Sample short story: This is a start.

Homework:
Section 1 should finish Completing the Sentence in the vocab book
Section 1 has a quiz on unit 1 on Friday

All sections should have written their book review hook and summary.
All sections should have written their short story hook and summary. (In other words, quickly explain the gist of your story.)

Quizlet
I added Vocabulary Workshop Unit 1 to our class.

What we did in class today:
This is the same information that is found on my web page.


We read the sample, which is the one in the picture.  The sample would be scored around a B-.  The first paragraph really sets up the main character and her situation.  The story has a clear conflict and resolution.  There is a theme at the end.  To improve this, the writer needs to build the story more than just tell the story.  There needs to be some dialogue with some scenes that we can experience.  But I am happy with this so far.

October 8, 2014

Objective: Students will have examined Gary Soto's writing style for how he uses Point of View/Memoir, Imagery and Sensory Details, and Tone. Students will have brainstormed their short stories. Lesson: Examine passages from the story using a question sheet that must be completed and handed in. (See below) Short story work time.  By now you should have your basic plan for your story. You need to decide how you will tell the story.  What point of view will you use?  Question Sheet One Last Time by Gary Soto Focus: Citing Evidence Point of View/Memoir Imagery and Sensory Details Tone- expresses the writer’s attitude toward his/her subject: angry, sad, humorous, etc. 1. Reread   lines 2–7, focusing on the description of the workers.  To what sense or senses does the description appeal? What impact does the description  have on the tone or feeling of the text? 2. Reread lines 11–18. What key concept does Soto develop? How do the sentences in lines 11–18 build on that idea? 3. Reread   lines 63–79. What evidence in the text suggests  how Soto and his mother are feeling? What  conclusion can you draw about the work they are  doing? (We only got to #3 today.) 4. Reread lines 97–108. What   metaphor does Soto use to explain how he feels as he  begins the second half of his workday? What is the impact of his metaphor on the tone or feeling of the  text? 5. Reread   lines 120–132 to find evidence of how Soto’s first day  of work has affected him. What conclusion can you draw based  on that evidence?  6. Reread lines 133–135 to  identify Soto’s use of imagery and simile. What is the impact of these word choices?  7. Reread  lines 153–162 to find evidence of the expectations  for the children in Soto’s family. What conclusion can  you draw about what Soto’s mother provided for the  children?  8. Reread  lines 217–224 to identify descriptive words and  phrases the author uses to describe what he can see  from the field. To what sense do these descriptions  appeal? How does  Soto’s description impact the tone or feeling in the  text? 9. Reread lines 256–266 with a  focus on what Soto says about his home life. What  conclusion can you draw from the evidence in the  text about problems Soto had at home? 10. Reread  lines 279–291 and identify similes and imagery Soto  uses. How does Soto’s description impact the tone?  11. Reread lines 311–322 to  identify the imagery and descriptive details Soto uses  to describe his return to Fresno after a day’s work in  the fields. How do these details impact the tone or feeling of the text?