Contemporary+Fiction

Essential Question // How do authors use specific diction and figurative language to create character voice? //

At the end of the school year, we are going to be working in small groups to parse a contemporary novel in the reader-response context and for the analysis of character voice. After choosing a novel to read, you will be given a syllabus with reading assignments and a variety of writing prompts based on motifs and quotes from the reading. You are expected to read the assigned passage and to respond to one or two prompts in writing.

Links to reading assignments and prompts by novel: My Sister's Keeper Nineteen Minutes The Dante Club The Kite Runner Keeping Faith City of Bones

__**Parameters for writing:**__
 * Your response can be a personal memoir, a fictional short story , a poem , or a //This I Believe// essay.
 * There is no length requirement. Please note that YOU WILL GET FROM THIS UNIT THAT WHICH YOU PUT INTO IT. If you are looking to simply write something to get it done, this unit will not benefit you in any way. I do not require a specific length because to do so would stifle creativity.
 * I recommend setting a portion of your binder aside for the collection of writings or, if you prefer, using a journal.

//** This I Believe :**// Every year, the seniors compose essays based on the radio series from the 1950s titled //This I Believe//. The basic premise of the series was to have celebrities and common folk alike share their personal belief statements on a variety of topics. While you are working through this unit, you may come across topics in a prompt about which you feel passionately, or you may have another topic about which you want to write. I recommend writing more than one so you can choose your favorite.

For parameters of the essay, follow this link.

For examples of //This I Believe// essays, click here to search by theme.

**Goal for the end of the unit** : Each of you will choose a minimum of //TWO// pieces of your writing that will fill up to four pages to polish and publish in a collection reflecting the AP class of 2012. Each of you will also submit //ONE This I Believe// essay for the Class of 2012 anthology which will feature all seniors' writings. Please see the link in the above section for parameters of the //This I Believe// essays. **How** : You will work in writing groups to offer and receive insight into others’ writings as well as your own, focusing on voice and its construction. In your groups, you will present multiple writings from the guided journal questions, ultimately deciding which //TWO// you will submit for publication. **//__After discussing the reading__//**, students will do the following: After your groups, you should then work on applying the insight to your pieces. (Did they like certain things? Could I add more of those? Do I need to clarify? Do I need to add more imagery? Dialogue? Etc.) Be sure to do this every night so you can bring the changes back to the group at a later time. Polish more than two so you can choose your best or favorites to publish. ** Parameters for publication :** **Remember** : these pieces will be read not only by your peers but by your teacher and possibly by parents and friends of your peers, so choose your pieces carefully. //MAKE SURE THEY ARE APPROPRIATE!!!//
 * You will work in groups of 3 – 4. You may have a different group every week, depending on how many people choose the same novel.
 * One of you will read your piece once while the others take notes (“I noticed… [what words moved you, what piqued your interest, etc.]” “I wondered…[what confused you, what you want to know more about, etc.]” “What if…[suggestions for additions, deletions, rearrangements, etc.]”)
 * One of you will read your piece __again__ while the others continue taking notes.
 * The note-takers will offer their insight and suggestions after the reader has read the piece twice.
 * The reader //SHOULD NOT// speak unless asking for clarifications on ideas given.
 * Each member of the group will go through the same process.
 * Each student must submit //TWO// pieces, no longer than a total of 4 total pages, via email attachment or hard copy.
 * Margins should be 1”.
 * Font can be any of your choosing.
 * Each piece should be titled with each title centered and bolded, the same size font as the rest of the piece.
 * Each piece should have your name beneath the title.