Kristen McNabb Eng 504 Genre Study Genre Study: Young Adult Short Stories What is a genre? According to Randy Bomer, author of A Time of Meaning, a genre is “ a scheme for a kind of thing” (116). Different kinds of genre flood our lives every day. Bomer reveals, “We have thousands of them: for restaurants and schools days and knock-knock jokes and football cheers and New York City taxis and family relationships” (116). We have knowledge of many visual genres such as television shows and commercials and print genres such as comic books, novels, and young adult short stories. So, why teach students about genre? The purpose of studying genre is to taste different kinds of the genre, figuring out which flavor you enjoy, researching and understanding the genre to create the genre by yourself. For example, if we let students taste only one flavor of ice cream, they would believe that one flavor represented ice cream as a whole, and if they didn’t like that flavor, they would assume they didn’t like ice cream. But, if they studied the genre of ice cream, they would taste different flavors and toppings. They would experiment with ice cream, reflect on which flavors they like best and why. Also, they would understand that one flavor does not represent ice cream as a whole, and they would understand the different types of ice cream and know which ones they liked. By the end of the genre study, they would learn how to make ice cream and produce their own flavors. A popular genre to teach students is literacy genre. Bomer says, “Focusing on literary genres, as opposed to texts like business letters, legal briefs, or procedural descriptions, allows kids to write about what matters most to them, their own personal lives, the human matter of love and death, solace, isolation, and betrayal, while also developing a flexibility with the forms of their writing can take” (119). Teaching students literacy genre will allow students through their research to find texts they can relate to. If students find texts they can relate to, then they will become life-long readers because they will build an interest with that genre. Also, if students have an understanding of one literacy genre, they will be able to transfer this understanding to understand other literacy genres. This will enable students to perform better on the Regents because they will understand any literacy genre they have to read or write. A perfect literary genre to teach students that treats topics of personal interest to adolescents is young adult short stories. According to: http://dictionary.reference.com, short stories are a piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words. A young adult short story is a short story directed towards a young adult audience. Therefore, a young adult short story will include: a young adult protagonist, young adult issues, and vocabulary accessible to the young adult audience. This is my definition of young adult short stories from researching Y.A.S.S. and defining the characteristics all of the Y.A.S.S. shared. A young adult short story is different from an adult short story because an adult short story revolves around adult problems, an adult protagonist, and uses language accessible to adults. Thus, you should not use the adult short story genre because your studnets will not be able to relate to it. However, Bomer also says, “No one genre will just be the thing for a hundred and

twenty students” (122). However, I think a genre study of Young Adult Short Stories will appeal to students for several reasons. The genre is relatable to most students because they can choose from drama, mystery, sports, science fiction, romance, or adventure to read and write. When analyzing a YA short story, students will know what works and what doesn’t, because they know how teens should be represented and how they react to situations. Students are already knowledgeable about this genre because they are living it. They are the audience the author is trying to appeal to. Another reason the genre is relevant is that students can relate short stories to the fictional visual genres they watch everyday on T.V. whether they are young adult teen dramas or young adult comedies. When writing their own Young Adult Short Story students can use their knowledge of T.V. shows to inform them how to write their own Y.A.S.S. by detailing their protagonist of their story as detailed as the protagonists on these T.V. shows are. Of course, the number one reason to include a genre study of Young Adult Short Stories into the curriculum is that students can relate to it. If the students cannot relate to this genre; however, they will not be interested in this study, ignore the lessons, and do poorly on the Regents exam because they cannot remember literary examples or content. Before beginning a genre study, you have to prepare your classroom. In The Art of Teaching Writing, Lucy McCormick says, “One of the best ways to do this is to be sure that the classroom is filled with real-world reasons to write and that we are capitalizing on these opportunities” (35). Before the students come into the classroom make sure they have resources at their finger tips, like computers in the room, so they can access sites like teenink.com, that gives them examples of Young Adult Short Stories. Also, have Young Adult Short Stories in the classroom. You could have articles from teenink posted on the walls because the writers on teenink are often teens themselves, these articles should motivate the students because they see that people their own age can write these short stories, then so can they. But, how will you know what kind of Young Adult Short Stories the students are interested in? Have students fill a writing survey, where they answer questions about what their hobbies and interests are, so you can pick out Y.A.S.S., that revolve around their interests. For example, if a student says he enjoys sports, be sure to have a Young Adult Short Story about sports like Chris Crutcher’s “Athletic Shorts." Steps on Teaching Young Adult Short Stories Figure out what the students already know about this genre. Have the students tell you what they think the characteristics of this genre are. Write their answers on the board and tell them to write this list down in their notebooks to keep for future reference. Do not care whether or not their characteristics are wrong. The point is for the students to compare their characteristics to the Young Adult Short Story you are about to show them, so they can figure out whether or not their characteristics are right. Hook them into reading Young Adult Short Stories by giving a good example. This example needs to be relatable and intriguing to students. This story should also have all of the characteristics of a Young Adult Short Story. I chose Bruce Coville’s "What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” from his collection of short stories called

Oddest of All. Content: A thirteen-year-old boy, Murphy Murphy, is trying to survive the life of a teen. However, Murphy Murphy is not successful and it's not just because of his odd name. While he is trying to impress the girl he likes, he ends up choking on a cupcake, breaking his leg, and rushing to the hospital. Here is an excerpt: “If thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number, what does it mean that we are focused to go through an entire year with that as our age? I mean, you would think a civilized society could just come up with a way for us to skip it” (15). The reason I chose this story was because it‘s funny. Comedy is one characteristic all students can relate to. This should show the students how reading is fun and exciting because if you pick a dry, boring story, then they will have a poor attitude towards reading and the assignments. In a genre study, you pick main texts called “touchstone texts” that follow the characteristics of that genre and texts students will enjoy. Here is a list of 10 Touchstone Texts for Young Adult Short Stories: A List of Touchstone Texts 1. “In Our Own Hands” by Bruce Coville 2. “The Boy with Silver Eyes” by Bruce Coville 3. “Farang” by Mary Ann Rodman. 4.”SideShow” by Louise Hawes 5. “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune” by Chris Crutcher 6. “The Pin” by Chris Crutcher 7. “Goin’ Fishin’” by Chris Crutcher. 8. “B.B.” by Chaim Potok. 9. “Isabel” by Chaim Potok. 10. “How to Survive a Name” by Norma Fox Mazer. After you read the touchstone text, you ask the class questions about the story like the moral, what they thought about this story, how they liked and disliked it, and what they would have changed if they had changed anything. Then, you tell them the next time they read a text, they will answer these questions in their response journals. Response journals First, what is a response journal? It is a journal where students can write their comments about a reading. For example, their dislikes or likes about the reading, what they relate to in the reading, whether or not they think the reading is relatable to the audience, etc. The purpose of a response journal is for students to start thinking about the stories and practice writing. It is also easy for students to remember stories, when they can look back on their thoughts about the story in their response journals. For this genre study, however, students will only use the first half of their journal as a response journal. The second half they will use as a writer’s journal. A writer’s journal is ideas that students may want to include in a certain writing assignment. The students will use a writer’s journal when they are creating their own Young Adult Short Story later on in this genre study. You will explain the definition of a response journal to the students. And tell the students to label the first half of their journal as a response journal. Then, you will give them a response journal handout with directions on how to make and use a response

journal. In your directions for a response journal be sure to include the grading policty. Here is an example: Directions for a Response Journal 1. Label the first half of your journal: response 2. Decorate the outside of your journal with school appropriate drawings, stickers, and photos. 3. After each reading assignment, you will answers these 10 questions about each story in your response journals: 1. Title? 2. Author? 3. Is this a Young Adult Short Story? (Yes or no) 4. How do you know whether or not this story is a Young Adult Short Story? 5. Have you read a story like this before? If yes, what was the title? 6. What was your favorite part of the story? Be specific. 7. What was your least favorite part of the story? Be specific. 8. Did you like or dislike the story? Why? 9. What would you change in the story? (For example, the main character, the ending,

the beginning, the setting, etc.) And why? 10. What is the moral of the story?

Grading policy: At the end of all of our reading assignments, I will collect these response journals. All of the response journal entries will be 10% of your grade. Then, you would give the students a good example of response journal entry (see Appendix A for good example). Then, you would read another young adult short story, so they can use their response journals to respond to it. Introduce them to a Second Touchstone Text. This story should be equally interesting and intriguing as the first touchstone text. An example of a good second touchstone text would be: Louise Hawes‘ Young Adult Short Story “Side-Show”. Content: This story is about a young boy who goes to the circus with his older brother . This young boy is very sensitive about life, unlike this brother who doesn’t mind blood, guts, and gross things. The young protagonist sees the Fat Lady and the Tattooed woman during this trip, but they do not look like the young protagonist expected. This young boy questions how many times he judged someone based on their appearance. He cries at the end of the circus adventure because he finds that people judge others solely based on their appearance and nothing else. Excerpt: “Even though he was almost twelve and had begun to think of himself as a teenager, Payton was too young to view legally what waited behind the stried tent flap at the back of the fairgrounds” (92). You should have the students silently read this story. Then, have them respond to the story by answering the response journal questions. The students should share their answers out loud. You should read your own answers to the questions. Then, on the board, ask the students to take their list of young adult characteristics out and see if both of the stories follow the characteristics. See whether or not they were wrong about what a

young adult short story is. Then, you will define a list of young adult short story characteristics on the board, that both of the stories share. It should look like this: Characteristics of a Young Adult Short Story - Length: between 1,000 to 10,000 words - Time: Covers a short period of time - Characters: A few characters - Protagonist: Teen - Story: Has one dramatic event that occurs - Story: This event revolves around a teen issue -Story: Has a turning point - Story: Only has one plot Lastly, pick two other stories that share these characteristics and meet the students’ needs. For example, if there are a lot of athletes in the class have them read a Young Adult Short Story from “Athletic Shorts” or if they really enjoyed Bruce Coville’s young adult short story, share another one of his stories from his collection of Y.A.S.S. “Oddest of All.” For homework, have students read these stories on their own and answer the response journal questions. Then, in groups discuss whether or not these stories are young adult short stories. Then, have all of the students share their response journal answers. Discussion Groups The purpose of discussion groups is two fold: to have students discuss the content, which story they like better and why, and to determine the features of the genre. Bomer says, “Students can learn about a written genre only if they read it- and reread it and discuss it” (47). Then, the whole class will vote on which story they liked more. You will then read it, but do a read aloud. Read Alouds What is a read aloud? It is when you read a book and while you are reading it you stop to comment on the detail, literary elements, grammar, characterization, etc. You will delve into the deep waters of the literary elements of this story. You will say which parts you liked the best, and then you will ask the students if they liked the same part. The whole class will discuss the story thoroughly, so the students know in detail the components of a Young Adult Short Story. Then, you would add to the list of Young Adult Short Story characteristics like: Add to the List of Young Adult Short Story Characteristics: • Detail: Uses sensory detail • Detail: Makes the reader feel like he/she is there • Story: Usually have other teens in the story • Sentence structure: Has varied length of sentences • Language: Uses language accessible to teens • Language: Has realistic dialogue

This list of characteristics will show the students how they complex this genre is, despite that it is very easy to read. By slowly adding characteristics to the list of young adult short stories, the students will not get overwhelmed by the characteristics. You will tell the students to practice the read aloud technique when reading the stories for the

reading section of the Regents exam. Regents Exam Then, you give the students an excerpt of a reading in the Regents exam. This one is from the June 2009 Regents exam: (http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/eng-609/eng-one-609.PDF) “Early in the 20th century, bicycling to do errands or to work was common in the United States, and seeing bikes on racks on the back of streetcars was not unusual. Commuters often used a combination of walking, cycling, and mass transit. Even in the 1940s, bicycling was still a major means of transportation for not-too-distant trips…. But, that began to change in the 1950s and 60s, when car use rapidly accelerated.” Practice the read aloud on this excerpt. You ask the students questions like “What is the major topic?”, “Why would the writer show dates?”, “What do you think the purpose of the rest of this essay will be?”. Then, give them a different excerpt, “Rising population has worsened traffic snarls and pollution.” This excerpt is in bold. You ask them what they think the meaning of this is? You would first ask the students, “Is this an important detail? Why? Why would the writer put this in here?” Then, you discuss the argument of this essay, which is: People should use bicycles more to decrease pollution and traffic snarls. Then, you discuss with the students whether or not they believe in this argument. Lastly, you tell the students to use read alouds during the Regents exam and when reading any text. Read alouds will help them to understand the meaning of any text. Students’ Research As Bomer reminds us, “Learning from models does not have to mean that the teacher is only bringing the modes into the community” (124). Now, you give students resources to discover Young Adult Short Stories for themselves. You suggest having them look through online resources like teenink and kidsread.com. Have them pick out two stories they like. For both stories, have the students answer the response journal questions. Then, have the students decide which story they like better. The students will then give a 2-3 minute presentation on why their classmates should read this story and what their favorite part was, etc. You should give them a checklist to complete for this presentation: Checklist for The Young Adult Short Story Presentation Before presentation: • You have researched online sources and found two Young Adult Short Stories

you enjoyed reading. • You have answered the response journal questions for both stories. • You choose the story you like better to present to the class. • You have made a copy of your Young Adult Short Story to give to me. During the presentation you will: • Introduce yourself. • Introduce your story and the author. • Talk about your favorite part of the text and read a part of it. • Talk about whether or not you would change anything about the story. If so, what

would you change? • Tell the class why you think they should like it. • Thank the audience for listening to you.

Grading policy: This presentation will be 10% of your grade.

After every student has introduced their story, you will collect all of their Young Adult Short Stories. Then, you will make enough copies of these stories for the class. You will give them a packet of all of their short stories. For homework, have the students read each other’s favorite stories, so they can learn what each classmate has found. This step parallels Standard 1 of NYS ELA Standards: “Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, generalizations, and use knowledge generated from oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information” (http:/www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/elamap.html). The students have collected Young Adult Short Stories and as the genre study progresses, they will transfer the ideas, knowledge, and concepts from the models to in their own short stories. Also, you will collect their response journals and grade them before they have to use their journals again. They will not be using the first part of their journals again. Creating their Own Short Story Give the students a handout about writing assignment that includes: a description of writing assignment, where the story will be published, guidelines, grading policy, and the due dates for the writing assignment: Writing Assignment: You will write a 5-10 page Young Adult Short Story. You will have time to edit and revise this piece in the next week, so that your story will be in a perfect condition to be published online at the site: teenink. Before you publish your piece, you will also read it aloud to your classmates. Make sure all drafts: • Include the characteristics of a Young Adult Short Story. • Are printed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman font, font size 12. • Include your name and a title. • Have page numbers in the bottom right hand corner. Due Dates: Your first draft: 9/10 Peer Review: 9/11 Second draft: 9/13 Final draft: 9/17 Grading Policy: The whole writing assignment will be 50% of your grade. The first draft with be 10%, the peer review will be 10%, the second draft will be 10%, and the final draft will be 20%. If do not do any parts to this writing assignment, you will fail this class. The purpose of this checklist is to communicate with the students in a clear and concise way, so there are no misunderstandings. You should go over these materials with

the students slowly, asking if they have any questions. Now, you tell the students in the beginning of this assignment where it will be published because according to Margot Iris Soven, author of Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools: “The opportunity for publication influences the class’s attitude towards the writing process at all stages but especially during the prewriting and revising stages. Students choose their topics carefully, trying hard to find topics that will have wide appeal, and after writing their essays and receiving feedback from the class and me, they revise and then revise again” (52). Telling students from the beginning that their story will be published online and they will have to read it to a real audience, will motivate them to write the best they can. Also, give them a rubric for the assignment and go over it (see Appendix B). This way the students know how they will be graded. After you hand back their response journal entries, the students will use the second half of their journals. The second half the students will be used as a writer’s notebook. Writer’s Notebook First, what is a writer’s notebook? It is a notebook that students will use to write about ideas that they might include into their story. This should be a brainstorming activity to begin students thinking about their writing assignment and flushing out ideas. Give the students a handout with: the definition of a writer’s journal, how it should be used, an example, rules, and a grading policy. Here is an example of that handout: Definition of a Writer’s Notebook: A writer’s notebook is where you will keep your ideas for your writing assignment. You will include events that inspire your story like a fight with your sibling or a trip or a friend. Most fictional writers base their short stories on actual events, places, and people. Directions for a Writer’s Notebook: -You will use the second half of your journal for a writer’s notebook. -You will write “Writer’s Notebook” in bold print on the beginning page of this section. -You will be required to write 10 notebook entries through out this writing assignment. Rules for Writer’s Journal. All journal entries have to… 1. …be relevant to the reading assignment 2. …make sense. 3. …include appropriate language. 4. …be written in full sentences. 5. …be between ¾ to a full page long. 6. …be personal. If these rules are not followed in a journal entry, that journal entry will be a 0. Good Example of an Excerpt from a Journal Entry:

I just remembered a fight that my brother and I had years ago. It was when he wouldn’t let me play with him and his best friend, Patrick. I think the name I will use for my protagonist will be Patrick. Patrick and my brother were inseparable. Growing up, I even thought of Patrick as my other older brother. I wonder what he is doing now? My protagonist is going to be teen Patrick, but I am going to imagine him in New York City. I want Patrick to explore the city. Grading policy: All of the journal entries will be worth 10% of your grade. Mini-Lessons Then, give students a mini-lesson on character and writing dialogue before they write their first draft. The mini-lesson on character (see Appendix C) is taken from Margot Iris Soven’s book, Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools. Soven describes how students should explain their characters and how details like what food they eat and why kind of personality they have are important because those details support the overrall picture of the character (174). The mini-lesson on writing dialogue will be another brainstorming activity pushing the students learning how to write dialogue properly (See Appendix D for mini-lesson). Revising You tell your students: A Young Adult Short Story never comes out the first time. Even the famous writer Ernest Hemingway revised his work. He said during an interview, “I rewrote the ending to Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before I was satisfied” (Soven, 26). Before you ask your students to criticize each other’s work give them an example of a story that needs to be revised (See Appendix E for example) and revise it in class by modeling use of the peer review sheet (See Appendix F). Students will use the same peer review for each other’s story. After the modeling, have the students exchange their first draft and do their peer reviews. The students give back their peer reviews to the writers, you will do a mini-lesson on adding detail (see Appendix G ). The students will then revise their papers with the suggestions from a peer and the mini-lessons. They will hand you their second draft. You will correct their paper of any grammatical errors and circle misspellings. You will give the students a mini-lesson on editing. Editing The students know how to write a Young Adult Short Story. Now, they will learn how to edit it. Give them a mini-lesson of editing, where you will give them guidelines on how to edit (See Appendix H for mini-lesson on editing). Read the guideline aloud. Then, give them the example of a story that needs to be edited. Edit the story in class using these guidelines (See Appendix I for example). You would only read 1 or 2 paragraphs of this story and edit it along the way. Then, have the students finish editing the story for homework. The next day, you will finish editing the story. Then you will hand the students back their second draft with corrections on it. Then, they can ask questions about your comments. Then, they will write their final draft and hand their stories to you. You will grade them and correct any grammatical errors that they could not possibly get. Then you publish their stories online.

Publish Work According to Margot Iris Soven, “One of the most valuable techniques to encouraging good writing is giving students the opportunity for publication. Publication as a way of motivating students seems to work at all levels” (51). A promising site to publish their work is teenink. Teenink is a site where other teens have published their Young Adult Short Stories, where other teens can comment and rate on these stories, and where students can always visit to see how their story is affecting others. After you published their stories online, students should take credit for their masterpieces. They should reading the story aloud in front of an authentic audience. So, you should ask other classes, faculty members, and the students’ parents to come in to hear your students’ stories. This will take up more than one class period, so be sure to tell the parents when their son/daughter is reading, so they can fit it into their schedule. In order to celebrate, you should decorate the room, have food and drinks, and make this an exciting time. After each student reads his/her story, clap for the student, and give between 3-5 minutes for the audience to ask questions, as if the student was an author at book signing. This should be a proud moment for the students. This should positively enforce students to write, by showing how they receive praise for this writing assignment and how their hard work paid off. Student Reflection After the students have published their work, their last assignment is to reflect about their experience. They will write a one-page paper and answer one of the three questions, that can found in Appendix J. Show them a good example of reflective piece: During the research assignment, I noted how I felt slightly overwhelmed with choices. I didn’t know where to start picking my favorite Young Adult Short Story. I knew if I felt this way that some students would feel the same way. But I think feeling overwhelmed could be a good experience because it shows how many other teens are writing in this genre. This assignment allows students to see a diversity in this genre. I needed to push myself to find a story that I really liked, but I did it. And I was proud of the story I picked. Students’ reflections will give you ideas for the next time that you teach this genre. The first time that you do a genre study, it will not be perfect. After you do a genre study with a class a few times, you will edit and revise the study to make it better and better. Like the students, be sure to reflect on your experiences because like them, you will find yourself thinking about what you liked or disliked about the genre study and what you are going to use for a future genre study (Soven, 241-244). One of Bomer’s steps for a genre study states: “The teacher is a colearner” and that is the truth. The beauty of a genre study is to learn with the students. You are still the teacher and the authority figure in the room, but you are also always a student (123). A genre study is a learning experience for the whole classroom and it makes for a great sharing atmosphere between the teacher and students, students and students, and students and their wider audiences. Further Reading and Professional Sources: Here is a list of some great collections of young adult short stories that I have not yet

mentioned: By adult writers: “ Split Cherry Tree” by Jesse Stuart 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen by James Howe Zebra and Other Stories by Chaim Potok. By teen writers: “Blink and You'll Miss Me Dad” By SpeakForYourself. (http://www.teenink.com/fiction/ realistic fiction/article/143190/Blink-and-Youll-Miss-Me-Dad/) “Can you Hear Me?” (http://www.teenink.com/fiction/all/article/97177/Can-You-Hear-Me/) “The Other Hand” (http://www.teenink.com/fiction/thriller_mystery/article/139972/On-the-Other-Hand/) Here are some professional textual resources that will help you in preparing for a genre study: Bomer, Randy. A Time for Meaning. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1995. Calkins, Lucy McCormick. The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1986. Soven, Margot Iris. Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools: Theory, Research, and Practice. Needham Heights, Ma: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. Here are some professional websites to help you teach a genre study: 1. This site has lesson plans for just about any genre: http://www.readwritethink.org/ lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=270 2.This site has good tips on teaching a genre study:http://www.eric.ed.gov/ ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/15/4c/fe.pdf Works Cited Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and

Learning. Portsmouth, N.H.: Boynton-Cook, 1998. Bomer, Randy. A Time for Meaning. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1995. Calkins, Lucy McCormick. The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 1986. Cooper, Charles R. & Lee Odell. Evaluating Writing: The Role of Teacher’s Knowledge about Text, Learning, and Culture. Urbana, Illinois: NCTE, 1999. Coville, Bruce. Oddest of All. “ What’s the Worse that Could Happen?” Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Books, 2008. Crutcher, Chris. Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories. New York, New York: Greenwillow Books, 1989. English Language Arts Core Curriculim. The University of the State of New York The State Education Department. 1-92. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elacore.pdf Glenn, Cherly, Robert Keith Miller, Suzanne Strobeck Webb, and Loretta Gray. Hodges' Harbrace Handbook. 5th edition. Australia: Michael Rosenberg, 2004. Hawes, Louise. “Side-Show” Such a Pretty Face. Ed. Ann Angel. New York, New York: Amulet Books, 2007. Soven, Margot Iris. Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools: Theory, Research, and Practice. Needham Heights, Ma: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. The University of the State of New York Regents High School Examination: Comprehensive Example in English One. The University of the State of New York. 1-12. June 17, 2009. http://www.nysedregents. org/testing/engre/eng-609/eng-one-609.PDF Appendices Appendix A Response Journal Example

1. “What’s the Worse That Could Happen?” 2. Bruce Coville 3. Yes, this is a Young Adult Short Story. 4. No, I have never read a Young Adult Short Story before. 5. I loved how funny this story was. It made me laugh out loud a few times. Also, I loved how the writer made me feel like he was talking to me. 6. I didn’t dislike any part of the story. 7. My favorite part was the beginning. I loved these sentences, “I suppose the fact that my name is Murphy Murphy might have something to do with that feeling. Yeah you read it right: Murphy Murphy. It’s like a family curse” (15). I loved the sentences because it was the first time I was really pulled into the story. From this part on, I couldn’t put this story down. 8. I would have changed the ending of this story and I would have extended it. The reason is because I didn’t want the story to end. 9. The moral of the story is: no matter how tough life gets, there’s always hope. Appendix B Rubric for Writing Assignment

6 5 4 3 2 1

Meaning

Your story has a clear moral that is unique and relatable to teens and is supported by the story.

Your story has a clear moral that teens have experienced before and is relatable. It is supported by the story.

Your story has a clear moral, but is not supported by the story and the characters; relatable to teens.

Your story has a moral that is confusing, but relates to the teen audience.

Your story has a meaning of that is confusing and does not relate to the audience.

Your story lacks a meaning.

Develop-ment

You have a clear teen protagonist. All characters are clear and detailed and play a part of this interesting, relatable young adult short story.

You have a clear teen protagonist is. All characters are clear and mostly detailed and are involved in a relatable young adult short story.

You have a mostly clear teen protagonist. Alll Characters are clear and some-what detailed, and the story is mostly relatable to the young adult audience.

You have a some-what clear The teen protagonist. Characters are clear, but sometimes detailed and lacks sensory details. The story needs to be more relatable to teens.

Your teen protagonist is not clear. Characters are only slightly detailed. Characters are not relatable to teens.

You have no teen protagonist. Story lacks clear and detailed characters. The story is not relatable to teens.

Organiz-ation

Story is organized well. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Also it has a clear and interesting conflict.

Story has a clear beginning, middle, end, and conflict.

Story is unclear in one of the sections either in the beginning, middle, end or conflict.

Story is unclear in more than one section.

The whole story is unclear.

One or more of those sections: beginning, middle, end, or conflict are missing. The story is not finished.

Language Uses a wide variety of vocabulary, realistic dialogue, and is appropriate to the audience.

Uses a variety of vocabulary, good dialogue, and appropriate to the audience.

Uses mediocre vocabulary and dialogue. Story is appropriate to the audience most of the time.

Uses bad vocabulary and dialogue. Is appropriate to the audience some time.

Uses unrealistic dialogue. Is not appropriate to the audience, but understand-able.

No dialogue. Is not appropriate to audience and not understand-able.

Grammar Has only a few grammar mistakes, no misspellings but mistakes do not hinder ability to read.

Has a couple grammar mistakes, no misspellings, but mistakes do not hinder ability to read.

Has a couple grammar mistakes and a few misspellings, only a few times does the reader have to re-read a sentence, before understand-ing it.

More than a couple grammar mistakes, a few misspellings, and a few sentences were not understand-able.

A lot of grammar mistakes, a lot of spelling mistakes, could not understand some paragraphs, but understood purpose of story.

A lot of grammar mistakes, misspellings, could not understand story.

Grade:_____________________ Comments:______________________________________________________ Appendix C Mini-Lesson on Characterizing Characters (This mini-lesson is inspired by Margarot Iris Soven’s book (174).) Getting Started: Ask the students to think about their favorite T.V. character. Then, you handout this worksheet to the students. You have the students answer the questions about that character. Here is an example of that worksheet:

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________ Worksheet for Characterizing Characters (worksheet from Margot Iris Soven’s book, Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools (174)) 1. List your favorite T.V. character: A. Character’s name:____________________________ B. Give three adjectives to describe his/her personality: (mean, loving, funny, exciting, girly, boyish, manly, strong, weak, kind, friendly, dumb, or use your own adjectives) ______________________________________________________________ C. Give three adjectives to describe his/her physical attributes: (beautiful, nerdy, handsome, ugly, pretty, gross, nerdy, tall, short, small, big, weird or use your own adjectives) _______________________________________________________________ D. What three foods do you think the character likes or dislikes? _______________________________________________________________ E. What place would your character most like to visit and why? _______________________________________________________________ F. In five words how do you think the other characters would describe him/her? (For example: He always thinks about food or He is the kindest person. ) _______________________________________________________________ G. Now make up two questions to ask the character. Then answer those questions as if you were him/her. 1. Question:_____________________________________________________________ Answer:_________________________________________________________________ 2. Question: _____________________________________________________________ Answer:________________________________________________________________ Then, wait about 5 minutes, and let a few students discuss their answers. This will show you that they understand. Now, tell them that you want their characters to be this descriptive. Show them a bad and good example on how to describe characters: Bad example: Ken liked spaghetti and meatballs. His favorite sport was soccer. Good example: After Ken came home from soccer practice, he sat down with his family to share a nice spaghetti dinner. His father asked him, “So, how did practice go?” Ken murmured, “The usual.”

Then, Ken helped himself to another helping of spaghetti. His mother smiled happily because he liked her new recipe. Wrap Up: Then, give them another copy of the Character Worksheet and tell them to fill it out for their protagonist. Appendix D Mini-Lesson on Adding Dialogue Getting started: Have the students get into groups of 3 or 4. Tell the students that they already know what dialogue is. Tell them it is when people talk to one another in stories. In stories, when writers write their dialogue, that dialogue should be realistic. Dialogue should be conversations characters in their stories would say. Give each group a topic to talk about. Some groups will have the same topic. List of Topics: - Cafeteria Food. Discuss your favorite and least favorite meals. - Recent movies. What new movies are coming out? Which movies do you want to see? - The one place in the world you want to go. What do you want to see there? Give the students between 5-10 minutes. Then, have the person who wrote the dialogue come up to the board and write one example. Ask the students why they wouldn’t have said, “I love all of the cafeteria food. It’s the best” because you don’t believe it. It’s not true to the character. Then, go over the examples on the board. Correct these examples by using the correct punctuation. Now, give them a handout on using dialogue that reveals different ways to write dialogue and where to place the punctuation. How to Write Dialogue Where do you put punctuation in dialogue? There are two different ways. First example: Mrs. McNabb says, “This is how you should write the dialogue.” Rule: According to Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, "Periods go inside the closing quotation marks if the quotation ends the sentence [...] The period goes at the end of the sentence if other words follow the end of the question" (245). : Second example: “This is how you should write dialogue,” says Mrs. McNabb. There is a comma after dialogue and a period at the end.

Rule: According to Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, "Commas go inside closing quotation marks" (245). Either example is correct. Now here is another example of different ways to write dialogue: Mrs. McNabb tells the class, “I have never been to Disney World before.” Her student replies, “ Really? I have been there four times.” “Wow,” she says, “that’s great.” “My favorite ride is the haunted house,” the student remarks smiling. Now, do these examples on your own. Please insert commas and periods where they are needed in these examples: 1. Andy told his mom “I will be home at seven” 2. She said “Okay, but if you are a minute late, you will be grounded for a week” 3. At seven o’clock, Andy walks through the door. His mom is reading on the couch. She looks up at him and says “That was pretty close” Go through each example and explain the reason for punctuation. Show the correct answers on the board. Then, give the students a list of guidelines for writing dialogue: Guidelines for Writing Dialogue 1. Make sure the character’s dialogue is realistic with the character’s personality. 2. Make sure to have correct punctuation. (If you have questions please see me. I will correct and/or circle any grammatical mistakes I see in your second draft. However, I will mark off for punctuation errors in you last draft.) 3. Use a variety words, not just “he said” or “she said.” 4. Make sure your language is appropriate.

Lastly, remember this will be published online and your parents and other faculty members will see it. Appendix E Example of a Story that needs to be revised I listen to you kill yourself By Baylie B., Las Vegas, NV I listen to you kill yourself, I'm losing my best friend. You tell me you love me, you say this is the end. One more pill to calm you, One more puff to laugh. I don't know how much longer I'll have you...how much longer you'll last. I'm so afraid you'll be gone...so scared your leaving so fast. So terrified this high will be your last. Im more then happy to join you, more then happy to enjoy your pain free-killers, this style you call a life. more then happy to join you but just for one pain free night. The tears and the smiles are fading, deep into the fumes. The fun we always had. Are those times long gone? Is the only fun we can muster a high? And of corse I'll join you, I just want to be close, and laugh at you...with you, for one more night. I just want to be happy in this hell light ride of our lives. As we watch our lives through blood shot eyes. I still feel like im losing you, it makes me want to cry. You say "It's nothing Major, Orange juice, it's not like im throwing up food." Do you know how much you hurt me, by slowly taking your own life? These cuts and slits, these hearts and stars scarred into your fleash...does the pain excite you? Can you see your own death? I'll smile and I'll listen as I weep in side. I hold my breath and smile, as you whisper your lies. I'll ask you about the boy's you've been with, about your latest lay, I'll ask you about all the dreams you have. I'll help you finish what you start, no matter what it is. Your my best friend, to the very end. Wherever life may take you...whenever yours may end...one thing will never change...your always my best friend. I'm afraid to see a casket, laying open on display, im afraid to peer in, only to see your pretty face. So I'll take that high with you, I'll slice that pill in two. Just promise we'll never end, and promise, you'll always be my best friend. http://www.teenink.com/fiction/all/article/33249/I-listen-to-you-kill-yourself/

Appendix F Peer Review Worksheet Worksheet for Peer Reviews Name:__________________________

Name of person whose paper you are reviewing:___________________________ Due date:_____________________________________ Directions: Please read your partner’s story. And answer these questions. If you notice any misspellings in his/her story please circle the word and write next to it “ms“ for misspelling. If you run out of room to write an answer please attach a piece of loose leaf paper to this sheet and write the rest of your answer. Be sure to write on the loose leaf paper the number which you are expanding on. 1. Pick one section in the story that you really liked and write why? (For example, do you like how the author described that part or do you like what that character said?) ____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 2. What section is the best? Is it the beginning, middle, or the end? Give only one example. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Could you easily identify the protagonist? Who is it? ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 4. What section needs improvement? Be specific. __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________ 5. What advice would you give the author? (For example, it could be a great story if you corrected misspellings or this could be a great story if you expanded the story or this could be a great story if you explained how the main character felt about the incident.) ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

Appendix G Mini-Lesson on Adding Detail Getting Started: Then, give them a guideline on adding detail to their stories. Have a different student read each example. This is an example of a guideline: Name:_________________________________ Date:__________________________________ Guideline To: Adding Detail Sentence: Mark ran. Bad example of adding detail: Mark ran to the store and then Adam went to church. Make sure the detail is relevant. Adding “Adam went to church” had nothing to do with adding detail to the sentence “Mark ran.” Good example: Mark, in his pajamas, ran to the store because he needed toilet paper. Why add Sensory Detail? Sensory detail means it describes the five senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, tasting. The first good example evokes the sense of sight. Because it is a well-detailed sentence the audience can see exactly where Mark is running to, what he looks like, and the audience assumes “because he needed toilet paper” that he is panicked because he needs to go to the bathroom. An example of smell would be: In the store, Mark could smell fresh doughnuts being made, while he walked up and down the aisles looking for toilet paper.

An example of touch would be: Finally, Mark found the toilet paper aisle, but he slipped on the wet floor and now his hands and butt are wet from the water. An example of hearing would be: Mark got off the floor, but on the loud speaker he heard: Clean up on Aisle 4! Clean up on Aisle 4! Wrap Up: Write on the board, “He hit his brother.” Then, ask the students to expand on the sentence using sensory detail. Give them example until the end of class. Appendix H Mini-Lesson on Editing Getting Started: Explain to the students for their second draft, you will circle your misspellings and correct grammatical errors. However, for their final draft you will take points off for misspellings and grammatical errors, so they better understand how to edit the paper themselves. Then, you will give them examples of common problems seen throughout their writing assignments like confusing words like their, they’re, there, lose, loose, or not capitalizing names or places. Spend about 10 or 15 minutes on this, showing examples on their board of the correct way to use words or how certain words need to be capitalized. Then, give them this worksheet about editing: Guidelines to Editing 1. Correct any misspellings. 2. Make sure the right words are capitalized like names, titles, places, etc. 3. Make sure you have varied lengths of sentences. 4. Make sure you do not repeat the same words over again. 5. Read the story aloud to make sure the story reads in a clear and concise way. 6. Make sure the story follows the writing assignment rubric on grammar. 7. Make sure you do not have run-on sentences, by making sure periods are at the end of one independent clause. Appendix I Example of a Story that needs to be EDITED

A Story 2 By bloggergirl93, she pushed open the door of her house and ran upstairs to her room, not bothering to close it behind her. after a three hour trip to the mall you'd think she would have something more to show for herself than another black eye liner. she dropped it into her drawer with the others and went to work on her closet. she tried to find something that resembled something welcoming and happy but all she could find was black. she didn't remember throwing her other clothes out, yet the only thing left was a white dress. after slipping it on with some black flip flops she left the house and started towards the school with another hersheys bar in her hand. for the past week she had been leaving them on the bleachers, hiding behind the building and watching jack come and take them. today she planned on talking to him, and rather than scare the poor child with her wardrobe choices she was going for a friendlier look. as she rounded the corner she saw him outside for the first time tossing a forgotten baseball that girl he had seen on his first day in ravenswood was walking towards him. he dropped the ball and started to run to the temporary place he had made under the bleachers. but as he was running he realized she was his support and survival and making friends might change things. he would talk to her today, that would be a big step. he slowed down and headed for the oak tree that separated the field from the playground, sat in its shade and started to pick at the grass. she walked over and sat down, not at all hesitant to stain the last remaining piece of clothing she had that wasn't black. she peeled open the chocolate bar broke off a piece and handed it to him. he gave her a grateful look and began to eat it. she took a piece for herself and put what was left in between them. as a piece offering maybe. he never asked me if he could get remarried, you know. jack surprised himself by starting his story. you miss her don't you? asked alex. she was never supposed to leave, he answered the days passed and the roots of the oak tree grew stronger as did alex and jack. despite the age difference they had become each others support and maintained a friendship many would envy. with the long conversations spent under the shade of the tree came an unspoken bond that was the essence of their friendship. just like on the first day they spoke, they tended to guess things about one another they otherwise wouldnt have shared. but as it came so easily to them they didnt think twice. beside the lilacs in the garden alex shared her story, a tale of loss and brilliance only jack could understand. and it was under the leaves of the oak tree that the story of jacks family began to unfold. both of them had suffered loss, both choosing different ways to fill the space it left it was on a rainy tuesday afternoon when alex stormed out of the house flipping out her cell phone. she called sam and told him to pick her up in his convertible as soon as possible. she had just walked into her brothers room to see her mother sitting on his bed crying. she remembered the night of his death only too clearly and this was just too much for her I know you miss him alex. i have an idea. jack said. alex wiped away a tear and the eyeliner that had started to run

when they arrived at the cemetery the gate was locked as it was long passed midnight. they climbed the fence and alex led the way. JAMES WILLIAM RENSON read the gravestone. James Andrew Cornelius...Jack. he whispered. alex sunk to the ground as a tear rolled down her face. James is a noble name she replied. august arrived and with it came preparations for the fall. children could be found walking down the crayola aisle in desperate search of a set of crayons, mothers at the checkout counter silently hoping they came in under budget this month, and teenagers trying to conspire against the town councils feeble attempt to raise the driving age. the entire town was busy and therefore didnt pay any attention to a rebellious looking teenage girl and a little boy missing shoes as they walked through town. alex had offered jack, who she now called by his rightful name- james, a pair of her brother jimmys old shoes. james had taken them but didnt wear them. he kept under the bleachers where he had continued to sleep. though he had never met jimmy, he felt a sertain amount of respect for him, almost as much as he did for alex. though it had not seemed possible, their friendship had grown stronger. whether it was shopping for alternate clothing choices for alex- at james persistence, or using alexs allowance for a visit to starbucks they spent every moment together. time passed and after throwing out her collection of black eyeliner, alex realized she had been calling sam less and less. it became apparent to her that she had james had begun to fill spaces in each others lives. in her life it was jimmy and in his it was Charlotte- his mother. james needed to return home and alex needed to prepare herself for school. she tried endlessly to tell james how important it was for him to go home, how cold Massachusetts winters were, and how much his pet dog names Cat must miss him. but james was smart and at 11 years old he made the arguments of a 30 year old. and truthfully, alex didnt want him to leave. she wanted to be older, old enough to take of james, to get him out and give him a childhood as great as the one she and jimmy had shared. and her inability to do that frustrated her. it was when they were walking home from Starbucks, each holding an iced tea that a police car from the next town slowed down next to them. he pulled up to the curb and waved them over to him. whats your name, son? he asked looking directly at james. j-j-james he stuttered. Alex had come with james in the car on the ride to the station, waited with him under the bright lights walked him out to his fathers car, and now it was time to say goodbye. she repeated her cell phone number for the 7th time knowing full well he had memorized it within the first week they met. she took a hersheys bar out of her pocket and handed it to him wishing she had something more to offer. out of his pocket james pulled a necklace with a locket dangling from it. he handed it to alex and got in the car. by the time alex had cleared her tears he was gone. as she turned to walk home she looked at the locket. on the back in thin writing she read Charlotte. it was 2:37 am and alex couldnt sleep. a week had passed since james left and she had felt him missing every moment. he had called her once from his friends phone but it had only been a short call before the connection was lost. she had called sam more in the past week than she had in the last month, and she managed to find a black eyeliner that james hadnt gotten rid of. her white dress seemed to have altogether disappeared. she felt things going

back to how they had been before and the reason for the was clear. it was time to get to james, and that moment seemed like the perfect time. she pulled on her black leggings, skirt and sweatshirt and climbed out her window and into the tree whose branches sometimes brushed against her window at night. not bothering to get her shoes from the mat outside the back door, she set out on the path she knew like the back of her hand. it was the way jimmy used to take her to her ballet lessons. the ones she quit after the car accident. http://www.teenink.com/fiction/realisic_fiction/article/142305 Appendix J Reflective Essay Questions Name:______________________________________ Date:______________________________ Assignment: Write a one-page paper answering one of the following questions about your experience with Young Adult Fictional Short Stories. (The paper has to be double spaced and 12 font.) 1. What do you think you learned during this genre study? Explain. 2. Why do you think you like or dislike certain kinds of Young Adult Fictional Short Stories? For example, why do you think you like mystery rather than science fiction or romance rather than drama? Remember to give examples of the kinds that you like and/or dislike. 3. If you were one kind of Young Adult Fictional Short Stories, what kind would you be and why? Explain.