Classroom Campfire

We had such a good time sharing stories around the campfire this week! It was so much fun to hear the suspenseful stories that we worked on for over a month. Their hard work definitely paid off! Below I have pictures from our campfire. The student that is sharing in the picture has a flashlight to add effect to the spookiness of their story and the atmosphere. 

Thank you again to the parents and students that donated to our campfire celebration! It was a great success! 

Mystery Story Format Requirements

It is very important to format your story correctly. Below are the requirements for formatting your story. We discussed these in detail in class. Be sure to follow!

• Proper English Heading (Name, Oliveira, Date, Period ____, Title) in MLA format. The title should be your own creative title. 
• Font should be size 12, Times New Roman or Arial, and black ink. Do not ask if you can do anything else...the answer will be no. : )
• Indent new paragraphs, but do not skip entire line between paragraphs. 
• Double Space your story (we did this together in class on Thursday)
• Do not put "The End" at the end of your story. If you are ending with a cliff hanger, you are allowed to put "To be continued..." in the proper font. 

We will do some peer editing tomorrow in class. Monday, we will print stories in the computer lab if you need to do so. Tuesday we will have peer evaluations and final changes. 

The final story is due on Wednesday, 10/28/15. 

Mystery Story Grading Rubric

Here is the link for the complete grading rubric.
Mystery Story Grading Rubric

Below, I have listed the categories that will be graded and the requirements for a perfect score. Use the link above to view the full rubric including the criteria for approaching standards, below standards, and no credit.

CATEGORY	10--Meets Standards
Introduction	The author effectively uses one of the leads discussed in class to grab the reader's attention. The lead creatively "sets the stage" for the rest of the story.
Conflict and Resolution	The story is focused on a problem that gradually builds to a definite climax. The story shows at least five ways the problem worsens before reaching the climax. The solution to the problem is easy to understand.
Suspense Strategies	The author effectively uses at least two of the suspense strategies discussed in class (worry, wonder, wait).
Strong Verbs	The author uses a variety of strong action verbs to show the events in the story. Rarely uses “dead” verbs in the story.
Dialogue	The story contains at least four lines of meaningful dialogue that provide   additional details to the story.
Organization	The story remains on topic and follows a logical sequence of events. The story is appropriately divided into paragraphs as the author transitions between events, settings, characters, etc..
Comma Usage and Sentence Variety	The uses commas correctly throughout the story, and the author uses a variety of sentence structures throughout the story.
Mechanics	The story contains no errors in grammar, punctuation, or capitalization.
Spelling/Vocabulary	The author uses challenging vocabulary and spells all words correctly.
Presentation	The final draft of the story is readable, clean, neat, and attractive. It is free of crossed-out words, tears, or wrinkles. The front page contains the proper heading/format and a creative title.

Revising "Dead Verbs"

A dead verb lets us know an action has taken place, but it doesn't provide a detailed picture of the action. A list of common dead verbs is shown in the picture below. This list also includes the "ing" forms and contractions of dead verbs. Using dead verbs saps the life out of writing. Once you understand what dead verbs are, you can change your sentences haunted by dead verbs into lively descriptive writing.

Keep in mind you want to "show" your reader what is happening through description...rather than just "telling" what is happening with dead verbs.

Comma Rules

As students continue drafting their mystery stories, we are covering comma rules. Starting today, we will cover 2-3 rules each day in class. Students should keep these notes handy to use as they draft and edit/revise their stories. They will be graded for their use of commas throughout the story. Students may be assessed on this information separately  in a few weeks. If you have misplaced your comma rules sheet, you can print a new one from the link below.

Comma Rules Notes

Adding Description

Mystery Story Pre-writing

Below is the link to the document we worked on in class on Monday and Tuesday. If you misplace your copy, you can print it out from here.

This link also has the ideas for character's appearance, personality, and other details.

Mystery Story Pre-Writing

Mysteries of Harris Burdick--Mystery Story Inspirations

We are beginning a new unit on "Mystery Writing" this week. Each student will choose one image from the "Mysteries of Harris Burdick" as inspiration for this writing assignment. Below, you will see several pictures from the "Mysteries of Harris Burdick." Choose one picture on which to base your mystery story. You will need to use the caption in your story.

Picture Title: The Third Floor Bedroom

 Caption:"It all began when someone left the window open..."

 Picture Title: The House on Maple

Caption: "It was the perfect lift off..."

 Picture Title: Missing the Venice

Caption: "Even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal..."

 Picture Title: Oscar and Alphonse

Caption: "She knew it was time to send them back. The caterpillars softly wiggled in her hand, spelling out 'goodbye.' " 

 Picture Title: Uninvited Guests

Caption: "His heart was pounding. He was sure he had seen the doorknob move..."

 Picture Title: Archie Smith, Boy Wonder

Caption: "A tiny voiced asked, 'Is he the one?' "

 Picture Title: A Strange Day in July

Caption: "He threw with all his might, but the stone came skipping back..."

 Picture Title: The Seven Chairs

Caption: "The fifth one ended up in France..."

 Picture Title: The Harp

Caption: "So it's true, he thought, it's really true..."

 Picture Title: Another Place, Another Time

Caption: "If there was an answer, he'd find it there..."

Picture Title: Captain Tory

Caption: He swung his lantern three times and slowly the schooner appeared..."

Van, Allsburg Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Print.

Once you have chosen the image/caption you want to use, you will need to write down some ideas and brainstorm for your story.  Title it "Brainstorm: Mystery Story" and answer the following prompt: 

• What is the picture title and caption you have chosen to use? 
• Write a detailed description of the picture. Consider the setting you see, any potential characters you notice, and anything that stands out to you from the image. 
• Next, write any and all ideas you have for the story using the picture as inspiration. The ideas do not have to flow together at this point; you are just jotting down ideas for possibilities within the story.  Consider ideas for character(s), plot, and setting.