The 5 Elements of a Short Story

Hey 7th graders,

Below is a quick review of the 5 Elements of a Short Story we discussed in class:

Character
A character is a person, or sometimes an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work. An example of a character in the Harry Potter series is, of course, Harry Potter.

Setting
The setting of a (short) story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscapes, scenery, buildings, seasons or the weather to provide a strong sense of setting. One of the settings in the Harry Potter series would be, for example, Hogwarts.

Plot
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the story's central conflict. In the Harry Potter series, the plot is the sum of all the events that happen from when we first meet Harry at the Dursleys to his final triumph over Lord Voldemort.

Conflict
The conflict is the struggle between two people or things in a (short) story. The main character (protagonist) is usually on one side of the conflict. On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character (antagonist), the forces of nature, against society or even against herself. In the Harry Potter series, Harry, the main character, struggles against Lord Voldemort, the antagonist, as the story's central conflict. 

Theme
The theme is the central idea(s) or belief(s) in a (short) story. It's the (short) story's messages: what it's all about. There can be many themes in a story, and finding them often depends on each individual reader's interpretation of the story. In the Harry Potter series there are many themes: love, death, justice, friendship, good vs. evil etc.

Last but not least... I should probably give you the definition of a short story:

A short story is a work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry in that is does not depend on meters, rhymes or verses for its organization and presentation.

And with that, a happy weekend to you all!

Carmen :)

Welcome back! (Verb Quiz 1)

Hey 7th graders!

Welcome back! I hope you've all enjoyed your week of freedom :) Now it's time to get back to work!

For the next few weeks we will have verb quizzes every Friday. Your homework, then, will be to study for the quizzes. You must memorize the three tenses of 5 irregular verbs (temaformer av 5 oregelbunda verb) and then be able to use them in sentences. I will provide the sentences for you, all you need to do is place the correct tense of the verb in the gap.

Here are this week's verbs:

wring              wrung             wrung         att vrida ur
hang                hung               hung           att hänga
strike               struck            struck         att slå
win                  won                 won            att vinna
think                thought          thought      att tänka, fundera

See me if you have questions.

Happy studying!

Carmen :)

Enjoy your break!

Hey 7th graders!

I just wanted to wish you all a very happy Easter and I hope you are able to relax and have fun. I will grade your tests over the break and return them to you sometime during week 16. Then we can start our creative writing unit!

Cheers!

Carmen :)

Animal Farm Quiz #7

Hey 7th graders!

Below are the words for Animal Farm Quiz #7 on Friday (20:e mars):

circulate - att gå runt, att cirkulera
uproarious - larm
indignantly - indignerat
banquet - bankett, festmåltid
mention - att tala om, att nämna
pride - stolthet
marvel - att förundras
flutter - att sväva
satisfaction - nöjdhet
cheer - att heja på

Good luck!

Carmen :)

Test Information!

Hey 7^th graders! 

Your first (and only) test this term will be on Monday, March 30. This means that you have about three weeks to prepare, which is plenty of time.

This test is a writing test. The topic will be Animal Farm. I want to see how you handle the different styles of writing we have worked on in class (persuasive, narrative and informative). I will give you the writing tasks to prepare in advance (i förväg), but you will not be allowed to use notes to complete the tasks during the test.

Task #1: Persuasive Writing

Imagine that you are Snowball in exile and you think that what is happening on Animal Farm is terrible. A radio station has given you the chance to give a talk and they will broadcast it live and try to transmit what you say to Animal Farm. Pretend you are Snowball and write a speech to the animals. Try to show the animals your real actions (handlingar) and intentions (avsikter, intentioner). Try to convince them that Napoleon is not good for the Animal Farm – give examples of the bad things he has done. Try to give the animals some advice – what should they do to make the Animal Farm a better place?

Task #2: Narrative Writing

Pick your favorite character from Animal Farm. Write a short biography of his or her life. When was he/she born? Does he/she have brothers and sisters? What are his/her hobbies and favorite things? Be creative, as if you are telling a story.

Task #3: Informative Writing

Why did George Orwell write Animal Farm? (Hint: pages 1-4 in your book)

Grades (Betyg)

Tests that receive an A will require written responses that are more than half a page. They will have clear topic sentences, almost no grammatical errors, and will make frequent use of transition words (in addition, furthermore, moreover etc.). They will be well-organized and full of insight, examples and details.

Tests that receive a C will require written responses that are a half a page. They will usually have clear topic sentences, some grammatical errors, and will make occasional use of transition words (in addition, furthermore, moreover etc.). They will have minor organizational problems, some insight, and a few examples and details.

Tests that receive an E will require written responses that are a half a page. They will rarely have clear topic sentences, grammatical errors will be frequent, and transition words (in addition, furthermore, moreover etc.) will rarely be used. They will have organizational problems, a little bit of insight, and few examples or details.

Animal Farm Quiz #6

Hey 7th graders!

Below you will find the words for the Animal Farm spelling quiz on Friday (13:e mars):

limp - att halta
enemy - fiende
rejoice - att glädjas
emerge - att framträda
lamentation - sorg, klagolåt
amusement - underhållning
refuge - skydd
superannuate - att pensionera, att avskeda
admit - att erkänna
ration - ranson

Happy studying!

Carmen :)

Animal Farm Quiz #5

Hey 7th graders!

Below you will find the words for the Animal Farm spelling quiz on Friday (6:e mars):

execution - avrättning
production - tillverkning
inhabit - leva i eller bo i
inscribe - skriva in
surmount - överstiga
jealousy - avundsjuka
skulk - att gömma sig
scoundrel -  skurk, bov
bewilderment - förvirring
hullabaloo - tumult, larm

There are ten words in total. You will need to write each word in both Swedish and English. 

Good luck!

Carmen :)