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English Language Arts 9Creative Writing: Short Story

Mini-lesson 1: Starting a Short Story

Mini Lesson Topic Name the teaching point.

Creative Writing: Starting a Short Story

MaterialsGather materials, mentor texts

Short story: On Common Ground: The Invisible Girl by Pamela Christman (page 8)Whiteboard and whiteboard marker

ConnectionTell the students what you taught the previous lesson.

Students have already begun writing a short story (in their Journal..?)

Explicit InstructionTell the students what you will teach today.

Show them exactly how to do it.

Today, we are going to re-work the beginning of those short stories

Before we start that however, we need to know what components are used to write a short story:

Draw Story Mountain on the whiteboard - Ask students to help identify the parts of the story (hook (characters and setting), problem, rising action, turning point, resolution*, falling action, conclusion)

*Resolution: More often than not, short stories do NOT have a written resolution -this usually only takes place in the head of the reader

Today, we are going to be concentration on the hook (and the problem, and the rising action).

Within the first few lines of a short story, the reader should know information about the following things: characters - who is in the story? what are their names? what do they do? what do they looks like? DESCRIPTION!; setting - where does the story take place? when does the story take place? DESCRIPTION!; mood - how does the story make the reader feel? what emotions are brought forward? DESCRIPTION!

These things set up the entire story, so a strong beginning is crucial to a good short story

Guided practiceAsk them to try it out with a partner or with you for a few minutes.

Student-teacher reads the short story

Discussion about the beginning of the story: Was it a good beginning? Why? What did information did the beginning tell us about the whole story?

Independent PracticeRemind students how the teaching point (the topic of this mini-lesson) can be used in independent writing. (There should be a link between the mini-lesson and the students’ independent writing.)

Students will re-read and re-work their own short stories, taking into consideration what they have learned today (Story Mountain, components of a strong beginning, etc.)

Group Wrap-UpRestate the teaching point.

Students will be able to share their questions/comments/concerns

English Language Arts 9

Creative Writing: Short StoryMini-lesson 2: Using Figures of Speech as Writing Tools


Creative Writing: Using Figures of Speech as Writing Tools (metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idiom)


Song: Figurative LanguageWhiteboard and whiteboard marker


You’ve already learned about one writing tool: the metaphor

Reminder: A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as.

What are some examples of metaphor?The road was a ribbon of moonlight.All the world’s a stageAnd all the men and women merely playersThey have their exist and their entrances-William Shakespeare

Why do you think metaphors would be useful while writing a short story?Explicit InstructionTell the students what you will teach today.


Today, we’re going to be learning about other types of writing tools that can be useful while writing a short story: simile, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole and idiom

Does anyone know what any of these are? (Let the students guess before giving them the actual definition)

- Simile: A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as.

- Personification: A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a comparison which the author uses to

show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain feeling or attitude towards it and to control the way a reader perceives it.

- Onomatopoeia: The use of words that mimic sounds. They appeal to our sense of hearing and they help bring a description to life. A string of syllables the author has made up to represent the way a sound really sounds.

- Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point.

- Idiom: An expression that when taken literally does not make sense.Guided practiceAsk them to try it out with a partner or with you for a few minutes.

Play song (with lyrics on screen)

Does anyone have any more examples of:

- Simile?The muscles on his brawny arms are strong as iron bands.It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog -The Beatles

- Personification?A brave handsome brute fell with a creaking rendering cry (describing a tree)Death keeps no calendar (describing “Death”)

- Onomatopoeia?Caarackle!Pffft!

- Hyperbole?She’s said so on several million occasions.Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,Then another thousands, then a second hundred,Then still another thousand, then a hundred-Catullus

- Idiom?He lost his headGo with the flow*idiom was not included in the song

*Alliteration WAS included in the song, but alliteration is used more in poetry than in short stories

Why would we use these types of writing tools/figures of speech in a short story?-It makes the story more interesting to read (the story doesn’t seem so “blah”)

Independent PracticeRemind students how the teaching point (the topic of this mini-lesson) can be used in independent writing. (There should be a link between the mini lesson and the students’ independent writing lives.)

Students will work on their short stories while keeping in mind the six writing tools discussed

There should be at least one example of each tool in their stories

Group Wrap-UpRestate the teaching point


English Language Arts 9

Creative Writing: Short StoryMini-lesson 3: Show, don’t tell!


Creative Writing: Show, don’t tell! (dialogue and description)


Short Story: Shining On: Humming Through My Fingers by Malorie Blackman (page 98)Whiteboard and whiteboard markerTo Kill a Mockingbird (page 101)


So far we’ve covered how to write a strong beginning to a short story and how to include different forms of figures of speech in the story to make it more interesting. What are the 6 figures of speech we covered? (metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idiom)



Huge blocks of description are just as rare as huge blocks of dialogue; To keep a story moving and flowing, authors usually use a mixture description, dialogue, character thoughts (internal dialogue, emotions, etc.) and action; Combining these elements allows to reader to create a picture in their head - the reader will feel as if he is being SHOWN the story, like a movie, rather than TOLD it

Today, I’m going to teach you about a writing technique I only learned in my 4th year university course (Creative Writing: The Short Story). This technique is called ‘Show, don’t tell!’ (write on board)

Children’s author Suzanne Williams gives us this example of ‘Show, don’t tell!’ on her website drawn from Charlotte’s Web:

TELL: Fern was in the kitchen when she saw her father go by with an ax. She wondered what he was doing with it. Her mother told her he was going to do away with a pig that had been born too small. Fern was upset because she didn’t think a pig should be killed just because it was smaller than other pigs.

Instead, author E.B. White SHOWed us what was happening:“Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.“Out to the hoghouse,” replied Mrs. Arable. “Some pigs were born last

night.” “I don’t know why he needs an ax,” continued Fern, who was only eight.“Well,” said her mother, “one of the pigs is very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it.” “Do away with it?” shrieked Fern. “You mean kill it? Just because it’s smaller than the others?”

On page 101 of our novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee SHOWs us a scene between Mrs. Dubose and Jem and Scout Finch: “Mrs. Dubose was stationed... (102) ...come to such a state.”

Imagine HOW boring that would’ve been without the dialogue!: “Mrs. Dubose was stationed on her porch when we went by. She began shouting at us, asking where we were going and accusing us of playing hooky, even though it’s Saturday... There is NO dialogue, NO description, NO action and NO character thoughts! Blech!

(Write on the board)Here is another example:TELL: Jerry was a spoiled brat. (The main character is Sharon, Jerry’s older sister.)Jerry’s brown eyes narrowed into slits. He stamped his foot.“I don’t care what you say. I want some candy and I’m going to have it!”Mom would have a fit if I acted like that, thought Sharon. ACTION/DESCRIPTION (Think VERBS! and sneaky description)DIALOGUETHOUGHTSWhat do we know what the situation know that we’ve been SHOWN the situation rather than TOLD it?


Now you’re going to help me SHOW these TOLD situations:*remember that thoughts should be those of the main character only!

Bill was excited. He’s going on his first fishing trip. (Bill is the main character.)

Emily was angry. Her older sister told her that she couldn’t come shopping with her. (The main character is Laura, Emily’s older sister.)

This is an example of dialogue taken from Jacqueline Wilson’s short story The Bad Sister:Dad looked up from his newspaper.“Is that a wedding invitation?” he said. “Let’s have a look.”“It’s nothing,” Mum repeated, but Dad reached across and snatched it from her.“Good lord! Becky’s getting married,” said Dad.“My cousin Becky?” I said. “Is she the one who used to be best friends with Angela?”

Make note of the different types of punctuation used in this block of dialogue (commas, periods, exclamation marks, question marks)


You have the rest of the period to re-work your story, keeping in mind ‘Show, don’t tell!’ (dialogue, description, action, thought)



Did you have difficulty SHOWing instead of TELLing?

English Language Arts 9Creative Writing: Short StoryMini-lesson 4: Foreshadowing


Creative Writing: Foreshadowing


Short story: Inside Stories II: Love Song by Deirdre Kessler (page 2)Whiteboard and whiteboard marker


What have we learned so far since we started our Short Story Unit? (how to create interest from the get-go by setting the scene, how to use different figures of speech as writing tools in a short story to make the story more interesting, how to show instead of tell by including dialogue, description, character thoughts and action)



Today we’re going to learn how to use a technique that most of you are probably aware of, but don’t know how to use in your own short story: foreshadowing What IS foreshadowing? Foreshadowing is a device which hints of events to happen later in the story. Foreshadowing prepares the reader for the climax, the denouement (which to us is more or less the turning point/resolution), and any changes in the protagonist (the main character).

Why would we use foreshadowing in a short story? (It gives the reader hints -just a taste - of what’s to come later in the story. It makes them want to keep reading so that they can find out what’s going to happen. It creates suspense!)

BE CAREFUL! not to give away the ending!

Student-teacher reads the short storyGuided practiceAsk them to try it out with a partner or with you for a few minutes.

What proof of foreshadowing is there is this short story? What hints did the author use to lead us as leaders to make assumptions about the end of the story?

Independent PracticeRemind students how the teaching point (the topic of this mini-lesson) can be used in independent

Students will work on their short stories while keeping in mind what they learned about foreshadowing

writing. (There should be a link between the mini lesson and the students’ independent writing lives.)Group Wrap-UpRestate the teaching point.



Mini-lesson 6


Creative Writing: Satire


Short story: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark TwainWhiteboard and whiteboard marker


So far, we’ve learned about things that can help you strengthen your own short stories: how to write a good beginning, how to make the story more interesting and make the reader want to keep reading by using figures of speech, character development, dialogue and description, foreshadowing, etc.

Explicit InstructionTell the students what you will teach today


Today we’re going to learn about satire

Does anyone know what satire is? (Satire is the use of irony (which is another type of figure of speech that we haven’t covered in this class) to ridicule an idea, person, or a thing, often with an aim to provoke change. Satire usually targets human foibles or vices.

*Foible: A minor weakness or eccentricity in someone’s character*Vice: A practice, behavior or habit considered to be immoral, depraved or degrading in the associated society.

Most of you might think of different movies now that you know what satire means (Vampires Suck; Twilight - Scary Movie; every horror ever made basically; Tropic Thunder; every action movie ever made) - These are NOT examples of satire: these are parodies

A satire pokes fun at something to make a point, whereas as parody pokes fun at something simply to make fun of it


Show YouTube video: Satire vs Parody

Read short storyIndependent PracticeRemind students how the teaching point (the topic of this mini-lesson) can be used in independent writing. (There should be a link between the mini lesson and the students’ independent writing lives.)

Satire is a difficult concept to master, therefore I won’t be asking you to include satire in your own stories.

Students will have the rest of the period to work on their short stories


Mini-lesson 5

Mini Lesson Topic Creative Writing: Text Particularities

Name the teaching point.MaterialsGather materials, mentor texts

Short story: Shining On: Allie Finklestein’s Rules for Boyfriends by Meg CabotCopies: 23Whiteboard and whiteboard marker


Everything we’ve learned so far has made our stories more by working on the CONTENT. To make a story LOOK more interesting, we can change the way the story itself actually LOOKS



Student-teacher hands out copies of the short story and asks the students to quickly flip through the pages to see what the story looks like

What do you notice? Would you be more inclined to read a story that looks like this one that draws the readers’ eye or that is composed of long paragraphs of similar-looking text?

This story has many particularities in its text: e-mail, lists, capitalized letters, bold words, italicized words, different fonts, slang, punctuation not typically seen in most writing


Student-teacher will read the short story (with necessary expression!)

Discussion: WHY are specific words or blocks of text in a different font from the rest of the story? Bold? Italicized? Capitalized? Why are there lists? Why is the punctuation different in this story?


This story is written from the point of view of a teenage girl and they way the story is written shows that: the exchange of e-mails, writing in the diary, counting calories, teenage drama, slang, emphasis on certain words/sentences/paragraphs by using bold, italicized or different fonts altogether, capitalization of words that are not typically capitalized, non-typical punctuation, etc.

These types of text particularities give character to this text, but might not work with EVERY story (they probably won’t work in the vast majority of the stories you’ve written)

Something to keep in mind for your own stories: titles of books, movies, poems, etc. that are mentioned should always be italicized.


Now that you know that you’re allowed to use things like this, do you think you’ll include them in your next short stories? Why or why not?



Mini-lesson 7

Mini Lesson Topic Creative Writing: Ending a Short Story (conclusion and title)

Name the teaching point.MaterialsGather materials, mentor texts

Whiteboard and whiteboard marker


By now, you should have a short story bursting at the seams with figures of speech, dialogue, description, action, foreshadowing, etc.

Now it’s time to create an ending and title your storyExplicit InstructionTell the students what you will teach today.


Draw Story Mountain on the whiteboard - Ask students to help identify the parts of the story one last time (hook (characters and setting), problem, rising action, turning point, resolution*, falling action, conclusion)

Your short story might not necessarily have all of these components (there should, however, be a hook, a problem, rising action and a turning point, not necessarily in that order)

The turning point is right at the very top - the highest point - of the Story Mountain - this is the climax - this is where everything comes together and it’s all VERY exciting. It’s possible that that is where your story will end.

There is no right or wrong way to end a short story - With an essay, your last concluding paragraph will always sum up the entire text nicely with a nice little bow on top - this doesn’t necessarily HAVE to happen with a short story - There doesn’t NEED to be a “and they all lived happily ever after” - The type of ending you give your short story will depend on the story itself -its characters, the setting, the plot, the action, the mood, etc.

However, the ending you give your story should be strong! It CAN wrap up everything nicely - It CAN end with another hook to leave us wondering, wanting more - It CAN end with a witty statement

It’s possible that some of you already have a title for your story, but I like to wait until the end - Once the story is completely finished and you know exactly what it’s about, it might be easier to give it a title (before the story is

finished, you might not know EXACTLY where you’re going to go with it, so the title you originally chose might not work anymore)



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