Subtext and visual writing. → Connects to: L20 (final selection prep).
Illogical & Distracting
Situation: Walking home in a freezing downpour.
Monologue:
"I hope the supervolcano doesn't erupt today."
Unit 6G • Lesson 1 Slide 5 of 9
Independent Lab What to Do #1
Instructions
1
Look carefully at your selected photograph.
2
Under "Observations," write setting, body language, and people's interactions.
3
Under "Internal Thoughts," write down what that person is thinking.
Writer's Tips
Zero in on small physical details first (fingers, feet, shadows).
Keep the thought in the internal voice of the character.
Do not start writing dialogue out loud yet!
Unit 6G • Lesson 1 Slide 6 of 9
Independent Lab What to Do #2
Linking Mind and Body
Prove the link. Prove that your character's thoughts are anchored in physical reality.
Target Response:
"She is holding a lottery ticket with her eyes closed. I think she is hoping because her fingers are crossed."
Skill Drill Tasks
1
Circle exactly one internal thought on your chart.
2
Draw lines from it to up to three supporting observations.
3
Write 2-3 sentences explaining exactly how those details led to the thought.
Unit 6G • Lesson 1 Slide 7 of 9
Exit Ticket The Inductive Leap
Metacognitive Debrief
Grounding characters in real-world physical details is a writer's ultimate safeguard.
Your Reflection Prompt:
How does starting with objective, real-life observations protect a writer from creating flat, stereotyped, or unbelievable characters?
Defense Against Clichés
Before submitting your work today, ensure your observations meet these standards:
No Guesses in Step 1: Only record physical facts.
Logical Alignment: The thought matches the physical tension.
Voice Consistency: The monologue sounds like a real person.
Unit 6G • Lesson 1 Slide 8 of 9
Sharing Circle Reflect
How Believable are Your Characters?
Share your observations and internal thoughts. Provide high-level, critical peer feedback.
Starter 1: Imagery
"I could picture the character when you wrote ________."
Starter 2: Logic Check
"Your character's thought was believable because ________."
Unit 6G • Lesson 1 Slide 9 of 9
Active Draft Session Round 2
SITUATION DRAWN
[ WRITE THE SECOND SITUATION HERE ON BOARD ]
Draw a new slip from the raffle hat, display it, and write it down.
Round 2 Focus Details
How do nonverbal micro-movements (shaking hands, quick glances, facial twitches) match this setting?
Unit 6G • Lesson 2 Slide 6 of 8
Active Draft Session Round 3
SITUATION DRAWN
[ WRITE THE THIRD SITUATION HERE ON BOARD ]
Draw the final slip from the raffle hat, display it, and write it down.
Round 3 Skill Drill
Focus strictly on active verbs. Try drafting this scene without using a single adverb!
Unit 6G • Lesson 2 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
How has your character developed?
Share one of your three situational drafts with a partner. Look for active showing details.
Reflection Starter
"I was surprised by how my character reacted when _______."
Peer Connection Starter
"Your showing details let me picture _______ very clearly."
Unit 6G • Lesson 2 Slide 8 of 8
Unit 6G • Lesson 3 Slide 5 of 8
Interactive Warm-Up Verbal Poll
Analyze Your Morning Scenarios
Let's conduct a quick class check of your brainstormed lists. Raise your hand if:
It is a daily chore
It happens at school
It happens at home
Your character does it daily
Unit 6G • Lesson 3 Slide 6 of 8
Independent Lab Draft Time
WRITING PROMPT
Select one of your three mundane morning situations. Write about your character in that exact moment.
Use plenty of showing details—posture, hand movements, sighs, and interactions—to describe how your character behaves. Keep it entirely realistic!
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Rich body language details
No abstract summaries
Unit 6G • Lesson 3 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
How did your character behave?
Share your mundane draft with a partner. Highlight the specific details that revealed their character's unique traits.
Response Starter 1
"Your showing details let me picture _______ very clearly."
Response Starter 2
"The ordinary moment made me understand _______ about your character."
Unit 6G • Lesson 3 Slide 8 of 8
"sadly"
To build master-level descriptions, we must perform adverb excision and replace them with active, sensory verbs.
EXCISION PROCESS
Weak (Verb + Adverb) "He walked slowly down the stairs."
Strong (One Show-Not-Tell Verb) "He slouched and dragged his feet."
Unit 6G • Lessons 4 & 5 Slide 5 of 9
Stylistic Theory Deconstruction
Sentence Comparison: Eating Ice Cream
Which sentence forces you to visualize the child's raw, physical reality?
Adverb Shortcut (Telling)
"My little sister ate her chocolate ice cream happily."
Sensory Show-Not-Tell (Showing)
"With a massive chocolate grin, my little sister licked the melted drops of syrup as they rolled slowly down her wrist."
Unit 6G • Lessons 4 & 5 Slide 6 of 9
Independent Lab Skill Drill
Adverb Surgery
1
Locate the weak verb-adverb combo: "ran wildly"
2
Delete the adverb "wildly."
3
Rewrite the sentence, adding new details showing what that madness looked like.
Original Sentence
"I ran wildly down the street."
Master-Level Revision (Zero Adverbs)
"I flailed my arms and zig-zagged down the street."
Unit 6G • Lessons 4 & 5 Slide 7 of 9
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
COMPACTED WRITING PROMPT
Write a detailed scene about a time your character was trying to get somewhere fast (e.g., catching a bus).
The Ultimate Constraint: You cannot use a single adverb in your entire paragraph! Show their speed using strong verbs and specific adjectives.
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Descriptive modifiers
STRICT: Zero adverbs
Unit 6G • Lessons 4 & 5 Slide 8 of 9
Sharing Circle Reflect
How did you replace your adverbs?
Share your drafting scene with a partner. Highlight the strongest, most kinetic showing verbs.
Peer Audit Starter 1
"Your strong verb _______ let me see..."
Peer Audit Starter 2
"I could feel your character's urgency when you wrote _______."
Unit 6G • Lessons 4 & 5 Slide 9 of 9
Situation: Brushing teeth / morning routine.
"She squeezes the tube only to realize it is completely empty."
Illogical & Distracting Conflict
Situation: Brushing teeth / morning routine.
"A giant shark suddenly crashes through the bathroom wall."
Unit 6G • Lessons 6 & 7 Slide 5 of 9
Brainstorming Workshop Plotting Conflict
MUNDANE BASELINE
A Long Car Ride
What realistic, believable, character-driven conflicts might arise on a standard family road trip?
Believable Conflict Ideas
The electronic tablet runs completely out of battery.
A younger sibling keeps repeatedly crossing the middle seat line.
Your favorite toy slides deep down beneath the front seat gap.
Unit 6G • Lessons 6 & 7 Slide 6 of 9
Independent Lab Skill Drill
Designing Conflict
1
Look back at your Lesson 3 mundane morning scenario.
2
Brainstorm three different believable problems your character might face in that environment.
3
Write them down in Part 1 of your worksheet.
Writer's Tip
The best conflicts are psychological. How does a small, simple habit interruption show the reader their core personality trait?
Unit 6G • Lessons 6 & 7 Slide 7 of 9
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
CONFRONTATION MOMENT
Choose your strongest, most believable conflict from your list. Write about the exact moment your character faces this problem.
Use sensory showing details (body posture, speech, gestures) to describe the reaction, and make clear how your character changes in the story's resolution.
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Sensory showing cues
Logical plot logic
Unit 6G • Lessons 6 & 7 Slide 8 of 9
Sharing Circle Reflect
How does conflict reveal character?
Share your draft scene with a partner. Peer edit to ensure logical coherence and believable sensory reactions.
Response Starter 1
"Your character's problem felt believable because _______."
Response Starter 2
"The exact moment the conflict started was clear when you wrote _______."
Unit 6G • Lessons 6 & 7 Slide 9 of 9
"The tired boy sits quietly."
Compacted Substitute Challenge
What happens if we swap "tired" to "furious"?
What happens if we swap "sits" to "slouches"?
What happens if we swap "quietly" to "defiantly"?
Unit 6G • Lessons 8 & 9 Slide 5 of 8
Independent Lab Skill Drill
Mapping the Slope
1
Look back at your Lesson 7 core believable problem.
2
Brainstorm three escalating events that make the problem increasingly worse.
3
Write them on your Shape of a Story map under "Rising Action 1, 2, and 3."
A G&T Planning Requirement
For each of your three escalating events, you must explicitly plan a transition phrase to signal the shift in time or location!
Unit 6G • Lessons 8 & 9 Slide 6 of 8
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
COMPACTED WRITING PROMPT
Put your character into the first event of your rising action sequence. Write a descriptive paragraph detailing their reaction.
Sensory Constraint: Include clear spatial/temporal transition words AND incorporate exactly three adverbs. Use them sparingly and purposefully!
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Clear transition words
STRICT: Exactly three adverbs
Unit 6G • Lessons 8 & 9 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
How did you craft your escalation?
Share your rising action draft with a partner. Peer-verify their transitions and count their adverbs.
Peer Audit Starter 1
"Your first rising action event made the problem feel worse when you wrote _______."
Peer Audit Starter 2
"I noticed your transitional phrase _______ made the sequence very easy to follow."
Unit 6G • Lessons 8 & 9 Slide 8 of 8
Setting the table for dinner
Unit 6G • Lessons 10 & 11 Slide 5 of 8
Independent Lab Skill Drill
Foil Inception Tasks
1
Select your second photograph.
2
Complete the second *Observations–Internal Thoughts Chart* on page 1 of your worksheet.
3
Perform the "showing" revision at the bottom of the page, ensuring zero adverbs are used!
The Contrast Strategy
Ensure this character is the psychological opposite of your first!
If your first character is high-stress and hyper-focused, make this foil relaxed and easily distracted.
Unit 6G • Lessons 10 & 11 Slide 6 of 8
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
THE FOIL'S ROUTINE
Write a descriptive scene placing your second character in their chosen mundane morning routine.
Use plenty of showing details—gestures, body posture, and nonverbal expressions—to show how they behave differently than your first character.
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Opposing, foil behaviors
STRICT: Zero adverbs
Unit 6G • Lessons 10 & 11 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
How do your two characters compare?
Share your second character's baseline draft with a partner. Discuss how their behaviors create a sharp psychological contrast.
Contrast Starter
"My second character contrasts with my first because _______."
Peer Connection Starter
"Your showing details let me see that they are very _______."
Unit 6G • Lessons 10 & 11 Slide 8 of 8
Diagnostic Check The Solution
Corrected Dialogue Anatomy
Verify your paragraph indents and check your comma/period positions inside quotes!
Speaker 1 (Mom)
"We're out of milk**," Mom announced.** "Can somebody run to the store**?**"
Speaker 2 (Big Sister - Indented)
"I'll go**," said my big sister.** "Do you want one percent or two percent**?**"
Unit 6G • Lesson 12 Slide 6 of 8
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
WRITING PROMPT
Write a scene about a time you had fun with someone in your family.
Incorporate active dialogue between yourself and your family member. Use their exact words to show what was happening, and apply our Golden Rules.
Target Mechanics
10–15 Minutes of focus
Indent for new speaker
Punctuation inside quotes
Unit 6G • Lesson 12 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
How does dialogue bring stories alive?
Exchange worksheets with a partner. Conduct a dialogue punctuation sweep!
Peer Audit Starter 1
"Your dialogue made your family member sound very _______."
Peer Audit Starter 2
"I noticed you correctly indented where _______ started speaking."
Unit 6G • Lesson 12 Slide 8 of 8
Stakes: High, life-threatening (survival, duty).
Action: Driven by weather elements, physical injury, and sheer willpower.
Pacing: Slow, grueling, and physical.
Unit 6G • Lesson 14 Slide 4 of 8
Modeling Workshop Speech Excision
Eliminating Empty Dialogue
Audit your characters' conversations. If speech doesn't reveal trait or tension, weed it out!
Boring Dialogue (Empty Talk)
"Hi," Terrance said.
"What's up?" Wilson asked.
"Not much. You?" Terrance replied.
"Nothing much," responded Wilson.
Subtextual Narration (Showing Boredom)
"Terrance and Wilson stood in the corridor, neither looking at the other. Terrance shifted his weight, staring at his shoes, while Wilson repeatedly tapped his foot, waiting for the bell to ring."
Unit 6G • Lesson 14 Slide 5 of 8
Independent Lab Skill Drill
The Pacing Audit
1
Look back at your Lesson 12 Family Fun draft.
2
Needed: Find a flat, dry description. Can you insert 3–4 lines of dialogue to heighten the emotional tension?
3
Unnecessary: Find flat "talking heads" talk. Delete 3–4 lines of dialogue and replace them with physical body actions.
G&T Writing Tip
Fewer words often carry more power. Force your characters to show their fear, guilt, or excitement through postures and glances rather than simple speech.
Unit 6G • Lessons 13 & 14 Slide 6 of 8
Independent Lab Draft Challenge
WRITING PROMPT
Write about a time you got caught doing something you weren't supposed to be doing.
Scenic Balance Constraint: Integrate dialogue and narration. Use dialogue only for the high-stress spoken words, and use narration to show body postures and facial expressions!
Target Pacing
10–15 Minutes of focus
Dialogue for high stress only
Physical context narration
Unit 6G • Lessons 13 & 14 Slide 7 of 8
Sharing Circle Reflect
Did your dialogue match the stakes?
Share your "caught in the act" draft with a partner. Highlight their most emotional dialogue lines.
Peer Audit Starter 1
"Your dialogue heightens the tension when they say _______."
Peer Audit Starter 2
"I could picture your character's panic because your narration showed _______."
