Elements of Literature & Descriptive Writing

In Use Your Words to Show Not Tell you will explore important qualities of creative writing, including using elements of literature and literary devices to create your own short story. At the same time, you will read a book and analyze it as both a reader and a writer. Simultaneously, you will learn new words and apply your new knowledge when you read and write.

___________________
You will Explore and discover the meaning of unfamiliar words Apply the knowledge of words when you read and write Analyze character development, problem and solution relationships, and other literary devices and elements of literature Read a book to explore the nine stages of a story Write a short story using the nine stages of a story Write a story using elements of literature and literary devices

Choosing Your Story

Your story needs a setting. For fantasies and science fiction, the setting can be whatever you imagine! Take some time now to choose your genre.

The following questions will help you plan: Will your characters act like normal people in our world, or will your characters have special abilities? Do you want your world to be medieval, modern, postapocalyptic, or futuristic? Would you rather make up spells and mythical beasts or contraptions and aliens?

If your characters will act like normal people in our world, then you are writing a realistic fiction story. If you answered spells and mythical beasts and medieval or modern, you are writing a fantasy. If you answered contraptions and aliens, and post-apocalyptic or futuristic, you are writing a science fiction. When you go to the library with your class, pick a book that matches the genre you have chosen to write. My genre is: _____________ The book Im reading is: ____________________

Stage 1
Every story has 9 Stages. In Stage 1, the reader meets the hero and sometimes
discovers how the hero needs to change. Stage 1 includes details about the hero. When you write your Stage 1, you will introduce the reader to the character that you created. If you are writing a fantasy or science fiction, you will also introduce the reader to the world that you create for your story. 1 Once you have chosen a book to read, you need to figure out how long each stage is. Count the number of chapters your book has. Then divide the total number of chapters by 9. Your answer will be the number of chapters you will read for each workshop. Round up to the nearest whole number. Number of chapters___ 9 =____ number of chapters I will read every workshop.

The Perfect World and Your Hero

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 1 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read your book. How does the author of the book make the story interesting right away? (This is called a hook.) You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 1.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 1. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is where you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from Lesson 1, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 1.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Every story needs a hero. Use the ideas from labsheet 1.1 B to help you brainstorm your hero. Create your character sketch on labsheet 1.1 C. D. Write Stage 1 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing and use all your ideas from labsheet 1.1 C. When you are finished with Stage 1, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 1. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.
3

1
In this workshop you learned about Stage 1. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 1 of a story? 2. What is a hook? 3. What are character traits? 4. What are some ways that writers show instead of tell?

1
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own tic-tac-synonym square like the one in your vocab packet for lesson 1.

Stage 2
In Stage 2 of any story, the reader is introduced to new characters. These new
characters will be either friends of the hero or enemies of the hero. The hero will be pushed into a challenge (the problem of the story) and he will start to gather tools that will help him reach his goal.

Friends and Enemies

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 2 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to the new characters that are introduced and how the new characters create the problem in the story. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 2.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 2. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is where you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 2.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Every story needs supporting characters and an antagonist (bad guy). Use the ideas from labsheet 2.1 B to help you prewrite your antagonist and supporting characters, plan the problem for your story, and list tools that will help your hero. A tool could be the magical quest item, a mechanical contraption that will help solve a problem, or something as simple as a baseball glove so your character can go to practice. Fill in labsheet 2.1 C with your ideas for your own story. D. Write Stage 2 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing and use all your ideas from labsheet 2.1 C. When you are finished with Stage 2, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 2. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.

2
In this workshop you learned about Stage 2. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 2 of a story? 2. How do writers introduce supporting characters? 3. What are some ways that writers show the problem for a story instead of telling about the problem? 4. How can writers use tools or items to create a temporary goal for the hero?

2
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own cross word puzzle or riddle puzzle like the one from vocab lesson 11.

Stage 3
In Stage 3 the hero will be forced to act. Maybe the heros friend needs to be rescued, or a bad guy tries to hurt the hero, so he has to defend himself. Stage 3 is all about setting up the events that will cause the hero to take action. The hero might do something now to help solve the problem, but in the long run, he has not solved his problem yet.

The Call the Problem

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 3 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to what the hero does to try to solve the problem. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 3.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 3. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is where you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 3.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Stories can become boring very quickly if the characters dont do anything. Use the ideas from labsheet 3.1 B to help you plan out some things your characters will do. Fill in labsheet 3.1 C with your ideas for your own story. D. Write Stage 3 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing and use all your ideas from labsheet 3.1 C. When you are finished with Stage 3, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 3. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.

3
In this workshop you learned about Stage 3. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 3 of a story? 2. Why is it important for your characters to take action? 3. How can writers make sure that their events are related instead of random? 4. What are some ways that writers show instead of tell?

3
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own tic-tac-synonym square.

Stage 4
In Stage 4 the hero will achieve a small goal that is related to the problem in the
story. Maybe your hero will find the tool he was searching for during Stage 3. Maybe your character wants to win every baseball game in the season, so his team wins their first game. Maybe your character needs to rescue his friend, and he finds some clues that will help lead him to the right place. The hero will not solve the problem yet, but after Stage 4, he will accomplish at least one small goal along the way to solving the problem.

Small Success

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 4 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the hero accomplishes a small goal related to the problem. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 4.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 4. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is where you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 4.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. There are many ways that a hero can accomplish a small goal. Did you plan for your character to need a tool or item? If so, now is the time for the character to find that item. Use the ideas from labsheet 4.1 B to help you plan out some things your characters will do to accomplish a small goal related to the problem. Fill in labsheet 4.1 C with your ideas for your own story. D. Write Stage 4 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use only your first idea from labsheet 4.1 C. When you are finished with Stage 4, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 4. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.
9

4
In this workshop you learned about Stage 4. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 4 of a story? 2. What are some ways that a character can have a small success without solving the problem for the story too soon? 3. Why is it important for the small success and the storys problem to be related? 4. What are some ways that authors show instead of tell?

4
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own acrostic word puzzle like the puzzle from vocab lesson 15.

10

Stage 5
In Stage 5 is when the theme or authors message is first introduced. In most
stories, the hero interacts with another character who wants the hero to change. Most of the time, the hero doesnt change until later, but right now, he thinks about changing, and the reader should know how the character needs to change. Whether the main character needs to change or not, the book you are reading will have a message for you. This is when you should start to think about what the author is trying to tell you.

Invitations Setting up the Theme

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 5 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the author shows the negative traits of the hero. Does another character try to get the hero to change? You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 5.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 5. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is when you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 5.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Use the ideas from labsheet 5.1 B to help you plan out some negative character traits for your hero. What are some ways that your character needs to change? Is there a character that already exists who could try to get your hero to change? Do you need to create a new character to try to change your hero? Fill in labsheet 5.1 C with your ideas for your own story. Remember, the hero doesnt change yet. Instead, this is when he starts to think about changing. D. Write Stage 5 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use all of your ideas from labsheet 5.1 C. Remember: your hero character will not change yet! When you are finished with Stage 5, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 5. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.
11

5
In this workshop you learned about Stage 5. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in stage 5 of a story? 2. Why is it important for the hero character to have at least one negative trait? 3. How do writers create themes for their stories? 4. How do writers show their themes instead of telling about them?

5
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own tic-tac-synonym square.

12

Stage 6
In Stage 6 the hero character will come up against many challenges while trying to
solve his problem so he can reach his goal. During this stage, the writer will have the hero accomplish some steps toward his goal but even if the hero finds success, he still does not solve his problem yet. The hero will go through a series of events to reach his goal. This is typically called the rising action of a story, because as each event takes place, the stakes are raised and the tension in the story goes up.

Trials and Challenges

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 6 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the author shows the heros actions as he tries to solve his problem or reach his goal. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 6.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 6. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is when you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 6.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Use the ideas from labsheet 6.1 B to help you plan out the rising action for your story. What are some steps your hero still needs to take to reach his goal? Are there complications that you can create to increase the tension? You might use the steps that you brainstormed during workshop 4 so check your labsheet 4.1 C. Then fill in labsheet 6.1 C with your ideas for your own story. Remember, the hero doesnt solve his problem yet. Instead, this is when he finishes going through all the steps that lead to his final goal. D. Write Stage 6 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use all of your ideas from labsheet 6.1 C. Remember: your hero character will not solve his problem yet! When you are finished with Stage 6, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 6. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.

13

6
In this workshop you learned about Stage 6. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 6 of a story? 2. What causes the rising action in a story? 3. Why is it called rising action? 4. What are some ways that authors show instead of tell?

6
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own Move On word story board like the one from vocab lesson 14.

14

Stage 7
In Stage 7 the hero reaches his final challenge. He comes to a point where he
needs to make a choice about how he will finally reach his goal. During this part of a story, the antagonist might make a trap for the hero or the problem in the story might be complicated by actions that the characters have taken. The events in this stage force the hero to think about whether he will change or stay the same.

A Fork in the Road

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 7 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the author shows the heros actions as he tries to solve his problem or reach his goal. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 7.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 7. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is when you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 7.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Use the ideas from labsheet 7.1 B to help you plan out the fork in the road that your hero will face. Who will your character interact with? Fill in labsheet 7.1 C with your ideas for your own story. Remember, the hero is about to change, and you must put him in a challenging situation so that he will have no choice but to make a decision. Your character will not solve the problem yet. D. Write Stage 7 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use all of your ideas from labsheet 7.1 C. Remember: your hero character will not solve his problem yet! When you are finished with Stage 7, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 7. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.

15

7
In this workshop you learned about Stage 7. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 7 of a story? 2. What is a fork in the road? 3. How can an uncomfortable situation push the hero to change? 4. What are some ways that authors show instead of tell?

7
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own tic-tac-synonym square.

16

Stage 8
In Stage 8 the hero finally solves his problem or reaches his goal. Oftentimes, the
hero will change in an important way. This is called the turning point, or climax, of the story. This is usually the most exciting part of the story, because everything is at stake and one wrong move could mean failure for the main character. Writers use this part of the story to show the hero making a change in order to learn a lesson, which is related to the theme of the story.

Turning Point Climax

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 8 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the next chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the author shows the heros actions as he solves his problem or reaches his goal. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Fill in labsheet 8.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 8. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is when you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Fill in labsheet 8.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Use the ideas from labsheet 8.1 B to help you plan the turning point for your hero. How will your character change? What minor characters help your hero change? Fill in labsheet 8.1 C with your ideas for your own story. Remember, you need to show your hero solving his problem. What will he do to reach his goal? How will you show the change in your hero? Remember your theme! This is when you make sure the reader knows your message. D. Write Stage 8 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use all of your ideas from labsheet 8.1 C. Your hero character will finally solve his problem now! When you are finished with Stage 8, sign up for a writing conference with your teacher and turn in Stage 8. Start working on the next workshop while you are waiting for your conference.

17

8
In this workshop you learned about Stage 8. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 8 of a story? 2. What makes this part of a story so exciting? 3. Why is it called the turning point? 4. What are some ways that authors show their message or theme instead of telling about it?

8
5. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own acrostic word puzzle like the one from vocab lesson13.

18

Stage 9
In Stage 9 the author ends the story. A very important part of Stage 9 is to show
what happens to the hero after he finds success (or failure for a tragedy). The hero has finally solved his problem and can be happy. The author might show the hero celebrating or returning to where he came from. Oftentimes, the hero helped many characters when he found success or solved his problem, and this is when the writer shows how much the hero helped the other characters out.

Victory Resolution

A. Complete all three pages of the Vocabulary Lesson 9 in your booklet. Make sure you ask your teacher for the answers to check your work before you move on. B. Read the last chapters of your book. Pay extra attention to how the author shows the heros actions as he celebrates his victory. You have two labsheets to fill out WHILE YOU READ: 1. Complete labsheet 9.1 A by finding synonyms or antonyms for the vocabulary words from Vocabulary Lesson 9. Use as many vocabulary words as you can. This is when you make sure you learned the vocabulary words from the lesson, so challenge yourself to find as many synonyms and antonyms as you can. 2. Complete labsheet 9.1 B with story elements from your book. This is important, because you will use these ideas to help you write your own story. C. Use the ideas from labsheet 9.1 B to help you plan the end of your story. What will your hero do now that he has saved the day? Fill in labsheet 6.1 C with your ideas for your own story. Remember, you can show how important it was for the hero to solve the problem by showing all the characters the hero helped along the way. This is when your hero is finally truly happy, so take time to plan how you will show it. Make sure you tie up all the loose ends and the conflict is completely solved. D. Write Stage 9 of your story on lined paper. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE SPACE WHILE YOU WRITE! Try to include as many vocabulary words as you can in your writing. Use all of your ideas from labsheet 9.1 C. This is the very end, so make sure you said everything you wanted to say. Give yourself a pat on the back for completing your short story! Congratulations!

19

9
In this workshop you learned about Stage 9. These questions will help you
summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What happens in Stage 9 of a story? 2. Why is Stage 9 important? 3. What are some ways that authors show how important it was for the hero to save the day or solve the problem?

9
4. Use the synonyms and antonyms you found while reading to create your own word maze like the one found in vocab lesson 10.

20