Don′t Forget to Write for the Secondary Grades

FOREWORD XV
<p>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XVII</p>
<p>THE AUTHORS XIX</p>
<p>THE CONTRIBUTORS XXIII</p>
<p>LESSON PLANS</p>
<p>1 DETAILS (GOLDEN), CHARACTER (IMMORTAL), AND SETTING (RURAL INDIA)&nbsp; 1<br /> by Dave Eggers</p>
<p>In this three–part lesson, students learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.</p>
<p>2 LITERARY FACEBOOKS&nbsp; 7<br /> by Kathryn Riddle</p>
<p>Curious what Elizabeth Bennet s, Harry Potter s, Bella Swan s, or Percy Jackson s Facebook profile would look like? In this workshop, students create a mock Facebook profi le based on their favorite literary character.</p>
<p>3 SUBURBAN EPICS&nbsp; 10<br /> by Tom Perrotta</p>
<p>The author of Little Children and Election shares his tips for finding inspiration in your own neighborhood.</p>
<p>4 BUSTED&nbsp; 12<br /> by William JOHN Bert</p>
<p>Writing about the time you didn t get away with it.</p>
<p>5 HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION&nbsp; 15<br /> by Cory Doctorow</p>
<p>The Nebula Award nominated author shares his tips for crafting fascinating science fiction.</p>
<p>6 WRITING FROM EXPERIENCE&nbsp; 18<br /> by Stephen Elliott</p>
<p>Students learn to transform their own life events into compelling fiction from an author who s mastered the art.</p>
<p>7 TOO MUCH MONEY! AN ETHICAL WRITING EXPERIENCE IN 10 EASY STEPS&nbsp; 20<br /> by LouAnne Johnson</p>
<p>This lesson introduces students to the benefi ts of journaling, using an ethical conundrum to keep them invested and involved.</p>
<p>8 THE TALK SHOW CIRCUIT&nbsp; 23<br /> by Ellie Kemper</p>
<p>The Office actor shows how to use the talk show format to practice the elements of good storytelling.</p>
<p>9 THE FIRST DRAF T IS MY ENEMY: REVISIONS 26<br /> by Sarah Vowell</p>
<p>You spend hours grading papers. You give great feedback. You offer tons of suggestions to improve the piece and then you never see it again. A favorite essayist shows you how to put all that work to good use.</p>
<p>10 SEE YOU AGAIN YESTERDAY: PLAYING WITH T IME&nbsp; 29<br /> by Audrey Niffenegger</p>
<p>The author of The Time Traveler s Wife shares her tips for working with tricky time lines.</p>
<p>11 LOOK SMART FAST: COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY BOOT CAMP&nbsp; 35<br /> by Risa Nye</p>
<p>A college admissions reader outlines the dos and don ts of great application essays.</p>
<p>12 WRITING ABOUT PAINFUL THINGS&nbsp; 39<br /> by Phoebe Gloeckner</p>
<p>The author of Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures walks students through the diffi cult but redemptive process of writing about pain.</p>
<p>13 MUTANT SHAKESPEARE&nbsp; 42<br /> by Kyle Booten</p>
<p>Reading Shakespeare is hard. Lucky for us, we won t be reading Shakespeare. We will take him apart and put him back together the wrong way. We will lose some of his pieces. This class assumes that one good way to understand something is to see how it could be different.</p>
<p>14 HOW TO WRITE A ONE–PERSON SHOW ABOUT A HISTORICAL FIGURE&nbsp; 45<br /> by Kristen Schaal</p>
<p>The Daily Show correspondent and actor shows us how to research and write a great play about a real person.</p>
<p>15 WRITING FOR GAMERS&nbsp; 47<br /> by Tom Bissell</p>
<p>The author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter leads a lesson on narrativity and video games.</p>
<p>16 HUMOR WRITING: AN EXERCISE IN ALCHEMY&nbsp; 49<br /> by Dan Kennedy</p>
<p>This is the lesson plan to engage the bored, disinterested students rolling their eyes in the back row. A humor author shares writing prompts that are pretty much guaranteed to provoke great material.</p>
<p>17 ON PINING: WRITE A VERSE TO MAKE THEM STAY&nbsp; 54<br /> by Thao Nguyen</p>
<p>An indie musician leads a workshop on writing the words that make those you miss come back.</p>
<p>18 ADDING INSULT TO POETRY&nbsp; 56<br /> by Nicholas Decoulos</p>
<p>Anyone can say, Same to you, buddy! In this class students learn why it s not wise to cross a poet.</p>
<p>19 BAD WRITING&nbsp; 58<br /> by Neal Pollack</p>
<p>This inventive lesson by a noted writer and satirist shows you how to do it right by trying to do it wrong.</p>
<p>20 WHERE STORIES COME FROM&nbsp; 61<br /> by Julie Orringer</p>
<p>The thought of writing a short story from scratch can be so daunting. An author shares her secret: don t start from scratch. Find inspiration in art, news, and real–life events.</p>
<p>21 WORD KARAOKE&nbsp; 63<br /> by Matthue Roth</p>
<p>In this highly engaging lesson, a slam poet and author invites students to do cover versions of other writers work like hip–hop sampling to create fresh new poems.</p>
<p>22 TALL TALES AND SHORT STORIES&nbsp; 66<br /> by Steve Almond</p>
<p>The assignment to write fi ction can feel like an overwhelming mandate. This exercise turns that mandate into play. Students are asked to tell the best lie they can. Suddenly, it s a short story.</p>
<p>23 WELCOME TO THE FUNHOUSE: WRITING FUNNY SCENES&nbsp; 68<br /> by Mark O Donnell</p>
<p>The Tony–winning author of Hairspray shares 12 weeks of funny scenewriting ideas.</p>
<p>24 VOICEMAILS FROM MY FUTURE SELF&nbsp; 74<br /> by Mark Sipowicz</p>
<p>In this workshop students creatively expand and explore their sense of who they are by thinking about their futures. The workshop culminates with an audio–recorded voicemail from each student s future self.</p>
<p>25 HOW SHORT IS SHORT?&nbsp; 77<br /> by Vendela Vida</p>
<p>This is storytelling distilled down to its purest essence. An author shows students how to write a story in 20 minutes or less.</p>
<p>26 COMIC COMPOSITION CHALLENGE!&nbsp; 79<br /> by Steven Weissman and Jordan Crane</p>
<p>Two professional cartoonists challenge students in a fast–paced, highly entertaining comic–strip–writing game.</p>
<p>27 MY BORING LIFE&nbsp; 82<br /> by Micah Pilkington</p>
<p>Everyone thinks his or her life is boring. Th is class proves that it s actually full of great stories.</p>
<p>28 COLONEL MUSTARD IN THE LIBRARY WITH A CANDLESTICK: HOW TO WRITE A MYSTERY&nbsp; 84<br /> by Julianne Balmain</p>
<p>Mystery writing solved! A mystery author shares her secrets.</p>
<p>29 CREATING CHARACTERS&nbsp; 88<br /> by Jonathan Ames</p>
<p>A novelist shares his techniques for creating memorable, well–rounded characters and off ers exercises to help students hone their skills.</p>
<p>30 HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL: HOW TO WRITE A YOUNGADULT NOVEL&nbsp; 90<br /> by Matthue Roth</p>
<p>A young–adult author helps students write modern comedies of manners.</p>
<p>31 GET YOUR HAIKU ON&nbsp; 93<br /> by Daphne Gottlieb</p>
<p>This very modern take on the ancient classic invites students to borrow from hip–hop and pop culture to create one–of–a–kind haiku.</p>
<p>32 THE ESSAY&nbsp; 95<br /> by Meghan Daum</p>
<p>Essays don t have to be boring. They can be as exciting as fiction, as moving as poetry. Here, an acclaimed essayist shares her essay–writing tips.</p>
<p>33 THE STORY OF ME: WRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FAMILY&nbsp; 99<br /> by Jason Roberts</p>
<p>You don t have to be old or famous to write your life story. Th is class invites you to trace how your family and experiences have shaped who you are today.</p>
<p>34 MEET YOUR PROTAGONIST!&nbsp; 101<br /> by Ryan Harty</p>
<p>An author teaches students to create well–rounded characters that readers really care about.</p>
<p>35 ALL WITNESSES EVENTUALLY DIE: EMBARRASSING STORIES&nbsp; 104<br /> by Erika Lopez</p>
<p>In comic panel form, an author and graphic novelist shares her tips for turning your mortifying experiences into good reading.</p>
<p>36 WICKED STYLE AND HOW TO GET IT&nbsp; 106<br /> by Micah Pilkington</p>
<p>Students always tell us they want to develop a unique voice, a literary style all their own. This class helps them find it.</p>
<p>37 PRESIDENT TAKES MARTIAN BRIDE: WRITING TABLOID FICTION&nbsp; 108<br /> by Alvin Orloff</p>
<p>Tabloids might not be high literature, but they re awfully fun to read and even more fun to write. In this off beat lesson, an author encourages wild storytelling and out–there stories that, we promise, will be really, really fun to grade.</p>
<p>38 LYING FOR FUN AND PROFIT 111<br /> by Emily Katz</p>
<p>Good lies are a lot like good literature. This class helps students turn falsehoods into fiction.</p>
<p>39 THIS CLASS SUCKS&nbsp; 114<br /> by Kazz Regelman and Andrew Strickman</p>
<p>Students learn the basics of criticism by reviewing everything from CDs to cookies.</p>
<p>40 SCREENWRITING&nbsp; 117<br /> by Noah Hawley</p>
<p>A professional screenwriter shares his secrets, and invites the class to go Hollywood by practicing their story–pitching skills.</p>
<p>41 HOW TO WRITE A GHOST STORY 120<br /> by Lisa Brown and Adele Griffin</p>
<p>Two professional ghost story writers share their scariest tips.</p>
<p>42 826 UNPLUGGED: SONGWRITING&nbsp; 125<br /> by Chris Perdue</p>
<p>The whole class collaborates to pen a guaranteed hit. No musical experience necessary.</p>
<p>43 SPORTSWRITING: THE LIFE&nbsp; 127<br /> by Sam Silverstein and Jason Turbow</p>
<p>Two professional sportswriters share their expertise.</p>
<p>44 HOW TO WRITE A FAN LETTER WITHOUT GETTING A RESTRAINING ORDER&nbsp; 129<br /> by Lisa Lutz</p>
<p>A young–adult author and self–confessed superfan shares her letterwriting tips.</p>
<p>45 EXQUISITE STORY LINES&nbsp; 133<br /> by Jeremy Wilson and Kait Steele</p>
<p>This lesson adapts the Exquisite Corpse poetry technique for short fiction.</p>
<p>46 SOUL PROWLERS: THE ART OF WRITING NEWSPAPER PROFILES&nbsp; 135<br /> by Rona Marech</p>
<p>Ordinary–seeming people can have extraordinary, heroic stories it just takes curiosity and the will to excavate them. In this class, students learn how to identify good subjects, conduct interviews, fi nd inspiration in the details of a life, and write compelling stories about both regular and famous people.</p>
<p>47 HOMESTYLE: WRITING ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE YOU LIVE&nbsp; 138<br /> by Tom Molanphy</p>
<p>This lesson teaches students to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to fi nd the stories that home holds.</p>
<p>48 AGITATE! PROPAGANDIZE!&nbsp; 141<br /> by Julius Diaz Panori&ntilde;gan</p>
<p>Sometimes a clear, convincing argument isn t enough. You need to stir things up just a bit so that people pay attention and you can get your message across, whatever that is. In this workshop, students craft propaganda speeches, pamphlets, and posters all of it hard–hitting.</p>
<p>49 TASTY MEDICINE FOR WRITER S BLOCK: MINDFUL WRITING EXERCISES&nbsp; 144<br /> by Brad Wolfe and Rebecca Stern</p>
<p>From the editors of Essays for a New Generation, an anthology of essays for young readers, come these techniques for writing mindfully.</p>
<p>50 HIGH SCHOOL INK: GETTING PUBLISHED&nbsp; 147<br /> by Lara Zielin</p>
<p>An author of young – adult fiction shares her tips on getting your work out there.</p>
<p>APPENDIX</p>
<p>EVALUATION RUBRICS 154</p>
<p>SELF–ASSESSMENT CHECKLISTS 156</p>
<p>COMMON CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS 160</p>
<p>826 CENTERS AND STAFF 209</p>