Narrative Writing Course Schedule

WEEK CONTENT

1-1

1-2

2-1

2-2

Introduction

Incorporating
details

Passage of time
(Subordinating
conjunctions)

Transfer
dialogue into
narratives Part1

OBJECTIVE
understand the
goals and
objectives of this
course;
understand how
narratives are
developed; free
writing; ariticle
appreciation.
understand the
importance of
details in
narrative writing.
learn how to
incorporate
details in their
narratives;
ariticle
appreciaton.
be able to use
subordinate
conjunctions
correctly to
indicate timerelative activities;
fluently describe
stories in
chronological
order; peer
review.
use dialogue to
tell stories;
acquire the rules
of punctuating
dialogue;have
further
understanding of
how to format
dialogue in
stories; article
appreciation;roleplay; selfassessments.

MATERIAL

ASSIGNMENT

PowerPoint, Narraive
Writing Diamond; A
Writers Diary by
Virginia Woolf; A
twitter account; a meme
picture.

start a non-private
language learning
diary/journal; revise
the free writing into
the first passage of the
diary/journal.

Bridget Jones's Diary;

Diary of a wimpy kid;
Bridget Jones's Diary
(video);PowerPoint.

Add details in their

first passge (submit
both drafts); Read:
excerpt of Robinson
Crusoe.

Diary of A Wimpy Kid;

Four receipts of easy
party dips;PowerPoint.

Revise Diary/Journal
No.1 according to the
suggestions from
peer-review. Read:
excerpt of Robinson
Crusoe.

role-play topics;
handout of basic rules
for punctuating
dialogue; Tuesdays with
Morrie; Anne Frank:
The Diary of a Young
Girl.

Language-learning
diary/journal No.2.
Suggested topic: write
about a memorable
conversation with
your English
teacher(s) or
American friend(s);
Article appreiciation.

3-1

3-2

4-1

4-2

6-1

Using figurative
language

learn the concept

of figurative
langauge; be able
to use figurative
language
accurately in
narratives;
brainstrom.

Friends; PowerPoint;
Several seashells.

Write about the

seashell you got using
figurative language;
Read: excerpt of
Robinson Crusoe.

Pathetic fallacy

understand the
concept of
pathetic fallacy;
be able to
connect feelings
to nature; write
narratives with
pathetic fallacy.

Excerpts from Great

Expectations, Bleak
House, Frankenstein,
The Strange Case of Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde,
Wuthering Heights;
Five printed pictures of
natural views;
PowerPoint; a Youtube
video.

revise one of the

diaries or journals
using pathetic fallacy;
Read: excerpt of
Robinson Crusoe.

PowerPoint; Excerpts
from Helen Keller: The
Story of My Life;
Pictures of different
facial expressions; word
list of feelings.

Language-learning
diary/journal No.3:
write about inner
thoughts; Read:
excerpts of Helen
Keller: The Story of
My Life;

PowerPoint; Excerpts
from Helen Keller: The
Story of My Life; Word
list of describing senses

Write a paragraph:
describe your senses
when someone is
cooking you a
delicious dinner.
Read: excerpts of
Helen Keller: The
Story of My Life;

Mama's Broken Heart

(song); PowerPoint;A
list of word for
describing emotions; An
excerpt form Activities
for an Interactive
Classroom

Revise the paragraph

wrote in class.
Consider the
suggestion form peer
review.

Decribe inner
thoughts and
feelings

Decribe senses

Show, don't tell

(describe
emotions)

Explore inner
thought and
feelings; Express
one's inner
thoughts and
feeling accrately,
free-write, peer
review
Expand the
vocabulary and
expression to
describe sense;
Connect senses
with emotions;
describe sense in
narratives.
learn the strategy
of showing
without telling;
review how to
transfer dialogue
into narratives;
review how to
describe senses
and physical
response; review
pathetic fallacy;
write a
paragraph; peer
reviewing.

5-1

5-2

6-2

6-1

7-2
8-1

Describe sences
and settings

Describe sences
and settings

Decribe people
and action

use appropriate
adjectives to
describe sences
and settings;
naming different
colors; deccribe
sences in the
photos.
use appropriate
adjectives to
describe sences
and settings; free
writing; describe
sences from
memories; peer
view.
Accurately
decribe peoples'
appearances; Use
commendatory
and derogatory
adjectives to
describe a
person.

worksheets for "one

sentence at a time"
story; photos of natural
sences; color sheets.
Excerpts from The Best
American Travel
Writing 2014.

Language-learning
diary/journal No.4
Topic: your travel
experience in
America; Read: The
Best American Travel
Writing 2014

Revise languageWorksheets for drawing

learning diary/journal
picture from memory;
No.4; Read: The Best
Articles from National
American Travel
Geographic;PowerPoint.
Writing 2014

PowerPoint; Pictures of
previous Presidents of
U.S.; Excerpt of A
Christmas Carol; A clip
of Widzard of OZ.

Prepare for Mid-term

presentation: Watch
the moive Widzard of
OZ; Retell the
asignned part of the
moive with
knowledge learned in
this class.
Prepare for Mid-term
presentation: Watch
the moive Widzard of
OZ; Retell the
asignned part of the
moive with
knowledge learned in
this class.

Describe people
and action

Accuratly decribe
peoples' actions.
Connect the
actions to gether
in chronological
order.

Mid-term
Presentation
Mid-term
Presentation

Each student retells their asignned part of the moive with knowledge
learned in this class.

A video of a boxing
game with commentary;
PowerPoint; A clip of
Widzard of OZ.

8-2

9-1

9-2

10-1

Be able to
identify different
part of structures;
Learn how to
arrange events in
to a narrative
writing;
understand the
Plot structures
advantage and
disadvantage of
the fixed
structure.
Practice
"sentence
relay"in class and
create a story.
Learn how to
arrange events in
to a narrative
writing;
Understand the
Creating
intention of
suspense
creating
suspenses. Be
able to create
suspenses in
stories.
Learn how to
arrange events in
to a narrative
writing;
Understand the
intention of
Creating tension
creating tensions.
Be able to create
tension in stories.
Use different
technics to creat
tension.
understand the
requirements of
academic
narratives; learn
Narrative essays: how to make
from personal to writings concise;
academic
create clear
outlines of their
writings; learn to
apply the
previous

PowerPoint; Excepts
form The Best
American Essays 2014.

Write languagelearning diary/journal

No.5: an
exciting/heartbreaking
monent of learning
English. Read:
Tuesdays with Morrie.

The Vampire Diaries.

Two Black Cadillacs
(song). Four storys form
The Best Short Stories
of O. Henry.

Revise languagelearning diary/journal

No.5: an
exciting/heartbreaking
monent of learning
English. Read:
Tuesdays with Morrie.

PowerPoint; Role-play
topics; The Vampire
Diaries. Storys form
The Best Short Stories
of O. Henry.

Write languagelearning diary/journal

No.6: A memorable
fight

Comics of Calvin and

Hobbes;
PowerPoint(source:
Purdue Owl); worksheet
for students to draw
their stories; worksheet
for students to outline
their stories.

Revise languagelearning diary/journal

No.6: A memorable
fight

knowledge to
academic
writings.

10-2

11-1

Purpose and
topic sentence

Transfer
dialogue into
narratives Part2:
Reporting verbs

be able to
identify the topic
sentence and
purpose of
narrative
writings; be able
to create
appropriate topic
sentences in
writing.
Rearrange
sentences of a
paragraph; create
topic sentences of
a paragraph.
Acquire the
usage of common
reporting verbs;
be able to
distinguish
factive and nonfactive reporting
verbs; be able to
identify stance
expressed
through different
reporting verbs;
be able to use
appropriate
reporting verb in
narrative
writings.

Excerpts form America:

A Narrative History;
worksheets for creating
topic sentences;
PowerPoint.

Homework: write and

submit an outline for
one of the narrative
essays students are
going to write in their
major courses.

Excerpts from
interviews and news
about American gun
contorl. Worksheets for
mock interview about
students' culture; a word
list of reporting
verbs.PowerPoint.

Write languagelearning diary/journal

No.6: My partner's
culture. Talk about
what the partner said
about his/her culture
in the mock interview.

11-2

12-1

12-2

Thrid person
view

Logical
connector

Sentence variety

learn the
differenc of first
and third person
view; be able to
describe the same
story from
different
perspectives;
understand when
to use first/third
person view.
Acquire the
usage of common
logical
connectors;
understand the
necessity of using
logical
connectors; be
able to use
logical
connectors in
narrative
writings; learn to
avoid the overuse
of logical
connectors.
Understand the
improtance of
using different
sentence
structures in
academic
writings. Expand
the inventory of
sentence
structues; be able
to avoid
monotonous
sentence pattern
in narrative
writings.peer
review.

An episode of Friends.
An excerpt from The
Great Gatsby.
PowerPoint.

Write languagelearning diary/journal

No.7: rewrite one of
the previous stories in
another person's veiw.
Pay attention what
this person may or
may not know.

Excerpts from
interviews and news
about American gun
contorl. Excerpts from
interviews and news
about American gun
contorl. Examples of
avoiding the overuse of
connectors. A fill-in
work sheet.

Finish the fill-in work

sheet;

Diary of a wimpy kid

V.S. Helen Keller: The
Story of My Life; A
worksheet for brainstorming.

Revise of one the

language-learning
diaries/journals with
sentence variety;
submit both passage.

13-1

13-2

14-1

Learn the genre

of reflection
paper; be able to
write a outline of
a reflection
paper; understand
the purpose of
Reflection paper
reflection paper.
Understand the
word choices of
reflection paper.
Develop
audience
awareness.
Learn the genre
of book review;
be able to write a
outline of a book
review;
understand the
purpose of book
Book review
review.
Understand the
word choices of
book review.
Develop
audience
awareness.
Learn the genre
of
problem/solution;
be able to write a
outline of a
problem/solution;
understand the
purpose of
problem/solution.
problem/solution
Understand the
word choices of
problem/solution.
Develop
audience
awareness. Learn
to decribe the
problem in
problem/solution.

A Writers Diary by
Virginia Woolf;
PowerPoint;

Read one of the books

from the required
book list for final
paper; Research the
author of your book.

Several book review

sample essays on the
books required for the
final paper. PowerPoint;

Read one of the books

from the required
book list for final
paper; Write final
paper. Submit an out
line of book review
for final paper. peerreview.

Several book review

sample essays; Excerpts
from the Collegian
addressing the current
problems is in Penn
State; PowerPoint.

Read one of the books

from the required
book list for final
paper; Write final
paper. Submit a brief
summary of your
book.peer-review.

Learn the genre

of
problem/solution;
be able to write a
outline of a
problem/solution;
understand the
A worksheet for writing Read one of the books
purpose of
a letter to the Collegian from the required
problem/solution.
Problem/solution
to provide solution of
book list for final
Understand the
the problem;
paper; Write final
word choices of
PowerPoint.
paper. peer-review.
problem/solution.
Develop
audience
awareness. Learn
to decribe the
solution in
problem/solution.
Final
Write a 8-10 pages book review (focusing on its narrative technic) on
Presentation
one of the following book: Helen Keller: The Story of My Life;
Final
Tuesdays with Morrie; A Writers Diary; Robinson Crusoe.
Presentation

14-2

15-1
15-2