Creating Characters

Students will be asked to watch TV (yes, I know!) for one hour, and chart these findings with detailed descriptions (can be shows or commercials):

Who was the funniest person you saw? Describe him or her......what was she/he doing, wearing, saying, etc? Why was he/she so funny?

Who was the scariest person? Why?

What was your favorite animal or object?

Who seemed like the nicest or most caring person?

Who seemed the most like someone in your family?

Who seemed the most like one of your friends?

Who seemed the smartest?

Who seemed the stupidest?

Who seemed the weirdest?

Who would you like to live with?

Who was the strongest?

Who was the weakest?

Who looked like he/she smelled the strangest?

......This list could be shortened, changed, lengthened depending on your grade level.

Then here's the task the next day: take 3 or 4 of your characters (could be any number) and write a short story (100 words or less, depending on grade level)........teacher could give students a scenario to start with if needed.

Such as: imagine two of your characters are walking through the jungle together.......they get caught in a trap. another one of your characters comes along and sees them stuck in the trap......take it from there!

Or something along those lines.

Understanding Literary Genres

students will get a chart with two axises (axes?).......on one axis is "types of stories": mystery, romance, fantasy/science fiction, comedy, western, melodrama. on the other axis is traits of various elements: hero, victim/damsel in distress, villain, situation, plot twist, props, scenery.

students will fill out the boxes on this chart, describing stereotypes of each element depending on the type of story (for example, a archetype of a science fiction villain would be an ugly alien with a new type of weaponry). they will then write each on an index card. they will divide the cards into separate piles, with each pile represent one of the axises. they will then randomly choose (this can be done with a partner as well) one card from each pile. whatever they get, they'll write a short story (100 words or less) using each element.

for example, they might get "British officer", "Blonde bombshell", "cowboy in black hat", "lost treasure", "hurricane", "motorcycle" and "ghost town"........they'll write a story that combines all these elements. the goal is for them to understand elements of different literary genres, and then incorporating these elements into a creative story of their own.

Fiction Stew

random elements:

sheriff
death
ghost
drifter
screwdriver
tornado
tulip
dentist



computer
teacher
student
garden
questioning
blood
bra
stapler
crying

Plot

Three by Three:

Man finds gun
Police question man
Man runs away

Boy meets girl
Boy is unfaithful
Girlfriend finds out

Woman loses job
Woman seeks revenge
Plan is hatched

Dialogue 2 (magnifying conflict)

Magnifying Conflict:



"Bitch, you ain't shit!"
"Fuck off, dude. You been gettin' lucky with that cheap-ass shit all night long."
"Luck my ass! Just accept the fact that I'm better. I got the skills to pay the bills. My mama didn't raise no loser."
"No, your mama raised a faggot with those tight jeans you're wearing."
"Your mama's hands was in these jeans last night!"
"Suck my dick.......Why you wearin' the same jeans as yesterday anyway? Too poor to get a different pair of jeans?"
"Nah, I stayed at your mom's house last night and didn't get a chance to change, motherfucker."
"Real funny. Stop talking about my mom before I slap you upside your ugly-ass head."
"That's why my ugly head is thinkin' of all different kinds of ways to whup your ass tonight!"
"You know not to fuck with me!"
"Are you gonna shut the fuck up and play or what?"
"Yeah I'll play. I show you how the real G's play this game."
"Bitch, close your damn mouth......your breath smells like your uncle's cock and it's stinking up the fuckin' room!"
"That's why you haven't got no pussy in at least a year!"
"It's your turn, fuckface! Just go."
"You got a seven?"
"Go fish."

Point of View 2

I hope I get in front of the line. Soren always buds, but I'm not gonna let that budder bud me today. Miss Addison didn't even noticed him budding me yesterday. I'll clean up my mess before him, then hurry and get to the door first. Well, I guess I have to be second, because Miss Addison said Shawntelle gets to be line leader today. That sucks so bad. I haven't even been line leader yet since my birthday. Well, I'll get in front of Soren when we get down to the lunchroom. I'm getting a burrito today. Or pizza if they have sausage. He thinks he's cool just because his squad won dodgeball in gym. Next time we have gym, I'm winning. Or if we play Ships Across the Ocean, I'm going right at him. He can't even do as many burpies as me. If I'm a captain at recess, I'm not even picking him for my team. We scored three touchdowns yesterday without him. But I want one of those Vikings pencils he got from his mom.

Dialogue

Speech Flavor--

"Good afternoon, sweetheart. Are you ready for some supper? Just sit yourself down on the davenport. You're soaking wet. Didn't you bring a parasol? For heaven's sakes!"

Not Quite a Fight--

"I didn't like that Jew joke," Tim's father mumbled between bites of his barbecue sandwich. "That was overboard."
"You just didn't like it because you don't like Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, Dad." Tim dipped a fry in the ketchup on his father's plate. They got together once a month for dinner before a game.
"No, that's not it. Did you see Ethan Cohen's reaction? The camera panned to him, and he didn't like it. You could tell. He's Jewish you know."
"Why did it bother you? Everyone in the crowd was laughing."
"Not Ethan Cohen. He didn't think it was funny. I bet Jews didn't think it was funny. You don't use a joke about a Nazi hunter looking for Jews. That's sensitive. Especially in Hollywood."
"I don't know, Dad. I guess we can agree to disagree. I don't think it was meant in bad taste."
"Well if we can make jokes like that, why can't we make jokes about black people?"
Tim's father seemed to come back to this often.
"Whenever somebody tells a black joke, everyone is up in arms. Especially the black leaders. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton would probably be ranting and raving on CNN the next day!"
"I think that's different. I guess it depends on the joke. But aren't a lot of black jokes based on negative stereotypes? The joke at the Oscars was stereotyping Jewish people, it was stereotyping Hollywood."
"Tim, you don't get it." Tim's father leaned forward and stopped chewing. He wiped his lips with a napkin, which he rarely did. "I have friends who are Jews. I sympathize with the Jews. You don't make jokes about the Holocaust. What if they said something about blacks being on welfare or being better slaves than actors? It's a double standard."
"Dad, those are two totally different things." He patted his father on the arm, knowing full well he'd heard his father tell Jew jokes in the past. He wasn't sure if his father wanted to ignore that, or if he had just forgotten. "Let's agree to disagree."
"I'm taking you home." Tim's father deadpanned. "You and your sister don't respect me. And it pisses me off. I'd never talk to my father the way you and Mindy talk to me."

Point of View

Childhood Memory--

Today is Easter! It's warm out.

After we eat breakfast, I have to go to church with my mom and dad and little sister. I don't like church. Most of it is just sitting and listening. My butt starts to get sore. Mainly the man up front just talks and talks and keeps talking about stuff I don't know about. I think he's called the priest. He's pretty old.

Also, we do a lot of standing, kneeling, sitting back down, kneeling and standing back up. I don't sing in church, but I mouth the words so everyone thinks I'm singing. But I'm really not singing.

My parents sit between me and my sister. They probably think we're gonna bother each other. I bug her a little bit when my parents get in line for the crackers.

When we get home it's time for the Easter egg hunt. The Easter Bunny put stuff in my basket.....mostly jelly beans (I don't really like jelly beans that much, but they look nice) and chocolate. My dad is gonna give us 10 cents for every egg we find, and I know most of the hiding spots from last year. So I'll probably beat my sister! Oh, and he sad we get an extra dollar if we find the last egg. I'm not sure what I'll spend a whole dollar on. Maybe some Nerds. Or maybe that gum that has juice in it.

After that, my grandma will come over for dinner. I don't like ham.


Unreliable Narrator--

I was at the Twins game with my husband, William. This young kid bumped into me, and he was trying to reach into my purse! He and a bunch of his other friends started laughing right after that. They were probably laughing at me, but inside I was laughing at them. They're the ones that are going to end up in jail someday. The joke's on them!

I'm not racist. I'm not saying they were trying to steal just because they're black. Or colored. Or African-American. Whichever it is nowdays. I swear I saw his hand reaching for my purse. He said "Excuse me," but it was all part of the plan. I've read about things like this. Plus, he was wearing a red cap, and that's a gang color.

I just feel bad for these kids. They probably live in North Minneapolis, and I'm sure they're taught how to steal just to get by. I even voted for Obama. It's good to have a black man in the White House. My friends and I were joking around on Book Club night.......Cynthia said it should be called "The Black House" now......or at least the "Beige House." She's so funny. I think she had her fill of Chardonnay that night!

But seriously, I remember driving through the ghetto once when William took a wrong turn (as usual!), and I just felt so guilty. There were people running around everywhere. There were babies crawling across the street. I even saw a couple prostitutes, and a some guys that had to be gangsters or pimps. They were walking into McDonald's. At least they can afford a Happy Meal with their welfare checks. And I mean that sincerely. That's one of the great things about America.

So when those little black boys were laughing at me, I was crying for them. If they just would've asked me for some money, I would have happily given them some. After all, those sandwiches at Target Field are pricey! Especially for poor kids from the ghetto!