l. Assessment

Assessment Task One

Extended Creative Writing Piece

 

Your first major piece of assessment will be to write a story of your own. There are no limits on what you can discuss, what needs to be included in your story, or the genres in which you write. However, you are encouraged to draw upon what we have been studying in term one and use one of the genres (drama, horror, gothic, fantasy, action, adventure, comedy, children’s stories, science fiction, dystopian, crime or mystery) as the basis for your own story.

 

As a general guide, the word count for your story should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words. However, there is no ‘hard’ limit: aim on crafting the story that you want to tell, long or short. Just make sure that your final copy is fully and thoroughly proofread, edited and is of the highest quality you are capable of producing.

 

You will have class time to complete this task, but you will still be required to work on your story at home.

 

You have two options for how you approach this task:

  1. Write a stand-alone short story, with an opening, complication and resolution.
  2. Write a chapter from a longer story. You must include an outline that contains the overall plot of your story, and where this chapter will fit within it. Your plan must include an opening, complication and resolution, but your chapter does not.

 

You will need to submit a proposal for your story, including a brief outline of the plot, characters and setting, before you begin writing your first draft.

Assessment Task Two

Teaching an Aspect of Literature

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The first half of this subject is devoted to exploring a variety of different genres, giving you the change to broaden your understanding of the many, many texts that comprise this concept we call ‘literature’. During the second term of this elective, you will be given the opportunity to explore a single aspect of literature in more detail…and take the rest of the class with you on your journey!

 

In pairs, you will be selecting a literature-related topic and will be teaching a class on that subject. Perhaps there is an aspect that we have looked at which you would like to explore in more detail or with a different twist, such as crime fiction or fantasy. Or you may wish to explore a new genre, such as romance, biography or historical fiction. Alternatively, there may be a specific short story, poem or song which you feel could form the basis for a lesson. The choice really is up to you (conditional upon the teacher’s approval, of course!).

 

You and your partner will be required to teach the rest of our class a 45 minute period devoted to this genre, text or idea. How you approach this will be up to you and your partner, and you will be graded upon the thoroughness of your preparation, the depth of your content knowledge, and the effectiveness of your activities.

 

You can structure this class in whatever way you feel would work best. However, thorough preparation will be essential in order to have thing run effectively and smoothly. Make sure you consult with your teacher, and ask questions early on if you have any problems or concerns. An example of how you and your partner could approach this topic is as follows:

  • Begin with a 10 minute guided discussion (i.e. a class discussion which is guided by your questions and comments as required) of a text/poem/short story/extract from a novel which you feel illustrates the conventions of a genre or introduce a new writing technique. This will allow the other students to build up their knowledge of this aspect of literature.
  • Follow up with a 10 to 15 minute activity which allows the other students to explore an aspect of this text in detail.
  • Finish with a 10 to 15 minute activity which provides the other students with an opportunity to apply this idea/technique to their own writing.

 

You can have the other students read a story, poem or extract as homework prior to your class. However, you must provide your teacher with a copy of this story/poem/extract no less than one week prior to when your class is scheduled. Please ensure that all pre-reading is less than 10 pages in length.

 

You will need to submit a completed copy of the following proposal form:  Teaching an Aspect of Literature Proposal