Mosaic Freeschool

  • Home
  • Classes
    • Classes '22-'23
    • Past Classes
  • Facilitators
    • Mosaic Facilitators
    • Educator Network
  • Enroll
    • Admissions
    • Registration
    • Payment
  • Contact
  • Opportunities
  • Home
  • Classes
    • Classes '22-'23
    • Past Classes
  • Facilitators
    • Mosaic Facilitators
    • Educator Network
  • Enroll
    • Admissions
    • Registration
    • Payment
  • Contact
  • Opportunities

Mosaic Minutes

BeTWEEN the Lines Class Summary 2/24/14

2/25/2014

 
with Michelle Cameron

Critique of Stories

I’m thrilled that so many of these young writers are choosing to focus on one story, refining and improving it as they move forward. Among the topics we discussed this week (you’ll find some repeat from week to week as I focus on common issues):
  • How imagination can make a commonplace object something magical
  • That focusing on more description can help us see what’s going on
  • How the senses can help us experience a story – and that whenever you can go beyond sight to hearing, smelling, etc., you really should
  • That personification, fully realized, can provide us with a new way of looking at life
  • How emotion can create a strong response in readers
  • That we should learn to trust our readers, and not repeat details when they’re in very close proximity

Beginning, Middle and End

Picture
Today we discussed that a story needs – and they all knew this – a beginning, middle and an end. Some of the kids had already met up with the “roller coaster” model of storytelling, and I added the following details to that model:
  • In the beginning, we’re getting to know and care about the characters and they experience the first conflict in a story
  • Throughout the middle of a story, the stakes must continually rise as the character(s) face additional conflicts
  • That toward the end, there’s a moment (called “the dark night of the soul”) when everything appears to be going wrong. That’s followed by the climax, which is followed, of course, by the story’s resolution.


To put this into practice, I divided the group into two and gave them a “fractured” story that they needed to put together. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and they didn’t fully get to finish the exercise.  

But it was fun to see them trying to piece all the parts together!

Homework

Because we didn’t get fully through the exercise, this week’s homework is either (pick one):
  • Continue with the story begun last week (adding at least 1-2 pages to that story)
  • Start a new story

I can’t wait to see what they’ll write!
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Afternoon Enrichment
    Closures
    Clubs
    Early Elementary
    Mosaic Texas
    Odyssey Of The Mind
    Out Of This World
    Philosophy
    Tesserae Fall 2012
    Tesserae Fall 2013
    Tesserae Fall 2014
    Tesserae Spring 2013
    Tesserae Spring 2014
    Tesserae Spring 2015
    Tesserae Spring 2016

    Archives

    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from nojhan, Clay Gilliland, mynameisharsha, kim siciliano salem, matthewvenn, photogirl7.1, El Bibliomata, ~Brenda-Starr~, Anne Worner, Heather Bickle, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Black.Dots., marta.b, Felipe Venâncio, A. Galassi, bibliojojo, Bibliothèque - Les Champs Libres - Rennes, Robert Hensley, opensourceway, Greenland Travel, est1996x, John-Morgan, camnjeanacess, plindberg, chrisjtse, Vox Efx, philosophygeek, utpala ॐ, Cea., Phil Roeder, andreazgarcia, stevecadman, laynasaur, Steve A Johnson, mattk1979, Tattooed Hippy, spacepleb, Mateus Hidalgo, Todd Binger, TRF_Mr_Hyde, ComputerHotline, Hampshire and Solent Museums, Ben Sutherland, philip_sheldrake, WeeLittlePiggy, echiner1, gruntzooki, emmeffe6, saoire, symphony of love, ups2006, Dave_B_, bobsfever, Kelly Short6, RichardBH, frau-Vogel, Skype Nomad, giopuo, Tomi Tapio