Empowered Fiction Writers: Generating and Organizing Ideas for Story Writing
Overview
This three-part lesson introduces students to the use of speedwriting (also called free writing) as a prewriting technique. Learning the technique of speedwriting allows students to generate a foundation of ideas on which they can build a narrative structure. Students then identify key ideas and phrases in their speedwriting, and organize their ideas around the main elements of a story (exposition, rising action, climax, conclusion).
By learning to how to use information presented in various types of nonfiction material, students will prepare to use the multitude of expository texts that readers of all ages encounter daily, including newspapers, brochures, magazines, instruction manuals, recipes, and maps. These lessons can help students understand the differences between fiction and nonfiction and develop reading fluency in this important genre.