The Let Them Write Seriesis a classroom-tested, teacher-friendly resource for Language Arts teachers of grades 4 through 8. The program is organized in nine sections, each presenting a buffet of from five to nine 1- or 2-week modules. Each classroom-ready module consists of a series of comprehensive, easy-to-follow lesson plans complete with reproducible handouts and cross-curricular extensions, together creating a proven successful template for the teaching of writing and literary analysis skills.

Let Them Write: Plot Building focuses on conflict, suspense and narrative structure. Students practice first-drafting, editing, polishing and sharing original scenes and stories built around these three important elements of storytelling. The textcan be implemented in the classroom alone or in tandem with the two other titles in the Let Them Write Series -SETTING AND DESCRIPTION and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

Also of interest for classroom teachers is the Literacy: Made for All Series

WORDSMITHING: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Nonfiction Writing and Analysis Skills in the High School Grades
ENJOYING LITERATURE: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Fiction and Poetry Analysis Skills in the High School Grades
STORY CRAFTING: Classroom Ready Materials for Teaching Fiction Writing in the High School Grades

Arlene F. Marks holds degrees in Modern Languages and Education from the University of Toronto and has twenty years of experience teaching high school English, Literacy and Writer's Craft at all levels from Pre-Advanced Placement to Remedial. Arlene is the author of From First Word to Last (2013, Legacy Books Press) and the LITERACY: MADE FOR ALL series (2014, R & L Education). She welcomes visitors to her web site, www.thewritersnest.ca.

INTRODUCTION TO LET THEM WRITE
Messages from the authors
How to implement this program
The aims and objectives of this program
How to implement Let Them Read
Writing a literary essay
The aims and objectives of Let Them Read
Setting up a writer-friendly classroom
Authors need a writing plan
Publishing students' work
NCCS Anchors addressed


SECTION 1: SUSPENSE

SKILL 1: USING SETTINGS TO BUILD SUSPENSE
As students practice choosing and describing settings in ways that build suspense, they may become more observant about their own surroundings.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 1-SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS Worksheet
PBR 2-SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS HAVE Worksheet

SKILL 2: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Between Hero and Villain
As young authors practice describing a race between the protagonist and antagonist of a story, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 3-WHO WILL WIN THE RACE?
PBR 4-RACE BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE VILLAIN

SKILL 3: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Against the Clock
As students practice describing a character rushing to beat a deadline, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 5-RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Worksheet

SKILL 4: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Near Misses
Young authors will practice using timing to create and intensify suspense in a story. In the process, they may come to understand the role played by timing in determining the course of events in real life.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 6-TIMING CREATES SUSPENSE

SKILL 5: MAXIMIZING SUSPENSE BY TEASING
Young authors will practice building maximum suspense by creating a 'knowledge gap' between the reader and the main character. In the process, they will come to appreciate the story-telling skill shown by the authors they are studying in class.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 7-CREATING MAXIMUM SUSPENSE
PBR 8-SUSPENSE BY TEASING Worksheet

SKILL 6: MAINTAINING SUSPENSE BY KEEPING THE BALANCE OF POWER
Student authors will practice keeping the outcome of the conflict between protagonist and antagonist in doubt by ensuring that their respective strengths remain equal throughout the story. In the process, students may come to appreciate the value of qualities other than physical strength in determining a winner.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 9-MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF POWERPBR 10-THE BALANCE OF POWER

SKILL 7: DEVELOPING THE SUSPENSE IN A SITUATION
As students practice using a variety of suspense-building techniques to make a story exciting, they may come to appreciate the potential for suspense in every situation.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 11-SUSPENSEFUL STORY SITUATIONS
PBR 12-SUSPENSE BUILDING TECHNIQUES


SECTION 2: DRAMATIC CONFLICT

SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING DRAMATIC CONFLICT
By learning to identify the presence of dramatic conflict in a story, student authors will be better able to know whether it is present in their own writing.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 13-DRAMATIC CONFLICT Worksheet

SKILL 2: BUILDING DRAMATIC CONFLICT
Young authors practice building conflict as a first step in developing a story. In the process, they may come to understand the fundamental role played by dramatic conflict in real-life narratives as well.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 14-DRAMATIC CONFLICT B Sheet

SKILL 3: CREATING TEXTURE WITH THREE KINDS OF CONFLICT
As young authors practice including more than one antagonist in a story, they will become more aware of the role played by dramatic conflict in creating texture, deepening suspense, and increasing reader engagement.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 15-THREE TYPES OF CONFLICT

SKILL 4: UNDERSTANDING STORY GOALS AND SCENE GOALS
As student authors practice identifying their main characters' goals, they will learn how to plan and organize a complete story with more confidence. In the process, they may come to understand how having short-term and long-term goals can help them to plan the narrative of their own lives.
Reproducibles/Media: PBR 16-STORY GOAL AND SCENE GOALS
PBR 17-SCENES TAKE SHAPE


SECTION 3: STORY STRUCTURE

SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Change Story
As young authors practice organizing a story around a main character who must adapt to a major upheaval in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people are constantly being changed by their experiences.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 18-STORY OUTLINE Worksheet
PBR 19-A CHANGE STORY Worksheet

SKILL 2: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Problem Story
As student authors practice organizing a story around a character attempting to resolve a problem in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people learn and grow from the experience of problem-solving, whether or not an attempt is successful.
Reproducibles/Media:PBR 20-A PROBLEM STORY Worksheet

SKILL 3: UNDERSTANDING SCENE STRUCTURE
A grasp of scene-building is fundamental t…