TELL YOUR STORY IN ENGLISH: Story Assignment

As the title of this class says, you will write a story by the end of this course. You will work on
your story for the next four weeks. Here are the weekly assignments:

Week 1: Topic and title

Think about a story you would like to tell. Your story can be about something that happened to
you, or to someone you know. It’s okay to “fictionalize” a real-life story as you write it. Fiction
refers to a story that didn’t really happen. You might fictionalize a true story by imagining
details when you don’t know everything about what really happened, for example. You may
also write a completely fictional story, if you wish. Once you have a story in mind, think about a
title. Your title might tell readers what the story is about, or it might be funny or surprising.
Assignment: Post your topic and title in the discussion. Make constructive comments on
classmates’ work.

Week 2: Story outline

A story outline tells the setting, characters, and main events of the story. You may use the story
outline document if you wish. You can download the document in the Week 2 module. For the
story outline, it is fine to use just words and short phrases instead of whole sentences. This
week you are writing down the main ELEMENTS (characters, setting, plot, lead up, climax, and
resolution/conclusion) of your story.
Assignment: Post your story outline in the discussion. Make constructive comments on
classmates’ work.

Week 3: First draft

Using the story outline you created in Week 2, write a complete story of at least 300 words.
This first draft is your complete story, but you can still improve it next week. Don’t forget to
include a glossary at the end of your story, just like in the example stories. A glossary is a list of
words with a simple definition of each word. You can also include the part of speech (e.g. noun,
adverb)
Assignment: Post your first draft in the discussion. Make constructive comments on
classmates’ work.

Week 4: Final draft

Look at the feedback you received about your story in Week 3. If you did not receive feedback,
then look over your story again. Ask yourself the same questions as posted on the discussion
board, or have a friend who knows English read the story and give feedback. Then make
changes and corrections to the ideas and grammar in your story. This is called “revising” your
story. This can make the story clearer and easier to understand.
Assignment: Post your final draft in the discussion. Make constructive comments on
classmates’ work.

Congratulations! You have written a story in English!

This is a program of the University of Oregon, College of Arts and Sciences, American English Institute.
Copyright 2016 University of Oregon. All rights reserved.
TELL YOUR STORY IN ENGLISH: Story Assignment
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