books and answer the following questions in their reader’s notebook.

1. Where does the story take place? What details tell you this?

2. When do the events of the story take place? What clues tell you so?

Share out

Students share out.

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

Opening

Why do you think it is important to include a description of the setting in the beginning of a story?

Today in the writer’s workshop we are going to begin writing our short stories.

Mini-Lesson

S.NO.T

Read examples and have students close their eyes again.

Artifact

SNOT stands for show not tell. This writing strategy helps writers to SHOW their readers as oppose to merely telling them what’s going on in the story by using descriptive, vivid language. By using this strategy, it allows the story to be exciting not BORING!

Work Period

-Students will begin writing their short stories by creating a setting. (on loose-leaf)

-Students will use the SNOT strategy to create an interesting setting.

-Students will also incorporate their main character from the previous lesson.

-At the end of the period students will put their stories in their work in progress folders.

Share-out

Students will share out with the class.

Word Pictures/SNOT

Word pictures SHOW us the character, the action, the setting. The writer needs to write in pictures, so the reader can SEE the story. ‘Show me – don’t tell me’ is my motto for word pictures.

Example 1

Mr Wormwood was a small ratty-looking man whose front teeth stuck out underneath a thin ratty moustache. He liked to wear jackets with large brightly coloured checks and he sported ties that were usually yellow or pale green.

Matilda (p.23)

We can SEE Mr Wormwood.

Example 2

She led him along a dark, narrow passage and up some wooden stairs. The house was filled with junk: broken TV sets and old bicycles, piles of books and empty bottles. The stair rails were covered in cobwebs. They went into a small room at the top of the house.

Unreal (p. 40)

We can SEE the scene. This is much more interesting than telling the reader, ‘It was an old house filled with junk’.