Noveling 101 Unit

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Title: Noveling 101Name: Cate ODonnellGrade level: 8thLength of unit: 5 weeks (October 25th-December 1st)Stage 1 Desired Results

MeaningEnduring Understandings:Students will

Understand the purpose and functionof a novel.

Create a novel with attention toimagination and plot functions.

Present and read aloud their ownwriting, as well as revise otherstudent writing

Essential Questions: Why is storytelling so important (both personally and in our

culture)? What makes a novel or a story compelling? To what extent do literary conflicts relate to those in real life? What does it mean to be creative?

Knowledge & Skills AcquisitionStudents will know

Novel structures (plot, character,setting)

Expectations of good and badnovels

Writing styles and techniques

Students will be able to

Read work aloud and present ideas in a group setting Write creatively and continuously by turning off the inner

editor Construct and identify parts of fiction and literary techniques Identify literary techniques and plot structures


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Established Goals: By the end of November, students will have completed a novella with identifiable plot structuresand multi-faceted characters. During the month of noveling, students will reflect upon their writing by conferencingwith their small fiction groups, and after National Novel Writing Month is complete, students will write a short essayexplaining what theyve gained throughout the writing experience and what challenged them. Students will be able to

write creatively and analytical, and they will also gain knowledge and appreciation of the novel as a literary form.

Transfer:Students will be able to independently use their learning to

Present and read in group settings and lead discussions with peers Write creatively and connect literary techniques in non-novel reading Communicate effectively, clearly and persuasively in written format

Common Core Standards:Speaking and Listening: 1a. Initiate and engage actively in group discussions on grade 8 topics, texts, and issuesbeing studied in class; prepare for discussions by completing reading or conducting research and explicitly draw onthat material in discussions.

Writing: 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter timeframes (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Writing 3. Analyze how elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how plot and setting are integral to one another;how the setting affects characters).Writing: 3a. Write narratives in which they engage and orient the reader byestablishing a context and point of view, and purposefully organize a progression of events or experiences; 3b. Writenarratives in which they develop narrative elements (e.g., setting, plot, event sequence, complex characters) withwell-chosen, relevant, and specific sensory details; 3e. Provide a satisfying conclusion that follows from the events,experiences, or ideas; 3d. Choose words and phrases to effectively develop the events, experiences, and ideas preciselyand to create mood.

Writing 4. Produce writing in which the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to task,


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purpose, and audience.

Writing 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and interact with others about writing,including presenting and citing information in a digital format;

Writing: 5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, strengthen writing as needed by planning,revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach after rethinking how well questions of purpose and context havebeen addressed.

Stage 2 Evidence (Assessment)Performance TasksStudents will apply their understandings by(techniques and styles)

Journal entries discussing both creativity and what elements make a valuable novel- formativeassessment on literary understanding (journal reflections checked each week)

Prior to novel writing, students will create novel maps to prove understanding of plot structures andform (including inciting incident, character development, dialogue, and description). Novel maps aresummative based on lessons of literary structures, but formative for novel writing.

Writing novel to achieve word count goal- within classroom time and as homework, students write basedon novel maps and conferences with peers. Assessment is summative in nature, but based on completionand effort, not error-free writing.

At three separate intervals, students will bring in a short excerpt of their novel, along with a coupleshort sentences describing why they made this choice.


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Other Types of Assessment (Selected Response, Short Answer, Extended Response, Personal Communication)Students will additionally demonstrate their knowledge and skills by

Weekly group conferences to discuss challenges within novel writing, used both as summative andformative for group work and writing skills

As-needed conferences with teacher to assess skill level and need of assistance in creative writing andmeeting word count

Stage 3 Learning PlanPre-assessment:Stage 3Learning PlanTo pre-assess, students will bring in their favorite novel and will briefly journal about what makes it a "good"story. The assignment will be informal, and after I have reviewed them, we will compile a list of elements thatmake a good story. Students in small groups will come up with examples of stories or movies that have thesetraits (i.e. for conflict, students might point to Katniss' involvement in the Hunger Games.) Through personaljournals and group work, I can assess what their skill levels are and correct any large misconceptions aboutstory development by giving strong counter-examples.

Students will have prior experience learning about plot parts and other literary techniques necessary forwriting their novels, but we will review this information and then apply in in their novel maps. This is astepping stone for their later use within the novel, and its both a summative assessment of what theyunderstand and a formative assessment for what they need more instruction on within novel writing. This willtie into the beginning of the unit by explicitly describing and creating pieces of good novels. In this section wewill learn the importance of and practice dialogue, character development, descriptive writing styles andelements of plot.


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As we begin making story maps and (on November 1st) novel writing, we will leans to transfer our ideas aboutwhat makes a good story into the stories we are creating. Students are to evaluate their own skill level and seta word count goal they will work towards during the month, with an emphasis on continual writing rather thanediting. Each week, students will journal briefly about what's happening in their novel and how they think it's

creating a compelling story. They will also have time each week to meet with their literary groups and discusstheir personal challenges or places in their story where they think they are stuck.

During the month of November, roughly half of class time will be spent purely writing. The remainder will bespent using mini-lessons to reinforce the elements of fiction and brainstorming ideas to try and get a stuck plotmoving again. During the time they conference with their groups, they will also bring in an excerpt of theirwork and read it aloud to give support to students who need peer encouragement as well as to work on fluencyand read aloud skills. Each student will have an opportunity to conference with me where we will talk abouttheir successes and challenges, and what they've discovered about the writing process. I will also closelymonitor their journals and (if we are working on computers), weekly I want students to email their work to me

both for word verification and so their work is backed up somewhere else.


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Unit Sequencing:The noveling unit will last five weeks, with the first week forming a background on the novel form andcreating novel maps, and the month of November will be mostly dedicated to writing furiously andmeeting with groups to overcome challenges.

To hook students, we will begin by discussing what it means to be creative and using students favoritenovels as a jumping off point. To continually engage students, we will have a class word counter,occasional daily word count goals, and weekly dares of topics, characters or situations to include in yournovel.

To aid student direction and reflection within this unit, students will journal in response to questionsthat build on the ideas of creativity and value on novels. We will keep the essential questions, Whatdoes it mean to be creative? and What makes a story compelling? along with the ideas theyve put upat the beginning of the unit.

Many of my initial lessons will involve direct instruction as I review the basics of novel writing andelements of fiction, but to keep student engagement, we will be doing both quick writes in journals andThink, Pair, Share activities.

The book discussions and peer review sessions will follow many of the guidelines ofinteractiveinstruction- I will set time limits, subject boundaries and a few other guidelines to peer discussions, butthe students are responsible for the rest to both learn from each other and help each others writing.

Much of the writing time within novel writing will be independent instruction. While I will be availablefor help, and will continue to monitor student achievement, the students will be responsible for takinginitiative and exploring their own writing styles and abilities.

Differentiating: (all novel writing will take place so that every student can set their own word count goals)Struggling readers and writers: for students with learning disabilities or struggling writing/reading skills,students will be able to set their own word count goals. Frontloading information about elements of fiction will


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be especially essential for these students, and I will print out guided sheets for the plot rollercoaster,character development, and dialogues to help guide students who need additional help. If students arestruggling with creating ideas, they may do a take off on a fairytale or another story.

ELL: If students feel comfortable attempting the novel in English, I will support them in similar ways as listed

above. If, however, the student does not feel comfortable and would rather write in their native language, I willfully support them. To help with their English language skills, I will request that they summarize every fewdays what is happening in their story.


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Noveling 101Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1(Starting during lastweek of October)

Define creativity

Intro to NaNoWriMoand inner editor

Students write downqualities of good/badnovel based on bookthey brought in

Quickwrite aboutchallenges/excitementof NaNoWriMo injournal

2

Defining Novel

-students listnovels theyveread

Model novels thatstudents broughtin- studentscreate plot mapand fill incharacter andsetting info

Students presentinfo to small

group/discusswhat makes thebook a novel

3

Characters andSetting

Studentsquickwrite/discuss

characters theyveloved or hated

Create character mapfor protagonist

Set elements of setting

Students list offimportant/interestingcharacteristics of asetting

4

Creating Conflict

Make a list ofexamples of conflict

Ask students to

discuss one of thestory examples ifthere was noconflict (boring)

Have studentsbrainstorm 3creative conflictstheir charactermight have to

overcome- journal

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Elements of Plot

Define and identifyinciting incident,rising action, climax,

falling action,resolution

Discuss 4 places astory can begin

Establish a sequenceof events for their ownnovel, incorporateconflict- fill in plotroller-coaster


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6 (first day ofNovember)

7 8 9 10

Beginning day ofwriting- studentsstart with openings (4

diff places)

Students have 40 minof in-class writing

Discussion asclass- KWL aboutwriting fiction

(temp check)

Split up- studentswho want tofreewrite vs.students whowant someguidance.

Mini-lesson: Dialogue

FB chat example

Students come up withdefinition for dialogue

Example dialoguetags and studentpractice within novels

Dialogue Dares(each week,students get a dare

to include in theirnovel if theyrestuck)

Free-write for 20minutes

Group meetings-challenges,celebrations,journal

Free-write Friday

1-2-1 meetings with

teacher to discussprogress

Turn in journal forchecking

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Sub-plotting lesson

Journals passed back

Secondarycharacters- studentsmake a charactermap of 2 secondarycharacters

Define sub-plottingand have studentscome up withexamples in groups

Students brainstorm

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Journalbellringer: Whatchallenges are youcurrently facing inyour novel? Whatare your plans to

overcome them?Students reviewtheir plotrollercoasters andadd details andsubplots

Review storylines

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Mini-lesson:Description

Students write for 3min. about mysteriousitem teacher brings in

Discuss word choiceand sensory choice

Description dare:students incorporatethe object anddescription into theirstory

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Free-writing time

Define constructivecriticism- whatdoes powerfulfeedback look like

Meet with groups-bring in excerpt toread out loud

Students listen toeach other and giveone glow and onegrow for each

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Free-write Friday

1-2-1 meetings withteacher to discussprogress

Turn in journals


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for 10 minutes aboutpossible sub-plots ofsecondary characters

with group

30 min free-writeFree-writing time excerpt

Students write ajournal entry aboutwhat they learnedfrom the feedback

that they are goingto implement

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Word Count week!

Students set

(realistic) word-countgoal for Wednesdayand Friday, post ondesk

Free writing


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Students bring inexcerpt that theyare struggling onfor groupfeedback.

Excerpts (typed)are passedaround, and groupmembers writefeedback at thebottom answeringquestions

Journal reflection-what makes yournovel valuable?

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Class comes up withdares individually,then posts on theboard.

Free-writing for 30minutes


Students who achievedmid-week word count

goal get candy

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Mini-lesson: Plottwists

Define Plot TwistShow clip of PlotTwists fromYouTube and havestudents come upwith a surprisingplot twist for afairytale.

Go back to plot

maps and havestudentsbrainstorm injournals 2 differentways they couldincorporate one

Quickwrite plot

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Free-write Friday

1-2-1 meetings with


Turn in journals

Students who meetend of week wordcount goals get cookies


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twist

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Mini-lesson: Climax

Define climax and

groups draw cartoonexamples of climaxesin movies.

Students discuss withpartner and writedraft of climax injournals

Free-writing for 20min

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Journal- How willyour story end?How close are you

to staying on yourword-count goal?

Free-writing

1-2-1 meetingswith teacher todiscuss progress

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Dare: Include asurprising character orobject from the start of

the novel into climax,falling action orresolution.

Free-writing for 40minutes

Students share thewriting they did inclass as an excerptwith their partner.Partner gives 2 ideasof what could bewritten next.

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.Happily EverAfter lesson

Studentsquickwrite/comparehow their favoritebook ends and howtheir favorite movieends.

Explanation of 4differentresolutions withexamples.

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Free-write Friday

1-2-1 meetings with


Turn in journals

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Show students how tosubmit work to the

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Final day oftyping-

28 (First day ofDecember)

Students self-edit

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Thank Goodnessits Over Party

30

Work-shopping

As a class, set ground


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word-counter

Free-writing timewith two short breaksto move around

Have studentsfinish up projects(unless they arefinishing at hometonight)

Free-write timeand as studentsfinish, they maybegin to re-readthrough to edit.

work

Identify 3 areas forediting: conventions,organization/structure,ideas/content

Have students readthrough story to edit2x if time permits

Student excerptreadings

Picture slide-showof process

Students createbook-covers

rules for constructivecriticism

Review 3 areas forediting: conventions,organization/structure,

ideas/contentGroups read work inpartners and thendiscuss/take notes

Noveling 101 Intro LessonYour Name: Cate ODonnell

Subject Area: Language Arts

Grade Level: 8th Grade

Instruction time: 55 minutes per day, 5 week unit

Lesson Summary Description

This lesson is the introductory class for a unit on creative novel writing. The goal of this lesson is to introducestudents to the concepts of creative writing and define what makes a novel good based on their experience. We willbegin with the essential question, What does it mean to be creative? to which the students will write a briefjournal response and then discuss in small groups. As a class, we will then put the ideas up on the board, and the


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teacher will introduce National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). We will discuss, using the example of thecreativity prompt, what the inner editor is. The students have brought in a favorite novel from home, and in thesame small groups, will come up with a definition of a novel, as well as the most important things a good novelneeds.

Standard(s)

Writing:

4. Produce writing in which the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,and audience

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (asingle sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Enduring Understandings/Essential Question(s)

What makes a novel or a story compelling?

What does it mean to be creative?

Students will understand the purpose and function of a novel.

Objective(s)

At the end of this lesson (C), students (A) will be able to list 4-10 (D) positive and negative traits of a specific novel(B).

At the end of this lesson (C) in small group discussions (D), students (A) will be able to define the inner editor (B)and challenge its functions within the constraints of NaNoWriMo (D).

By the end of the lesson (C), students (A) will be able to write a 1 paragraph (D) response about the NaNoWiMoproject and its basic mission (B).


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Differentiation

Struggling readers and writers: This lesson plan is written so that students of varying levels of reading and writingcan all work at their own pace (using bulleted notes or short paragraphs). The journal space at the end also allowsthem to express concerns they have about NaNoWriMo based on their difficulties with writing, and will beaddressed individually as need be.

ELL students: ELL students will be able to write their papers in either English with a shorter word count or thelanguage they feel most comfortable with, and in accordance with this, most of their preparation may also be done intheir native language if they so choose. For this lesson, ELL students will be placed in groups with students thatwill work with them to understand the questions. Because a lot of the work not in groups is individual, the teacherwill walk around and clarify privately when they have an opportunity.

Resources & Materials

KWL worksheets

Posted Rules for NaNoWriMo

Student Assessment(s)

Written paragraph in journal on their response to the NaNoWriMo project and what they believe will be theirstrength and their greatest challenge. Teacher will come around and check for completion and level ofunderstanding (a comprehensive response would include reference to creativity, word count, novel, fiction andinner editor)

A written list of 4-10 good or bad qualities of a novel based on the novels students brought in. List will becompiled into a classroom list on the board.

Teacher walks around and listens during small group discussion about the inner editor and temperaturechecks for how this applies to NaNoWriMo.

Instructional strategies/methods

A combination of direct and indirect instruction, this lesson plan uses quick writes, TPS, KWL and groupdiscussions in order to help students achieve understanding.


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Detailed Lesson Steps/Sequence

1. As a bell-ringer, students will come in and begin journaling in response to the question on the board, Whatdoes it mean to be creative? (5 min)

2. Teacher asks students to pair and share their ideas with a partner. (2 min)3. As a class, students give their ideas about what it means to be creative. Teacher writes ideas on large piece of

paper to be posted on the wall for the next month as motivation. (5 min)4. Introduce National Novel Writing Month like this, Rather than spending a month just learning about how

other people are creative, were about to embark on a writing adventure that definescreativity. NationalNovel Writing Month is thirty days and thirty nights of exploring our imaginations to create novels, and thereare three main rules. (1 min)

5. Unveil posted rules: No writing before November 1st or after November 30th, write for quantity of words overquality (until December editing), respect this writing space and each other. Answer questions (3 min)

6. Explain that we will be setting up story maps (based on different elements of novels) on the days leading up toNovember, and that this is a program people all over the country will be doing during the month. Tell themthey will get to set themselves a realistic but challenging word count goal for the end of the month, and thatthe goal of NaNoWriMo is to get them writing. (3 min)

7. Ask students about responding to the creativity prompt at the beginning of class. Students show via raisedhands, Who had trouble thinking of the right words? Who ended up erasing something because it didnt seemgood enough? Who just went with the first thing that came to mind? Tell those students who raised hands forthe first two questions that the one at fault is their inner editor, something the students who raised theirhand for the final question found easier to ignore. (3 min)

8. Have students TPS about what they think the teacher means by the inner editor. Walk around and listen toa few responses, and then bring class back together to explain that usually, the inner editor is a good thing. (5

min)9. Students take out books theyve brought in and silently journal write 4-10 things they think make the bookbad or good. (3 minutes)

10.Small group discussion comparison of lists- each group compiles a master list of the most common/importantpositive and negative book traits, then presents top 5 from the positive list to the class. (10 min)


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11.Teacher passes out worksheets with KWL format. Teacher models one K and one W and then students fill itout individually (without the L for now). When done, students are to write a paragraph in their journal aboutwhat they are most excited about NaNoWriMo, and what their biggest challenge will be. (10 min)

12.For an exit slip, students write their most burning W on a sticky note and stick it on the door while theyleave. (1 min)

Noveling 101 Dialogue LessonYour Name: Cate ODonnell





This lesson occurs shortly after the students have begun writing their novels. The mini-lesson on dialogue will beginwith students identifying an example of dialogue in their novel and reading it aloud to a partner. In groups,students will come up with definitions for dialogue. They will then be shown an example of a descriptive vs. non-descriptive Facebook chat and identify with their partners exactly what makes one more interesting than the other.Then, given one brief dialogue interlude, students will come up with their own dialogue tags in a group and sharewith rest of class. Class will have an opportunity to write more of their novel at the end of class.

Standard(s)

Writing: 3d. Choose words and phrases to effectively develop the events, experiences, and ideas precisely and tocreate mood.


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Create a novel with attention to imagination and plot functions.

Present and read aloud their own writing, as well as revise other student writing

Objective(s)By the end of the lesson (C), students (A) will be able to define and identify effective dialogue and dialogue tags (B)in a group setting(C).

By the end of the lesson (C), students (A) will be able to develop the characters and events in their group novel byadding effective dialogue (B) that includes precise words and phrases (D).

Differentiation

ELL: students who are writing their novels in another language may, if their limited English skills call for it, be

given example dialogues in their native language for part of the lesson, in English for another part.

BD students: individuals who struggle to pay attention will always have the opportunity to write standing up atmusic stands at the back of the room. In this lesson, students will have brief and interesting dialogues to respond to,and therefore it will be easier to keep students focused.


Overhead/Facebook Dialogue slidesDialogue tag handouts


Students definitions of dialogue and application of dialogue tags within groups provide a good temperature check asto whether or not they understand what dialogue is.


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Students will write effective dialogue into the next section of their novel that the teacher will walk around andcheck.


The strategies predominately used will be TPS and group work, along with concrete examples of dialogue sostudents have something modeling good writing. There will be a limited amount of direct instruction- students willmostly use peer knowledge and guided questions.


1. Students enter room and find a question on the board, So why dialogue? Teacher begins class by askingstudents the question, Why is dialogue important? and writing the answers on the board. (3 min)

2. Students find an example in their novel where they have used dialogue and read it aloud to their partner. (3min)

3. In small groups, students come up with a definition of dialogue and write it down on a large piece of paper.Once students have their definition down, one individual from the group will bring it up to the front of theroom, read the definition to the class, and past the piece of paper on the front board. (5 min)

4. Teacher will put up on overhead an example of a Facebook chat. Two students will read aloud the differentparts. (2 min)

5. Teacher will put up the second (more descriptive example) up on the overhead, and two students will read italoud. Teacher will ask, If these were in books, which one seems like you would want to keep reading? (3min)

6. Students TPS reasons why they think the later is more interesting to read than the first one. (1 min)7. Teacher passes out a handout which defines Dialogue tags and has two examples of different ways to use

the same phrase. Students in groups then read these aloud and come up with a different dialogue tag for thesame dialogue. (10 min)

8. Students read aloud their new dialogue and tags for the class. (8 min)9. For the remainder of class, students will continue writing their novels individually. The teacher will come

around to check what theyre working on, and they must be prepared to show them dialogue theyve writtenduring class today. (20 min)


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Noveling 101 Editing LessonYour Name: Cate ODonnell





The class will begin with some brief free writing time. After that, the teacher will give examples of effective andineffective constructive criticism, and then the class will make a list of ground rules for giving feedback on eachothers work. Students will meet in their small groups and will read a pre-selected excerpt from their novels. Whilethey read aloud their work, students in their circle will write down feedback in a couple different areas, and willoffer both positive and constructive feedback. Once students have received feedback, they will have the opportunityto ask other questions about their work. After all group members have read, students will write a journal entryabout how they will incorporate the feedback into their novel as they move forward.

Standard(s)

Writing: 4. Produce writing in which the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to task,purpose, and audience

5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach after rethinking how well questions of purpose and context have beenaddressed.



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Present and read aloud their own writing, as well as revise other student writing

Objective(s)

By the end of the lesson (C), students (A) will be able to give meaningful feedback on peers writing (B) byaddressing three different parts of feedback (D).

By the end of the lesson (C), students (A) will be able to reflect on and apply constructive criticism from peers intotheir own writing (B).

Differentiation

ELL students/struggling readers: for students who struggle to read aloud, they will have the opportunity to pick ashorter excerpt to read aloud. They will also have a chance to go in the hallway to practice reading their piece aloud

during free-write time at the beginning of class.

BD students: These students may choose to write standing up, as always, and in groups, they may choose to move toa different part of the room or stand in order to pay attention. The teachers constant watching will keep thestudents on task, but their responsibility to the rest of the group and the class pledge will also hold themaccountable for paying attention and behaving appropriately.


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During peer feedback sessions, students will write down and then verbally give constructive criticism based on threequestions: what is the author doing that works well and should be continued; what was challenging to understand ordid not make sense; and what descriptions, dialogue, or plot changes would make the story more engaging?


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Journal entries will require students to explore and reflect on the feedback they received from their peers andexplain how they will incorporate the constructive criticism in the future.


This lesson will be predominately group work as they learn how to give and receive meaningful feedback. In additionto cooperative learning, they will also spend some time reflecting on what work theyve done and how to apply whattheyve learned to it.


1. Students come in and have time to free write in their novels. If they did not previously select an excerpt oftheir novels to read in groups, then they may use this time to do so. (15 min)

2. Teacher gives an example of effective vs. ineffective criticism for students based on their behavior during freewrite time, i.e. Good job during free write time! vs. You were very focused and quiet for the last fewminutes of writing- keep it up next time! (2 min)

3. Students will TPS with a partner about what makes constructive criticism helpful or not. (1 min)4. As a class, students supply ideas for class ground rules for constructive criticism to write on board. Ideas

include respect for others ideas, honest feedback, active listening. Students do cheesy I-Vow-To-Upholdpledge. (5 min)

5. Students are instructed on the three questions to answer for each participant: what is the author doing thatworks well and should be continued; what was challenging to understand or did not make sense; and whatdescriptions, dialogue, or plot changes would make the story more engaging? (1 min)

6. Students break off into small groups and each student reads their excerpt aloud. Once the group membershave answered the questions and added any additional feedback, the author may ask questions or clarifythings in the story. During the peer feedback session, the teacher is walking around and surveying studentparticipation or helping students give appropriate feedback (15 min).

7. Once students have completed feedback, they will journal for a few minutes about how they will specificallyapply the information they were given during feedback. (5 min)


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Documents

Noveling 101 Unit