11/2/15 – Quick Write Write about a time when you were unkind to someone mentally or physically disabled, or you witnessed someone else being unkind to a mentally or physically disabled person. Describe what happened, and how you felt at that time.

Theme A theme is a statement about life that an author is trying to make through his or her story. “Love” is not a theme. “Love is more important than anything else in life” is a theme. In your group, think of an example of a theme from a movie, TV show, or book that you know.

“Johnny Bear” Themes Those who are mentally handicapped or incapable are often taken advantage of by others (and this is a negative aspect of humanity). Without those who are respectable and idolized, a community would fall apart (humans need people to look up to in order to feel validated and that life is worth living). As we read “Johnny Bear,” underline details that show and support the above themes.

11/3/15 – Think.Pair.Share. Think: Who is your favorite character from a book, movie, or TV show? What about this character do you like so much? Pair: Find a partner at your table group. Share: Discuss your favorite character with your partner. Then be ready to share with the entire class.

Characterization In novels, characters are developed (grow, change, mature, learn lessons, etc.), but in short stories, characters generally remain static, or unchanging. Characterization is the use of details, physical traits, dialogue, actions, and thoughts to build a character. With a partner, find the scenes in “Johnny Bear” in which the character Johnny Bear appears. Highlight or underline any details that build his character. Discuss what these details accomplish; what do they tell the reader?

Themes in “Harrison Bergeron” If ultimate equality is strove for among humans, then all creativity, inspiration, and uniqueness would be squashed. Television is a sedative for the masses. Highlight or underline any details that support the above theme.

Writing Dialogue Observe the written dialogue in the short story. Every time a new character speaks, a new paragraph is started. When a character is speaking aloud, their words must be in quotation marks. “I think I will,” he told her. “But maybe I won’t.” Notice the location of the punctuation. At the bottom of the short story, write a short dialogue between two characters. Make sure all punctuation and paragraph breaks are correct.

Short Story – Characterization & Theme Please turn your short story into the appropriate box. It should have the following: Your name and period Highlighting/underlining of theme and characterization details A short dialogue between two characters of your creation

11/5/15 – Protagonist / Antagonist A protagonist is the main character in a story. Sometimes protagonists might be referred to as “the good guy” or the “hero” of the story. An antagonist is the chief rival or opposition of the protagonist. An antagonist might also be referred to as “the bad guy” or a “villain.” Think of a movie or TV show. In your journal, write the name of the show/movie and identify both the protagonist and the antagonist.

Past or Present Tense A story either takes place in the past or the present Meaning: the story already happened and the narrator is writing in past tense, or the story is currently taking place and the narrator is writing in present tense. Past tense: He walked to the store and bought a soda. He drank it and burped. He decided that this was the his best birthday yet. Present tense: He walks to the store and buys a soda. He drinks it and burps. He decides that this is his best birthday yet.

Point of View Point of view is the perspective from which a story is narrated from (who is the narrator?) There are three different points of view (most often, a story is told from just one point of view): First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient

First Person First person point of view occurs when the narrator is part of the story. The narration uses words (pronouns) such as: I, me, mine, us, we, our. Thus, the reader can only get inside the head of the narrator. I got a strange feeling when he walked into the room and sat down next to me. Something was off. “What are you doing here?” I asked him. “Nothing. Just wanted to see if you were still alive.” If I was still alive? What did he mean by that? Before he said another word, I jumped out of my chair and sprinted out the door.

Third Person Limited Third person limited point of view is told from the perspective of a narrator who is not part of the story, but the narrator can get inside the head of the main character. Narration includes the pronouns: he, she, it, they, them, him, her, etc. He spat milk through his nose after she told him. At first he was furious, but the more he thought about it, the more he could see the humor in the situation. He wanted to ask her why she did it, but he couldn’t even speak.

Third Person Omniscient Third person omniscient point of view is like third person limited, except the narrator can get inside the head of any character, not just the main character. He shot milk out through his nose after she told him. At first he was furious, but the more he thought about it, the more he could see the humor in the situation. He wanted to ask her why she did it, but he couldn’t even speak She, however, knew exactly what she was doing. She had liked Sam for a long time, but he hadn’t passed her final test: she wouldn’t date a boy until she witnessed milk coming out of his nose. She was now satisfied with his worthiness.

Point of View Each table group has a book. Skim through the book and come to a consensus as to what point of view the story is told from. First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient Select a passage from the book that best exemplifies the point of view. You will read it to the class, and we will have to guess what the point of view is.

Short Story Writers’ Workshop Using the “Short Story Outline,” create a rough draft of an original short story. There is no proper order to complete it in; you can start by thinking of a theme, building a protagonist or antagonist (characterization), describing the setting, or laying out the plot arc. The final draft needs to be 1 ½ - 3 pages (handwritten or typed) and is due Friday November 13th!!!