Learning Goal # 1

Insight
Finder Short Story or Book (highlight one)
Mentor Text

Senior Project edition

My Focus (choose one)

Title Contagion
❏ Theme ❏ Setting
Author Katherine Maclean ❏ Describing Action ❏ Dialog
❏ Sci-fi component ❏ Character development
Genre Science Fiction
My insight or biggest take away
What I noticed / What I Liked Pg#
Questions
Vivid description of the surroundings; “a wind sent patches of 1
bright greenish sunlight dancing among the leaf shadows.”

Description of the setting of Earth; “it was like an Earth forest in 1

the fall, but it was not fall.”

The ship compared to the surroundings; “the spaceship Explorer 1

towered over the forest like a tapering skyscraper.”

Comparing two landscapes; “but the likeness to Earth was danger, 1

and the cool wind might be death, for if the animals were like Earth
animals, their diseases might be like Earth diseases.”

Relevance
How will I adjust my story based on my new insight? Provide an example.

Implementing vivid description. Example:

“His hands fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket, a tic he displayed when

he didn’t have any answers. The hallway we were standing seemed to

have compressed closer to us, encompassing us and pushing us

together. Something out of the corner of my eye had caught my attention,

as I turned, the sight an anomaly to me.”

 Goal: To rewrite 1st paragraph to match real world short story standard
Insight
Finder
Mentor Text
Article Section: Understanding the Essence

Senior Project edition

Title Writing an Engaging Short
Story with Well-Developed
Conflict and Resolution
Author
Link https://www.texasgateway.
org/resource/writing-
engaging-short-story-well-
developed-conflict-and-
resolution
Summary (2-3 sentences)
A short story is a narrative shorter than a novel but it always tells an event/series of
connected events. It can have short stories from other types of writing, personal histories
or anecdotes. It also has a beginning that gives you an insight to what the conflicts might
be and intrigues the audience to want to read more.
My insight or biggest take away
The short stories can be written in first person, but it should be filed with
enthusiasm so it intrigues the reader.
There’s tension in the beginning and helps to build to the climax.
If you’re writing an anecdote, you have to make sure it has the
rising tension of a short story.

Relevance
Does the first paragraph of my short story leave the reader with questions? Does the
first paragraph set up the reader to believe something exciting is to happen next?
Copy and paste your first paragraph twice. On the second copy make an attempt to
make the reader question and anticipate something exciting happening next.
Highlight the changes.

“Everything around me feels unfamiliar, the scenery was different, the people

were off, yet I was in the same place since birth. I couldn’t explain it,

somehow listening to everyone’s thoughts, yet their lips weren’t moving.”

“Everything around me feels unfamiliar, the scenery was different, the people

were off, yet I was in the same place since birth. I couldn’t explain it,

somehow listening to everyone’s thoughts, yet their lips weren’t moving.

Something about the way their thoughts flowed to me helped me understand

that I was different from everyone else.”

 Goal: To restructure plot to match real world short story standard
Insight
Mentor Text
Finder Article Section: Structuring Plot

Senior Project edition Summary (2-3 sentences)

Title Writing an Engaging Short
Story with Well-Developed
Conflict and Resolution
Author
The author explains to the reader ho0w to best set up a story, making sure that
they are being consistent with their conflict. Short stories are always set up the
same: exposition (setting the background/situation of a story), rising action
(what leads to the conflict), climax (the turning point of the story; where it
changes), falling action (what happens after the climax) and resolution (the
conclusion; tying up loose ends in your story). This helps move the story forward
and follow a pattern that is consistent in your story.

Link https://www.texasgateway.
org/resource/writing- My insight or biggest take away
engaging-short-story-well-
developed-conflict-and- The exposition is sometimes called the “narrative hook”
resolution
The main character might encounter some more conflicts in the
falling action but the end is inevitable.

The typical plot is divided into five main elements.

Relevance
Directions: Using your insight from the reading provide 1 to 2 sentences to outline your plot. For each section

Exposition The students are supposed to go to America to learn English and be exposed to another culture. When
they arrive at the airport, it looks very different from what they were shown.

Rising Action Their host family is the same one, and they attend one school where they learn how to control their
powers. But someone wants to come between them and mastering their abilities. It always comes in and
tries to turn them to the “dark side” instead of saving/helping the world.

Climax Half of the group have turned and now have to fight against the “good students’ that haven’t turned. This
arises them to hurt each other when they haven’t mastered their powers so it also harms civilians and
hurts the host family/mentor as well.

Falling Action The “evil” students are defeated, as the “good” students return to the school/home where they tend to
their own wounds and the wounds of their host families/civilians that were injured.

Denouement The good students have won and they

 Goal: To add conflict to my short story
Insight
Finder Article Section: Building Conflict
Mentor Text

Senior Project edition

Title Writing an Engaging Short
Story with Well-Developed
Conflict and Resolution
Author
Summary (2-3 sentences)
The author explains and connects the different types of conflict that usually
arises in short stories. Some of the most common ones are Man v. Nature, Man .v
Man and Man v. Himself, which always involves the protagonist against another
form of enemy. The last one, Man v. Society, usually involves the main character
against a greater form of enemy: the public/society/the world.

Link https://www.texasgateway. My insight or biggest take away

org/resource/writing-
engaging-short-story-well-
developed-conflict-and-
resolution
The opening of stories have to make you want to read on.
There are different kinds of conflict: Man v. Nature, Man v. Man,
Man v. Himself, Man v. Society.

Short stories have realistic goals and conflicts that get in the way of
said goal.

Relevance
My story will be Man Vs Man
Directions: concisely explain your choice of conflict as it relates to your story.

My conflict is the students against themselves. What happens is that the students that have powers are wanting to learn and
master their powers more, which is why they are taken to a special alternate universe where the host family guides them
through mastering their powers. Through this, the students are also being pulled by a dark side that wants to stop them from
helping the world and being “superheroes” of that alternate universe. Through this, the half of the students are turned and the
other are still learning to amster their powers. The ones that turn are the ones that end up fighting the good students, which
creates chaos at the school and tension in the home. The host family ends up getting hurt during the fight and the “good”
students end up winning, which causes the “evil” students to recede back into their “lair” (a school across town). They end up
coming back a couple times, after the students master their powers so they end up being beaten every time. Hopefully ending
the story right as they end the big fight. Don’t want to make it too long.

Insight
Finder
Senior Project edition
Title Writing an Engaging Short
Story with Well-Developed
Conflict and Resolution
Author
Link https://www.texasgateway.
org/resource/writing-
engaging-short-story-well-
developed-conflict-and-
resolution
Goal: To Rewrite my plot to add conflict
Mentor Text
Article Section: Outlining Plot
Summary (2-3 sentences)
This section talks about outlining the major plots of y9our stody, especially the
pattern and the pyramid given in the beginning. By plotting out the major events
of your story, you can avoid mistakes that writers in the beginning of their drafts
make. It really helps in making sure you don’t leave any loose ends untied.
My insight or biggest take away
Submitting the story for publication is really helpful and the links
are a variety of different publishers.
Having a clear sense of the beginning, middle and end.

Following the universal pattern (the pyramid)

Relevance
Directions: Using your insight from the reading provide 1 to 2 sentences to outline your plot. Don’t Forget to add conflict

Exposition The students are supposed to go to America to learn English and be exposed to another culture. When
they arrive at the airport, it looks very different from what they were shown.

Rising Action Their host family is the same one, and they attend one school where they learn how to control their
powers. But someone wants to come between them and mastering their abilities. It always comes in and
tries to turn them to the “dark side” instead of saving/helping the world.

Climax Half of the group have turned and now have to fight against the “good students’ that haven’t turned. This
arises them to hurt each other when they haven’t mastered their powers so it also harms civilians and
hurts the host family/mentor as well.

Falling Action The “evil” students are defeated, as the “good” students return to the school/home where they tend to
their own wounds and the wounds of their host families/civilians that were injured.

Denouement The students have mastered their powers and are out saving the world from the students that occasionally
come back to fight them once again.