Learning target: We can name the fundamental questions we need to answer about our characters.
I'll start out with this clip from the movie The Wonder Boys. This the kind of imaginative thread you need to pull with the character in your story.
After this we'll talk about the story The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara and how to interpret the rather unpleasant main character in this story. We're going to talk about what the character wants, both consciously and unconsciously, and what's keeping her from getting what she truly desires. Character have conscious desires, but they also have deep yearnings that are often unconscious that truly control their emotions and push them to do things even they can't explain.
After this, you'll have work time to start answering basic questions about a character, hopefully the main character, that will be in your short story. You will use this worksheet to build out your character. Initially, give yourself ten minutes to answer these questions. Try to find the things you know about your character immediately. These things that you are certain about are the flecks of dust around which you'll build the "snowflake" of your character.
Homework due Wednesday, October 7th
Read the story Thank You Ma'am by Langston Hughes
I'll start out with this clip from the movie The Wonder Boys. This the kind of imaginative thread you need to pull with the character in your story.
After this we'll talk about the story The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara and how to interpret the rather unpleasant main character in this story. We're going to talk about what the character wants, both consciously and unconsciously, and what's keeping her from getting what she truly desires. Character have conscious desires, but they also have deep yearnings that are often unconscious that truly control their emotions and push them to do things even they can't explain.
After this, you'll have work time to start answering basic questions about a character, hopefully the main character, that will be in your short story. You will use this worksheet to build out your character. Initially, give yourself ten minutes to answer these questions. Try to find the things you know about your character immediately. These things that you are certain about are the flecks of dust around which you'll build the "snowflake" of your character.
Homework due Wednesday, October 7th
Read the story Thank You Ma'am by Langston Hughes