101 Ways to Write a Short Story

Course Essential Questions

• How do short stories and their themes resonate with people around the world?
• How do we use the creative process to write a short story?

Course Learning Objectives

• Analyze the significance of the theme, characters, settings, plots, and conflicts of a short story and how they are developed and evolve.
• Analyze and develop additional elements of a short story including style, dialogue, and dialect.
• Write short stories incorporating themes, characters, settings, plots, conflicts, and other elements effectively.
• Identify and demonstrate how short stories help readers connect to the world around them.
• Develop clear and coherent writing effectively employing appropriate vocabulary and English conventions.

Unit 1: Setting the Stage (Weeks 1-3)

We will begin by learning about the basics of a short story and how writers plan for a story. We will also learn what qualifies as a short story. Theme and connecting short stories to the world around us will be a focus throughout the course. In Unit 1, we will learn about the importance of plot and structure, as well as the effect of the sequence of events in a story. We will also learn about the importance of setting and how it can impact a story.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How do we relate to and connect with short stories?
• What makes a short story?
• How do plot and setting impact a short story?

Week 1 Learning Objectives

• Recognize what elements are required for a short story.
• Explore how theme helps a writer resonate with the audience.

Week 2 Learning Objectives

• Analyze the significance of plot and how it is developed.
• Consider how variations in structure and sequence of events, such as flashbacks, can impact the meaning or effect of a text .
• Write a story excerpt that incorporates the parts of plot effectively.

Week 3 Learning Objectives

• Analyze the significance of the setting of a story and how it progresses a plot.
• Draft a story where the setting influences the theme or plot.
• Consider how the setting is influential in creating reader connections.

Unit 2: Establishing the Details (Weeks 4-8)

In Unit 2, we will learn about conflict and characters. We will begin by learning about interval versus external conflict, as well as how to create conflict in a story. We will also learn about different types of characters and their role in a story. We will learn how to create several types of characters. Finally, we will explore about how to develop a point of view in a story and its importance. We will have an opportunity to use what we learned in units 1 and 2 to create our first original short story.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How do the details of a story help it to resonate with the readers?
• How do we create more meaning with the details of a story?
• How do we use the creative process to write a short story?

Week 4 Learning Objectives

• Analyze the types of conflicts and their significance throughout a short story.
• Create a conflict that resonates with a particular audience.

Week 5 Learning Objectives

• Analyze the types of characters and their significance throughout a short story.
• Develop characters for different prompts or purposes.

Week 6 Learning Objectives

• Analyze the different points of view and their impact on a story.
• Rewrite an excerpt using two different points of view and determine the effects.

Week 7 Learning Objectives

• Write a short story that incorporates themes, characters, settings, plots, conflicts and other elements effectively.
• Plan and develop clear and coherent writing effectively.
• Write a short story that demonstrates how a writer creates connections with the audience.

Week 8 Learning Objectives

• Write a short story that incorporates themes, characters, settings, plots, conflicts and other elements effectively.
• Plan and develop clear and coherent writing effectively.
• Write a short story that demonstrates how a writer creates connections with the audience.

Unit 3: Creating Meaning (Weeks 9-12)

Unit 3 will focus on creating meaning through literary devices and style. We will look at various ways meaning can be created. We will study literary devices and how incorporating them will add layers of meaning to a story. We will also learn how to adjust style, including diction and syntax, to enhance a story. Finally, we will create character dialogue and learn how to incorporate a theme into a story.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How do stylistic elements help readers create connections with a story?
• How do we create and use stylistic elements to enhance the meaning of a story?

Week 9 Learning Objectives

• Analyze literary devices and determine their impact on the meaning of a story.
• Develop literary devices that enhance the meaning of a story.
• Demonstrate how literary devices help reader's to make personal connections to a story.

Week 10 Learning Objectives

• Analyze style, including syntax, diction, and tone, and determine its impact on a story.
• Develop writing samples that experiment with elements of style like syntax, diction, tone.

Week 11 Learning Objectives

• Analyze dialogue and determine its impact on a story.
• Create dialogue that makes the plot and characters more dynamic.

Week 12 Learning Objectives

• Analyze theme and the impact on a story and its reader.
• Analyze how theme is enhance through other short story elements and style.
• Write a short story excerpt that demonstrates how theme is created with other devices.

Unit 4: Writing a Short Story (Weeks 13-15)

In the final unit of the course, we will focus on the process of planning, writing, and publishing a short story. We will write our final short story of the course and have an opportunity to give and receive feedback on their short stories.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How do short stories and their themes resonate with people around the world?
• How do we use the creative process to write a short story?

Week 13 Learning Objectives

• Analyze and incorporate the theme, characters, settings, plots, and conflicts of a short story.
• Analyze and incorporate additional elements of a short story including style, dialogue, and dialect.
• Demonstrate how short stories help readers connect to the world around them.

Week 14 Learning Objectives

• Analyze and incorporate the theme, characters, settings, plots, and conflicts of a short story.
• Analyze and incorporate additional elements of a short story including style, dialogue, and dialect.
• Demonstrate how short stories help readers connect to the world around them.

Week 15 Learning Objectives

• Analyze and incorporate the theme, characters, settings, plots, and conflicts of a short story.
• Analyze and incorporate additional elements of a short story including style, dialogue, and dialect.
• Demonstrate how short stories help readers connect to the world around them.