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More About This Title Adventures in Fantasy: Lessons and Activities in Narrative and Descriptive Writing, Grades 5-9
English
Before fleshing out their stories, however, students are asked to construct actual maps of their ‘fantasyland’ – and then to write a travelogue describing the setting in vivid detail. This initial fantasizing encourages students to be wildly inventive in creating the drama, ogres, villains, heroes and heroines featured in their story, and on the way they learn about the mythic journey.
English
English
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: A Hero’s Quest, a Writer’s Journey 7
How to Use This Book 9
An Adventure in Fantasy 10
Genres of Fantasy 11
Epic, High, or Heroic Fantasy 11
Adventure Fantasy 12
Dark Fantasy 12
Fairy Tales 12
Magical Realism 12
Magic 13
The Hidden Force 13
Magic’s Moral Component 13
Magical Words 14
Magical Tools 14
Practitioners of Magic 14
Chapter 2: Threading the Theme 15
Thinking About the Theme 16
Understanding Basic Themes 16
Theme Thread: What Do You Have to Say? 16
Additional Theme Threads 17
Chapter 3: Forming the Fantasyland 23
The Fertile Crescent, from Book Two in The Taylor Thomas Trilogy: The Rock of Jerusalem, by Mr. Gust 24
Map-Making Assignment 25
Map-Making Prompt 26
Forming the Land 26
Character Domains 26
Determining the Terrain 26
Villages and Places 26
Embellishing the Map 27
Chapter 4: Setting the Surroundings 41
Riding Horseback Through a Storm on the Grasslands, from Eragon, by Christopher Paolini 42
Landing in a Valley near the Great River, from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, by C. S.
Lewis 43
Daybreak on a Mountain and in a Meadow at Noon, from The Temple of Light, by Mr. Gust 43
The Travelogue Assignment 45
Travelogue Prompt 46
Travelogue Guiding Outline 46
Travelogue Rubric 46
Travelogue Reader Response 46
Using Sensory Words 47
Creating Sensory Phrases 47
Setting the Mood 47
Traveling the Transition Trail 47
Keeping the Action Moving 48
Setting Description Practice 48
Chapter 5: Crafting the Characters 65
Contrasting Gandalf and Bilbo in The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien 66
Introducing Zanadar from The Temple of Light, by Mr. Gust 66
Crafting a Cast of Characters Assignment 69
Character Description Prompt 69
Character Description Guiding Outline 70
Character Description Rubric 70
Character Description Reader Response 70
Types of Characters 70
Fantasy Characters and Creatures 70
Character Illustrations 71
Naming Characters 71
Character Qualities 71
Character Description Graphic Organizer 71
Personality Traits 72
Character Actions: How Do They Move? 72
Character History 72
Character Voices 72
Theme Thread: Contrasting Characters 72
Chapter 6: Plotting the Path 121
James Henry Trotter’s Trip Across the Atlantic, in James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl 122
Taylor Thomas’s Trip Around the Fertile Crescent, in The Rock of Jerusalem, by Mr. Gust 123
Plot Line Assignment 124
Plot Line Prompt 125
Plot Line Rubric 125
Plot Line Listener Response 125
The Linear Path 125
Linear Plot Line Graphic Organizer 126
Mission in Motion: The Complication 126
The Circular Path 126
Theme Thread: Traveling Inward 126
Theme Thread: The Resolution 126
Chapter 7: Wording the Wonders 151
Before Beginning 152
Point of View 152
Transitions and Transitions of Time 152
Story Showing 152
Show, Don’t Tell: What Did They Do? 153
Can You Fantasize? Prove It. Show It! 153
Dynamic Dialogue 153
Speaker Tags 153
Tagging Your Speakers 154
Quotations and Indents 154
Say Do . . . Do Say . . . Say Do Say . . . Talk and Feel . . . Think and Talk 154
Figurative Language 154
Personification 155
Similes 155
Be a Master of Metaphor 155
The Sounds of Words 156
How About a Little Alliteration? 156
The Land of Assonance 156
Whack! Bang! Ping! Onomatopoeia 156
Chapter 8: Sketching the Scene 185
On Camazotz, in A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle 186
In the Subterranean City Telos, in The Temple of Light, by Mr. Gust 191
Sketching the Scene Assignment 193
Get the Whiteout Out! 193
Scene Sketch 193
Scene Summary 193
Scene Summary Rubric 193
Chapter 9: Starting the Story 203
Starting the Story Assignment 204
Chapter 10: Trimming the Tale 227
Writers’ Workshop 227
Readers Respond 228
Conferencing and Connecting with Students 229
Revising 231
The Mechanics of Revision 231
Proofreading 231
Chapter 11: Booking the Boon 235
Booking the Boon Workshop 236
Bookmaking 236
Bibliography 243
Index 245
English
—David Gifaldi, Vermont College faculty member;fifth-grade teacher, Vancouver, WA School District;and author of Listening to Crickets
"Gust describes how he engages his students in order for them to achieve the creation of their own highly skilled, adventurous fantasy writing journey. Humorous, thoughtful, engaging and practical, Gust provides hope that our children can experience this same educational transformation on the road to becoming real writers. More than mere strategies and activities, he has drawn the secret map and all we need to do is follow."
—J. Cynthia McDermott, Ed.D., program chair, Teacher Education, Antioch University, Los Angeles
"Teachers, students, writers, prepare yourselves! John Gust's Adventures in Fantasy will propel you into a world like no other: your imagination and the wonderful power that lies within it. This mage of fantasy, constructivist teaching, and creative writing leads you on a heroic journey that surpasses the noble quest to be stronger, more confident writers."—Bruce Frost, children's author and fourth-grade teacher at South River School, Marshfield, Massachusetts
