7Th Grade Exploration 2

7th Grade Exploration 2

Here is the Common Core standard for which you are seeking to aim (from Standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

YOUR GOAL FOR THIS EXPLORATION:

Use dialogue to develop the characters in your story.

Learn it

1.  Watch the following Brainpop video on dialogue. You will need Gorman’s username and password to open the video:

Username = gormanbp

Password = brainpop

http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/dialogue/

Now, click on the Q&A box (below the video) for helpful answers to these questions:

How do you punctuate dialogue?

How can I write better dialogue in my stories?

Finally, take either the graded or review quiz below the video (with the graded quiz, you can print or email your IST your score).

My score: ______

2.  Watch the following video on “Three Anti-Social Skills to Improve Your Writing”: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/three-anti-social-skills-to-improve-your-writing-nadia-kalman

What are Nadia Kalman’s 3 suggestions for improving the dialogue in your writing and what do they mean in your own words?

1.

2.

3.

Here are a few more resources which will help you improve your dialogue skills!

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/dialogue-dos-and-donts/

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-dialogue.html

Discover it

Now, read this famous passage from Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer from the bottom of page 77 to page 79 on the following link:

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf

As you read, notice the dialogue between Tom and Ben.

How does Mark Twain develop the personalities of these two boys through their words to each other? (What do you learn about each boy?)

How would you describe Ben?

How would you describe Tom?

Employ it

Now, think about your own story of a surprise or news which changed your life in some way. What character qualities do you want your reader to notice about yourself and the other person or people involved? Try listing a few personality traits that you want to highlight and then create some lines of dialogue between people in your story to try to show your reader what your characters are like, rather than telling them. You can even use your speech tag (or tagline) to accomplish this purpose (i.e. “Go to your room!” she said as she frowned at him, petulantly.)

Personality traits:

Yourself—

Other characters—

Lines of dialogue which could reveal those traits:

Next week, plan to write the first draft of your story using what you have learned about plot elements and dialogue. As a reminder, here is your prompt:

Write about a time when you experienced a surprise or received unexpected news that changed your life in some way. Use adjectives and sensory details to describe the situation/experience. Explain the story in chronological order, making the events easy to follow. Be sure to include how you felt during and after the experience.