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Dr. Hartman,
Im not sure if Ive clearly identified the ways that my assignment fulfills Common
Core Curriculum. There were several standards that I found to match my goals for
the assignment but it may be that I am covering more general knowledge regarding
these standards and I should be getting very specific instead. Most of the standards
I found were for 9th and 10th grade. Because this assignment is structured for 9 th
graders I wanted to focus more on introducing them to concepts in writing and
allowing them experience with those concepts. Im uncertain where the line begins
and ends with 9th grade and 10th grade standards. Hopefully the citations Ive
provided can help you help me in that regard.
Im excited about the way that this writing assignment encourages students to work
creatively not only individually but also together. I hope that by placing the group
activities at the beginning and end I can give my students a sense of security in
writing that they would not have if I only asked for an individual creative
assignment.
This is a concern for later, but how will one of my peers function as an entire class?
Will it be that the individual portions of the assignment are geared towards her and
the group portions of the assignment are geared towards she and I working
together? Again, that is a question that you dont need to give great attention right
now.
Im worried that Ive overlooked the practicality of several aspects of the
assignment, as is my tendency. If you could bring me down from the clouds to lay
better groundwork I would appreciate it. Im also worried that I assumed a lot about
the education of the hypothetical students in my class based on my 9 th grade
experience and the experience of other 9th graders who came through the same
school system. If you could help me get rid of those assumptions that would be
great too.
Thank you,
Sarah Anne

Writing Assignment Design


Sarah Anne David
22 February 2015
Teaching of Writing: Dr. Hartman
Introduction/Overview of Assignment:
One of the most difficult aspects of writing for 9 th graders is meshing the formulaic
persuasive/expository writing style they have observed in academic work with the
free form/narrative style that creative writing necessitates. Many students may
have difficulty grasping the creative process because they need concrete rules and
formulas to plug in to each step of creative work. This assignment will encourage
them to work together as a class to create a town in a specific setting of their
choosing. Then they will write individual stories, working in groups to offer peer
review as the stories become finalized. When the stories have been finalized we will
create a town map of all the places mentioned in their stories. This assignment is
important because it encourages the students to think through writing concepts as
they design, create, present, and debrief their own creative writing.
Purpose:
The art of storytelling, specifically short stories, is a way of building something
creatively that it would take much longer to build in the real world. In narratives,
characters embody the environment they are given and perform the way that their
writers decide they will perform. To hold the fate of a human being, even a
fictionalized human, in your grasp is a tremendous thing. This writing assignment
will give students the ability to slip into the world of creativity, a world of your own
making. In this world students and their characters have enormous potential to
affect change. Through this assignment students can come to see the world that
they build with their actions in everyday life.
Context:
The writing assignment I have created is structured to meet specific 9 th grade
Common Core Curriculum standards. This design is the beginning of a semester
long project for these 9th graders. So the various parts of the assignment will be
administered at different times throughout the semester. I will introduce the writing
assignment to students after we have learned about William Faulkners fictional
creation of Yoknapatawpha county. This assignment will conclude at the end of the

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semester when the students will present their stories to one another in a series of
readings and create a map of the town they designed together.
Goals/Objectives/Standards:
The standards that this assignment meets are as follows:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3.a
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation,
establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a
narrator and/or
characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or
events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3.b
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection,
and multiple
plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3.c
Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3.d
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture
of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3.e
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced,
observed, or
resolved over the course of the narrative.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations
for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5

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Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting,
or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate
command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10 here.)
Works Cited:
Common Core Standards Initiative. Common Core State Standards Initiative:
Preparing Americas Students for College and Career. Common Core
Standards Initiative, 2015. Web. 21 February 2015.
<www.corestandards.org>

We Built This City: Creating a Town through Short Stories


9th grade Literature: Spring 2015
Introduction: (What are we doing?)
We are beginning a semester long project in which we will create
a town together as a class (like William Faulkners Yoknapatawpha
county). We will decide on a setting, time period, demographic
and name for the town we create. After weve created our fictional
town, you will each write a short story about a character (or
multiple characters if you wish) who live in this fictional town. You
will go through each step of the writing process with your short
story in peer review groups and we will work throughout the
semester on completing your stories. When your stories are
finished we will share them as a class and then create a city map
of all our characters and where they live in our fictional city.
Purpose: (Why are we doing this?)
Storytelling is a very special form of art that allows us to create a
world in which we want our characters to live and then create
events, settings, and lifestyles for our characters to inhabit. I want
you all to see that you can create worlds with your words. I want
you all to see how precious your creativity is to the real world
that we live and breathe in every day.
Requirements: (What has to be in it?)

We will create the fictional town together and then everyone will
receive a handout of the specifics we outline for personal
reference during your creative process.
Your story should include:
-a narrative of a character who lives in the fictional town we
create
-a setting
-sensory descriptions (sight, sound, taste, touch, hearing)
-dialogue
-a PLOTLINE (this story has to move)
We will also create the town map together and everyone will
contribute to this process at the end of the project.
You are individually responsible for the development and
execution of your own creative process throughout the duration of
the project.
Notes: (Anything else I need to know?)
This is supposed to be fun. Enjoy working with your classmates to
create this fictional town. The more each of you enjoys the project
and really interacts with the assignment, the more all of us will
enjoy the project. Ill be writing a story along with you guys to
populate our town so well all get to experience it together.
Due Dates: (When do we need to turn this in?)
We will have our fictional city created by February 27 th
First drafts of stories will be due on March 20 th
Final drafts of stories will be due on April 3 rd
Final short stories will be due on

Rubric: (How am I graded?)


State Standard:
Project Requirement:

Engage and orient the reader by setting


out a problem, situation, or observation,
establishing one or multiple point(s) of
view, and introducing a narrator and/or
characters; create a smooth progression
of experiences or events.

Write a story with a characters and a


dynamic plotline (ie. a storyline that
goes somewhere), including one point
of view and a series of events that
move the plot along.
Use narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, reflection,
and multiple plot lines, to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.

Your story includes dialogue,


description, and plotlines that develop
the characters and events in it.
Use a variety of techniques to sequence
events so that they build on one another
to create a coherent whole.

Develop a story with various events


that happen in various
circumstances/settings which lead up
to the climax and resolution of your
narrative.
Use precise words and phrases, telling
details, and sensory language to convey a
vivid picture of the experiences, events,
setting, and/or characters.

Excee Meets
ds (4 (3
point points)
s)

Somewh
at
meets
(2
points)

Does
not
meet
(0
points)

Describe details in your story using


various senses (ie. sight, sound, taste,
touch, hearing) to portray an accurate
picture of the experiences, setting(s)
and characters you describe.
Provide a conclusion that follows from and
reflects on what is experienced, observed,
or resolved over the course of the
narrative.

Participate in a presentation of your


story. You may either present a
summary of your story and then reflect
on what happened in the narrative or
read your story aloud to the class and
then reflect on what happened in the
narrative.
Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.

Final draft should be written in an


organized, sequential manner, with
correct grammar and tone for the town
setting that our class created.
Develop and strengthen writing as needed
by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on
addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.

Work in your peer review groups to


plan, revise, edit, rewrite, and polish
your stories throughout the semester.

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