Literary Elements—Fiction and Nonfiction
Unit Plan
Literary Elements—Fiction and Nonfiction
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Grade Levels
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Related Academic Standards
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Assessment Anchors
- Eligible Content
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Big Ideas
- Comprehension requires and enhances critical thinking and is constructed through the intentional interaction between reader and text
- Purpose, topic and audience guide types of writing
- Writing is a means of documenting thinking
- Writing is a recursive process that conveys ideas, thoughts and feelings
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Concepts
- Essential content, literary elements and devices inform meaning
- Focus, content, organization, style, and conventions work together to impact writing quality
- Informational writing describes, explains and/or summarizes ideas or content in a variety of genre.
- Textual features and organization inform meaning
- Textual structure, features and organization inform meaning
- The writing supports a thesis or research question based on research, observation, and/or experience.
- Writing improves through the recursive process of revising and editing
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Competencies
- Analyze and evaluate author’s/authors’ use of literary elements within and among genres
- Analyze the impact of societal and cultural influences in texts
- Apply the writing process to develop a piece of work. (i.e. pre-write, draft, revise, edit and publish)Revise writing by: • examining how the questions of purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed• examining and improving style, word choice, sentence variety and subtlety of meaning
- Apply the writing process to develop a piece of work.(i.e. pre-write, draft, revise, edit and publish)Revise writing by: • examining how the questions of purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed• examining and improving style, word choice, sentence variety and subtlety of meaning
- Develop complete paragraphs that have details and information specific to the topic and relevant to a well-defined focus
- Evaluate the characteristics of various genre (e.g. fiction and nonfiction forms of narrative, poetry, drama and essay) to determine how the form relates to purpose.
- Evaluate the presentation of essential and nonessential information in texts, identifying the author’s implicit or explicit bias and assumptions
- Identify a single thesis, research question or topic. Attribute sources of information when appropriate. Use information in maps, charts, graphs, time lines, tables and diagrams to inform writing.
- Identify and analyze the characteristics of various genre (e.g. poetry, drama, fiction) and explain the appropriateness of chosen form for author’s purpose
- Identify and evaluate essential content between and among various text types
- Informational Writing: Develop substantial, relevant and illustrative content that demonstrates a clear understanding of the purpose (content).
- Informational Writing: Employ effective organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a controlling idea (organization).
- Informational Writing: Write with precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that create a consistent and effective tone (style).
- Interpret and analyze the effect of literary devices within and among texts (e.g. personification, simile, alliteration, metaphor, symbolism, imagery, hyperbole, foreshadowing, flashback, allusions, satire, and irony)
- Summarize, draw conclusions, and make generalizations from a variety of mediums
- Use organizational patterns that support key ideas and are appropriate to format and purpose. (organization)
- Write to create an individual writing style, tone and voice through the use of a variety of sentence structures, descriptive word choices, literary devices and precise language. (style)
- Write to create an individual writing style, tone and voice through the use of precise and well integrated language, literary devices and a variety of sentence structures. (style)
- Write to inform by: • presenting information purposefully and succinctly to meet the needs of the intended audience. • applying organizational structures that communicate information and ideas accurately and coherently. • using language that qualifies fact from opinion. • developing informational genres that relate to a variety of purposes and audiences (e.g.: instructions, memos, e-mails, correspondence, project plans, proposals, and resumes).
- Write to inform by: • presenting information purposefully and succinctly to meet the needs of the intended audience. • applying organizational structures that communicate information and ideas accurately and coherently. • using language that qualifies fact from opinion. • communicating quantitative and qualitative technical information and concepts from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently. • using language that qualifies evidence from inference. • developing informational genres that relate to a variety of purposes and audiences (e.g.: instructions, memos, e-mails, correspondence, project plans, proposals, and resumes).
- Write with a sharp, distinct focus (e.g. sharp controlling point), identifying topic, purpose and audience (focus)
- Write with sharp, distinct focus, identifying topic, purpose and audience (focus)
Objectives
Students will analyze how elements of fiction enhance literature. Students will:
- identify and review elements of fiction in a classic short story.
- discuss the style and organization of a personal essay.
- write a personal essay.
- read a personal essay by a famous writer.
- analyze how the author uses elements of fiction in the personal essay.
Essential Questions
- How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
Related Unit and Lesson Plans
Related Materials & Resources
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Materials haven't been entered into the unit plan.Formative Assessment
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Short-Answer Items:
1. Explain why the setting of “To Build a Fire” is a critical element that determines the outcome of the story. Support your answer with at least two details from the passage.
2. Explain how Ralph Ellison’s personal essay “February” is organized like a story. Support your answer with at least two examples from the passage.
3. List three reasons why someone would use the elements of fiction in writing a personal essay.
Short-Answer Key:
1. The details of the setting are critical to the conflict and outcome of the story. The temperature is so cold that the main character does not recognize the significance of how such cold temperatures will affect him if he needs to get warm in a hurry.
2. Ellison’s personal essay “February” is organized in story form, with a clear plot and setting. One cold morning, he is alone and just walking through the woods (setting), when he suddenly comes across a dead quail (critical turning point). This causes him to pause and reflect on the dead animal and suddenly realize or accept how death is a part of life (main idea of personal essay or theme of his narrative).
3. An author might use elements in fiction in a personal essay mainly because the story form is interesting and one most readers can follow because it involves introducing a main character and developing a plot that leads to a dramatic moment, or critical turning point. Also, the story form allows the writer freedom to include interesting events to build drama and suspense. The story form allows the author freedom and creativity to use colorful language, such as metaphors and alliteration.
Short-Answer Scoring Rubric:
Points
Description
3
Student response includes answers to the three questions.
2
Student response includes answers to two questions.
1
Student response includes answers to one question.
0
Student demonstrates a lack of understanding or does not attempt to answer the questions.
Performance Assessment:
Based on analysis of personal essays by famous writers and on small-group analysis of their own personal essays, have students revise their drafts and create a final draft of their personal essay that might be used on a college application. Provide students with the following rubric, which you can use to evaluate their personal essays.
Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric:
Description
Points
excellent
good
fair
poor
Student writes with sharp, distinct focus, identifying topic, purpose, and audience.
3
2
1
0
Student uses organizational patterns that support key ideas and are appropriate to format and purpose.
3
2
1
0
Student creates an individual writing style, tone, and voice through the use of a variety of sentence structures, descriptive word choices, literary devices, and precise language.
3
2
1
0
Student uses appropriate conventions of written language when writing and editing. (correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar).
3
2
1
0
Note: Other competencies may be substituted in the rubric to meet the needs of your students.
DRAFT 06/14/2011
