CEClang.82
TITLE: Stories That Grow on Trees
AUTHOR: Patti Emley, Louisburg Elementary Middle
School; Louisburg, Kansas
GRADE LEVEL: Appropriate for grades 4-8.
OVERVIEW: Most students are motivated to read
plot-choice novels such as Choose Your Own Adventure
and Twist a Plot, so writing their own choose-a-plot
book was an equal motivational challenge.
OBJECTIVE(s): Students will be able to:
1. Develop skills in creating plot structure.
2. Think through a logical line of story action.
3. Invent characters with striking physical and
psychological attributes.
RESOURCES:
Teacher Materials: enlarged flowchart, copies of Choose
Your Own Adventure Story for each student.
Student Materials: large envelope, large index cards-13
for each student, tagboard, art supplies, and
pencil.
ACTIVITIES:
1. Assign each student a commercially published
plot-choice book to read.
2. Allow time for students to discuss their
impressions of the stories they read. Then
brainstorm together to generate a list of
qualities of most plot-choice books.
3. Choose partners and establish a work method and a
schedule. Each pair will receive a story
flowchart. This flowchart will help students
create a 13-page book with seven different
endings. (Cut back or add story parts to the
flowchart to adjust for the ability level of your
students.)
4. Model an experimental plot, using the flowchart to
show how it can be used to develop the story.
5. Partners should decide who will be responsible for
writing each part of the story. To keep track,
have the students write their name next to the
section of their flowchart they are responsible
for writing. Each student should also collaborate
and assist the other at every stage of the
process.
6. Staple each story flowchart to a large envelope.
Place 13 large index cards inside the envelope.
Ask the students to label the cards to match the
flowchart--from start to 2B-2 end.
7. Next ask the partners to brainstorm about possible
characters, settings, and action starting points.
Then ask then to choose the story elements that
they will use.
8. Have the partners develop their story on the index
cards. The index cards help the students grasp
that creating a story is putting together parts to
make a whole.
9. Have the students edit and proofread.
10. Have the students lay out the cards in flowchart
order on the floor. They will need to randomly
number the index cards beginning with page 1 on
the start card.
11. Then have insert the cross-references-referring
back to the flowchart and the labeled index cards
to verify the order or the story parts. 12.
Students should also design the title, dedication,
and "warning" pages.
12. Now it is time to publish. This can be done on a
computer or blank sheets of paper in the students
best handwriting.
13. Ask the teams to organize the pages, illustrate
each page, design oaktag covers, and put the book
together. Make photocopies of each book so that
each partner has one.
FLOWCHART
Start
|---------------|--------------|
| |
Story Story
Choice 1 Choice 2
| |
|--|--------| |-----|-----|
| | | |
1A 1B 2A 2B
| | | |
|--| |-----|--| |--| |-----|---|
| | | | | |
end 1B-1 1B-2 end 2B-1 2B-2
| |------| | |
| | | | |
end 1B-3 1B-4 end end
| |
| |
end end
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Encourage students to share
their plot-choice books with one another. At a later
time, students may enjoy sharing the books with other
classes. With the librarian's permission the books
would make a nice display in the library. As the
teacher you will have many opportunities to work
one-on-one with students to review language-arts
skills. But the most valuable outcomes will be the
surge in student writing enthusiasm and confidence.
Every student is an author and has a book to prove it.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org