Help high school Creative Writing students better understand the conventions of realistic young adult fiction and prepare for the drafting of original short stories with this comprehensive, low-prep, standards-aligned unit plan. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.) Included are the following:

• A detailed, standards-based unit plan articulating the unit's transfer goal(s), essential question(s), enduring understanding(s), learning target(s), academic vocabulary, formative assessment(s), summative performance task(s), and learning plan(s).
• A PowerPoint presentation introducing the unit's essential questions, the definition of the genre, and the literary elements that help convey realism
• Representative realistic fiction narratives.
• Worksheets to facilitate analysis of representative literature.
• Detailed directions.
• A comprehensive outline for student planning.
• A document to facilitate the editing process.
• A comprehensive rubric for evaluating student writing.

By engaging with these materials, students will do the following:

• Develop greater understanding of the conventions of the realistic fiction genre.
• Analyze how Langston Hughes used dialect to convey authenticity of character, as well as other characterization details to convey strength, thoughtfulness, and generosity in the short story "Thank You, Ma'am."
• Analyze how Doris Lessing used figurative and descriptive language to generate a compelling, realistic narrative, as well as characterization details to convey resilience and maturity in the short story "Through the Tunnel."
• Analyze how Leslie Norris used figurative and descriptive language to convey realism, as well as characterization details to convey thoughtfulness and reverence in the short story "Shaving."
• Organize initial ideas in a coherent manner.
• Engage the reader with a compelling exposition that establishes realistic setting, characters, and conflicts
• Use many appropriate narrative techniques (dialogue, dialect, description, pacing, etc.) to enhance a plot that is consistent with the realistic fiction genre
• Draft a coherent, cohesive, and appropriate narrative that builds toward a particular tone and outcome (a sense of mystery, suspense, etc.)
• Use precise words and phrases, active verbs, and sensory language to convey a compelling story
• Draft a reasonable and unrushed conclusion that resolves conflicts and conveys a theme
• Show mastery of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Unit plans are available for a variety of writing tasks:

• Writing Adventure Fiction - Google and printable
• Writing Dinosaur Tales - Google and printable
• Writing Fairy Tales - Google and printable
• Writing Fantasy Fiction - Google and printable
• Writing Gothic Fiction - Google and printable
• Writing Realistic Fiction - Google and printable
• Writing Science Fiction - Google and printable