One month into school and we’re already 6 chapters into our first novel! This quarter we are studying the aspects of realistic fiction. The first week of school we reviewed the qualities of the genre as students prepared to select their own independent novel. As a way to reinforce the genre, we are studying The Pigman by Paul Zindel.
Realistic fiction is:
- form of fiction (not true)
- accurately reflects life as it could be lived today
- everything in the story could happen to real people living in our natural physical world
- the characters have normal human powers
- story may be set in real places, but the story is NOT based on history, nor does it contain elements of science fiction
So far, the students seem to be enjoying the book and I think we will soon find a rhythm and routine that works well to support the needed discussion. Students have each received a copy of this packet that we are using to document our learning. The reading, activities and related writing for this unit will carry us through October. If students are absent or would benefit from re-reading the book at home, they are more than welcome to check out their book. However, they must have it with them for class the next day, or they will be considered unprepared for class.