Category: Spring 2016
The Shape of Stories
In the next two weeks before Spring Break we will be reading and examining a series of short stories, and discussing the ‘shape’ of short stories – their plots.
Many of you are probably familiar with a simplified version of Freytag’s Pyramid :
However, while this is an easy way to remember the typical form of plot progression in Western storytelling, it is not completely accurate. Not all, not most, stories follow this plot progress. Stories have their own ‘shape’ – and the more interesting the plot of the story, the more interesting the shape.
Listen to amazing short story writer Kurt Vonnegut explain the ‘shape of stories’ by clicking the link below.
Click here to listen to Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘The Shape of Stories’.
Vonnegut explains that stories are much more complex that the typical Freytag’s Pyramid.
Think of movies you’ve watched – what type of ‘shape’ did the plot create? Think about tv shows – each episode has its own plot, and then all the episodes in a season create a larger plot as well.
As we read through the short stories in this unit I want you to consider the ‘shape’ of these stories. You will need to keep track of them – and decide which ‘shape’ make for the most interesting story.
Also remember that we’re looking at the shape of Western stories (stories from American or Europe) – stories from other cultures in Asian and the Middle East follow a much different plot structure. Stories in Asian culture are often told in a cyclical or spiral manner:
If you’ve ever watched an Asian movie or tv show (Dragon Ball Z) and felt like so much information was being repeated, or that the story took a really long time to ‘get going’, it was probably because their storytelling structure is so different from ours.
Some modern storytellers and movie-makers like Christopher Nolan are trying to use new and interesting plot structures – if you’ve seen these movies and have been confused about what’s happen, that’s probably why!
R.A.C.E. Method,Constructed Response, and Citing Textual Evidence
Today in class we reviewed how to answer constructed response questions – a skill you started building last year in 9th grade. As you work on answering the constructed response questions over ‘Cupid and Psyche’ the next two days, be sure to refer to the notes from class and the helpful rubrics and worksheets you were given.
You can also refer to the example we did in class below – this is the answer to question one from your assignment: “Why is Venus so jealous of Psyche? Does it make sense for the goddess of love and beauty to be jealous? Why or why not?”
Remember, I will be using the same rubric that will be used on your 11th Grade EOC Test next year to grade your constructed responses – Its never too early to start preparing!
Remember, when citing textual evidence you have three steps to follow.
- First, be sure to include a signal phrase. This is a phrase, in your own words, that will lead into the quote. For example: Cupid refused to let Psyche see his face, saying “I would rather you love me as I am that as a god” (Coolidge 223).
- Next, you need to quote directly from the text, and put quotation marks around the text. For example: Cupid refused to let Psyche see his face, saying “I would rather you love me as I am that as a god” (Coolidge 223).
- Finally, you need to list the authors last name and the page number in parenthesis after the quote, and then end with a period. For example: Cupid refused to let Psyche see his face, saying “I would rather you love me as I am that as a god” (Coolidge 223).
Follow these steps and you’ll have citing textual evidence down perfectly!
Cupid and Psyche – Close Reading
Students – the past few days we have been reading and examining the Ancient Greek story of Cupid and Psyche in class. Below you will find some of the notes we took together -use them to add to your own notes or help you study. You will be completing an analysis of The Hero’s Journey in “Cupid and Psyche” in class this week and answering a series of constructed response questions about the story – make sure you are taking notes and studying each night for your first Unit Test!
Click here to read the story of Cupid and Psyche
10th Grade Literature Vocabulary
Students – please check back each week for the newly updated vocabulary list. We have a quiz at the end of each week!
Week 1 Vocabulary
Click here to access the vocabulary from the story ‘Prometheus and the First People’.
Click here to access the vocabulary from the story ‘Cupid and Psyche’.
Making Connections and Predictions – The Story of Prometheus
Students – today in class we read the story of Prometheus’ Creation of Man and The Coming Evil. We also practiced how to make connections and prediction with our easy ‘Connection and Predictions’ chart. This is a skill you will need to build, as it will DEFINITELY come in handy throughout the semester – we will be reading stories from many different cultures, and being about to make connections to similar texts will help you understand and analyse the new texts more quickly.
Attached below you will find the ‘Connections and Predictions’ chart from class –
Use this chart with the following story, making connections between the Ancient Greek story ‘The Great Flood’ and the Biblical story of ‘Noah’s Ark’.
Click on the link below to access the Word document of the story –
Introducing Ancient Greek Literature and The Hero’s Journey
Today in class we began out unit on Ancient Greek Literature and did a quick refresher over elements of Greek Literature you may have covered last year in 9th Grade Literature when you studied Homer’s The Odyssey. In this unit we will be reading the story of Prometheus and the First People and Cupid and Psyche, as well as lyric poetry from Ancient Greece. We will also be examining how these stories and tropes from Ancient Greece continue to impact our modern storytelling, language and culture.
Below you will find a link to the powerpoint over Ancient Greek culture and its importance that we reviewed today in class. Remember, understanding historical and cultural context is an important part of this course as we read literature from the past and cultures that are vastly different from our own.
Click here to download the powerpoint over Ancient Greek Culture and Literature.
We also covered The Hero’s Journey in class today – a concept you should have studied in 9th Grade Literature during your reading of The Odyssey. Below you will find a link to the video explaining the different steps of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey that we took notes from, as well as a visual aid showing the steps of the Hero’s Journey. Remember, you will have a short quiz over this on Friday, January 7th!
Click here to watch the video over The Hero’s Journey.
