Page 41 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Writing Workshop 4 (continued)
My Notes
Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
“Maybe,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”
Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had
when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the homework and talk about it.
And the teachers were people...
The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add the fractions 1/2 and 1/4...”
Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.
After Reading
4. What is the main focus of this short story?
Students’ responses might include kids’ attitudes about school, “the grass is always greener,” predicting the future, and appreciating what you have.
The Elements of a Short Story
The short story mode includes these elements: plot, point of view, characterization, setting, and dialogue. In order to write a short story, you need to be able to recognize these basic elements of a work of fiction:
Plot
The plot is the sequence of events and actions that get the characters in the story from point A to point B, then to point C, and so on. The structure of a plot includes the Exposition, or starting point for the story; the conflicts of the Rising Action, which lead to the Climax; and the Falling Action, which leads to the Resolution.
5. Use the Plot Diagram graphic organizer below to sketch out the plot of “The Fun They Had.”
4 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 6
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