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1) KWO your handout and be ready to "tell it back" in class.

2) Fix It weeks 1&2 (correct and then handwrite the Fix It on loose leaf paper)

3) Vocabulary words (the bolded words in your Fix Its) 
    This is the start of your MASTER VOCAB LIST. Be sure to include:
    • part of speech
    • definition
    • a sentence using the word 

4)  Pixar formula ESSAY. This essay will serve as your 1st writing sample. 
    • Be sure to add your randomly chosen words to the essay.
    • Highlight (indicate) any vocabulary words you use - extra credit.
    • No banned words  (list on the side bar)
    • Use proper formation  (format link on the side bar)

Remember: 

• double space
• proper header
• proper title block
• KWO of this story and rough draft should be stapled to the back of the final copy of your essay. 
• Remember to use a lower case "b" in your byline (in your title block)
• Write the work "Due" before the date under your name on the top right
• Avoid banned words (see side bar for the list of banned words)

Example of formatting:

Remember to use your randomly selected nouns and adjectives!

PIXAR FORMULA

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___.  Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. And ever since that day ______

These seven sentences can help you start writing a story and build it, scene by scene, to its climax and resolution.  And it all begins with those familiar four words:

Once upon a time…

Whether you use these exact words or not, this opening reminds us that our first responsibility as storytellers is to introduce our characters and setting – i.e., to fix the story in time and space. Instinctively, your audience wants to know: Who is the story about? Where are they, and when is all this taking place? You don’t have to provide every detail, but you must supply enough information so the audience has everything it needs to know to understand the story that is to follow.

And every day…

With characters and setting established, you can begin to tell the audience what life is like in this world every day. In The Wizard of Oz, for example, the opening scenes establish that Dorothy feels ignored, unloved, and dreams of a better place “over the rainbow.” This is Dorothy’s “world in balance,” and don’t be confused by the term “balance.” It does not imply that all is well – only that this is how things are.

Until one day…

Something happens that throws the main character’s world out of balance, forcing them to do something, change something, attain something that will either restore the old balance or establish a new equilibrium. In story structure, this moment is referred to as the inciting incident, and it’s the pivotal event that launches the story. In The Wizard of Oz, the tornado provides the inciting incident by apparently transporting Dorothy far, far away from home.

And because of this…

Your main character (or “protagonist”) begins the pursuit of his or her goal. In structural terms, this is the beginning of Act II, the main body of the story. After being literally dropped into the Land of Oz, Dorothy desperately wants to return home, but she is told that the only person who can help her lives far away. So she must journey by foot to the Emerald City to meet a mysterious wizard. Along the way she will encounter several obstacles (apple-throwing trees, flying monkeys, etc.) but these only make the narrative more interesting.

And because of this…

Dorothy achieves her first objective – meeting the Wizard of Oz – but this is not the end of her story. Because of this meeting, she now has another objective: kill the Wicked Witch of the West and deliver her broomstick to the Wizard. In shorter stories, you may have only one ‘because of this,’ but you need at least one.

Until finally…

We enter Act III and approach the story’s moment of truth. Dorothy succeeds in her task and presents the Wizard with the deceased witch’s broom, so now he must make good on his promise to help her return to Kansas. And this he does, but not quite in the way we initially expect.

And ever since that day…

Once we know what happened, the closing scenes tell us what the story means: 
• for the protagonist
• for others in the narrative
• and (not least of all) for the readers
When Dorothy awakens in her own bed and realizes she never actually left Kansas, she learns the lesson of the story: what we’re looking for is often inside us all along.

Use these steps for your essay. Even if your characters aren’t following a yellow brick road, the seven sentences above can help you get where you’re going. And your little dog, too.

1. Write your ideas down in a KWO*
2. Fill in the Pixar-story-structure blanks. 
3. After you fill in the blanks, write and expand your story.  
4. Rewrite and expand it again . . . and again . . . until you are satisfied with your story.

* Your KWO is just a beginning point, a quick jumping off point. It will be a reminder of your original thoughts. I DO NOT expect your story to follow it exactly because stories sometimes take on a life of their own. But it can serve as a road map to get you started. On the other hand, your story might truly stick to your original ideas in the KWO. That is absolutely okay, also!

in the olden days of england, king henry the second reigned over the land

there lived within the green glades of sherwood forest a famous outlaw whose name was robin hood

no archer that ever lived could shoot a bow and arrow with such expertise as he did

he was not alone, either, for at his side were blameless, loyal men, who rambled with him through the greenwood shades

you might be wondering how robin hood fell under the wrath of the law

TIP: Three or more items in a series need commas between them. Find that situation in the passage below and add commas where appropriate.
when robin was eighteen—mature strong and dauntless—the sheriff of nottingham challenged young men in the area to a shooting match

TIP: The passage below has another series of the same part of speech. Add commas where appropriate.
robin readily accepted the match grabbed his bow and arrow and started off from locksley, which was the town where he lived

it was a pleasant, carefree day, but circumstances would soon change its/it’s mood