Natalie Mares Literacy Practicum (Group 3) Final Draft ENGL 481 3/8/12 Changes: Originally, I planned to have a shorter

sequence of music (5 to 7 minutes) and play it twice. However, I found that stopping the music and replaying it interrupted the students focus and they had not finished their stories after 7 minutes. Therefore, I changed the lesson to play a longer sequence of music (12 to 15 minutes) and to only play it once. I elaborated on what was expected of their dramatic reading. I added that it should include gestures and changes in voice intonations and tone. These extra instructions helped them to understand their expectations more clearly. I also added discussion questions for the end of the second day. We more extra time at the end of the period than I thought we would and had to make up discussion questions on the spot. It is obviously more helpful to have questions ready in case of a situation like this. It also allows for selfreflection. Title: Musical Creative Writing Time: One hour (30 minutes each day) Purpose: Goals: To teach students the structure of a narrative, to inspire creative license, and to improve public speaking skills Students will come away more comfortable with public speaking, understanding the structure of a narrative, and hopefully enjoying writing a little more.

Outcomes: A revised short story that follows the structure of a narrative that we discussed in class and that is also based off of the students reading of the music, as well as a polished reading/performance of that story Materials: The mixed music, computers for each student, any props the students choose to use in their performance.

Procedure: Day 1 I. Ask students What are the main components of the structure of a narrative, particularly of a short story? It may be helpful to draw a bell curve on the board to show progression of story. The students should c come up with the following points (5-10 minutes): Introduction or Orientation n -The who, what, where and why of the story

-Introduces the main character -Sets the scenetime and place -Presents a dramatic incident B Body of the storythe problem or complication -Develops conflict -Develops tension Climax C -The height of the tension R Resolution or conclusion -Provides a solution to the problem -Denouement II. Bring students out in the hall with their laptops. Explain that they are about to hear some music and they are to write a short story based on this musical sequence. They can think about the rhythm, mood, tone, melody, feeling the music gives them etc. They should write as they hear the music. The only rule is that they must have all of the components that we just talked about in their short story. The short stories do not have to be long. One long paragraph to two paragraphs is okay (12-15 minutes). III. After they are done writing, lead a discussion about the activity. Here are some guiding questions (5-10 minutes): -What was the hardest part about this activity? -What aspect of the music inspired your story? Rhythm, melody, mood, etc? -How similar/ different do you think all of your stories are from each other? If theyre based off the same music and same narrative guidelines, why do you think they have differences? IV. With the remaining time, explain Wednesdays assignment. Students will be presenting a dramatic reading of their own stories to their peers. They may bring in props to aid their performance, but it is not required. They should print out a copy of their stories for homework and bring it to class Wednesday. They should think about how they are going to do their performance and possibly practice, but they will have ten minutes at the beginning of class on Wednesday to prepare (2 minutes). Day 2 I. Remind students that they are performing a dramatic reading of their stories. They should be enthusiastic and include gestures and different voice intonations. They do not have to memorize their story, but it is helpful to make occasional eye contact while reading. Give them ten minutes to prepare for the performance. Provide feedback and support for the students during this planning time (7-10 minutes). -

II. Allow all of the students to perform their stories. Make sure that it is a positive environment, in which everyone is supportive. After every reading, have the other students write down one positive aspect of their reading/story and one suggestion for improvement. Make sure it is legible, because they will be giving this to the performer. These feedback sheets will be provided for the students. See attached sheet(15 minutes). III. At the end of the period, allow the students to give their feedback sheets back to the reader. Let them read over their own sheets and then lead a discussion (5 minutes). Here are some possible discussion questions: -How was the public speaking experience for you? Were you nervous, excited, scared, comfortable? -If you could perform your dramatic reading again, what would you change? -What were some similarities and differences you observed between the stories? Student Display: The short stories, the discussion about writing them, the dramatic reading, and the feedback sheets. Evaluation Criteria: Students will be evaluated on whether they incorporated all of the components of a short story in their own, their degree of participation in discussion, their effort in their dramatic reading, and how reflective and thoughtful their feedback was to other students. They will be most heavily graded on their effort, not on their mastery or skill of creative writing. Extension: Students could exchange paper copies of their short stories and peer edit them, providing suggestions to improve the clarity, organization, and originality of the story. The authors could then pick and choose which changes to make and which changes to skip. This would help them to practice the skill of peer editing, which is almost always a beneficial step in the revision process.