I. Review pre-writing techniques.
II. Students read the first short stories. These form the basis of group discussion. Some elements of fiction will be used to explore the stories, but group discussions will not be limited to them. Discuss plot, point of view, conflict, setting, and dialogue, in as simple a way as possible. There will be opportunities to expand on them as one moves from story to story. Please remember that this unit, beyond making available the opportunity for students to write, allows for students’ first efforts to be simple enough to provide them with personal satisfaction so that they can continue to write.
III. The following selection from the book Free and Compulsory For All will be read this week: “Blind,” “Custom,” “Kept After School,” and “Innovative Assignment.” These stories average one page, and take place within a day. They tell of difficult, comical, or absurd situations, faced by teachers as well as students, in an imaginative and simple style. They have been selected as introductory reading because they are not elaborate, yet full of meaning, and because students can, relatively simply, begin to identify point of view and conflict. Students tend to feel that these stories could have been elaborated, or made to seem more convincing, as readers they feel a sense of incompletion. That is why they seem to be a good tool with which to help students examine a story critically. They won’t be absorbed by sheer entertainment either. Their brevity should allow for two of them to be read, and written about per class session. Synopses, and the order in which they should be read, follow:
“Blind” is a light and humorous story about a student who, although a good basketball player, can’t shoot free-throws. He attempts to improve his average by playing a trick. The trick will be effective, but his coach won’t be applauding his success,
“Custom” is a sad and baffling story about an ineffective teacher’s bizarre attempts to reach his students. (It is written in good taste.)
“Kept After School” is a humorous portrayal of two students attempting to communicate in detention through hand signals without getting caught. They believe they accomplish their purpose but, unknowingly misinterpret each other.
“Innovative Assignment” is a warm and touching story about a teacher who decides not to hold class one day. He will allow students to go wherever they please so long as they are conscious of their feelings throughout the day, and come prepared to discuss them in class. A girl and her boyfriend deliver an incredibly revealing and honest account of their feelings about themselves and each other. The teacher’s assignment is a success, only he has exempted himself from it.
IV. In preparation for group discussion, students should prepare written responses to questions on the text. emphasis is placed on their participation and contribution to the group-sharing process. Therefore, their answers should be brief, and take the form of notes.
V. Follow-Up Writing SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR “Blind”
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1. What is this story about?
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2. Through whose eyes do we see the story evolve?
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3. What is the conflict in this story? Is it resolved? How?
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4. What in this story makes the characters seem convincing?
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5. Is it likely that an event like this could take place in school? Why?
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6. How would you account for the main character’s improved average after making believe he couldn’t see?
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7. The coach was angry because he felt tricked. Was he right or wrong about his attitude toward the student? Why?
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8. Do you think there’s an underlying message in this story?
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9. What made this story interesting to read? Why?
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10. Does the story have a good beginning? A good ending? Why?
SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR “Custom”
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1. What is your interpretation of this story?
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2. What does the title mean? How does it relate to the story?
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3. Through whose eyes do we see the story evolve?
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4. What is the main conflict here? Can you point to the segment in which the conflict is revealed to you?
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5. Is the conflict resolved?
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6. What makes these characters seem convincing within a school setting?
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7. Could the writer have intended that as a way of showing us something about this teacher’s attitude toward his students? What?
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8. What does this teacher’s behavior “show” us about his personality?
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9. Would you rank the main character as a (1) excellent, (2) mediocre, or (3) poor teacher? 10. Is there an underlying message in this story?
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11. What made this story interesting to read?
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12. Does it have a good beginning? Did the ending satisfy you? How?
SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR “Kept After School”
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1. What is this story about?
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2. Through whose eyes do we see it evolve?
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3. What is the conflict here? What is so ironic about the way in which it is resolved?
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4. What makes the characters convincing?
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5. Was there an underlying message in this story?
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6. What made it interesting to read? Why?
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7. Does it have a good beginning? Was the ending satisfying? Why?
SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR “Innovative Assignment”
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1. What is this story about?
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2. What is the point of view?
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3. What is the conflict here? Is it resolved?
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4. Is the event that takes place in this story convincing? Why? What kind of school could it possibly take place in?
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5. Are the characters convincing?
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6. What does the dialogue in this story reveal to us about the characters?
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7. If at all possible, what kind of group of students would it take for the girl’s confession to seem probable?
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8. Could the writer have used the girl’s confession as a way of saying something about this teacher’s assignment? What?
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9. What is the underlying message in this piece?
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10. What made this story interesting to read? Why?
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11. Is the beginning a good one? The ending? Why?
Follow-Up Writing
Students can write a one-page composition about an unusual incident that took place in school involving a teacher, student, or class; or they can choose a directed-topic freewriting from below:
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1. Describe an incident where you proved to a teacher that you could do something he or she thought you couldn’t do.
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2. Describe an odd incident that took place in the class of a teacher whom you thought was unusual.
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3. Describe the strangest, or funniest circumstances under which you’ve had to secretly communicate with a friend.
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4. Describe the most innovative assignment a teacher has ever asked you to do.