NOTRE DAME OF SALAMAN COLLEGE INC.

Founded in 1965 by the Oblates

Owned by the Archdiocese of Cotabato
Managed by the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato (DCC)
“Service for the Love of God through Mary”
(B.E.S.T)
Amare Est Servire

CREATIVE NONFICTION
HUMSS 101 – BEED/BSED 2 Bridging Class
Week 3 and 4
Course Title : Eng 11
Program/Year : BEED2/BSED 2 English
Descriptive Title : Creative Nonfiction
Course Instructor : Rosalie M. Blanca
rosaliemallorca0485@gmail.com
Mobile #09300351868

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Provide your own activity or log notebook (2 pieces big 50 leaves notebook) for records of your online
and offline readings and activity tasks.
2. Part of answering these activities are the instructions, so you must follow all of the given instructions.
3. In every performance/product-based activity, rubrics are given to be used as the bases of checking your
output.
4. Assignments should be submitted on the date given.
5. Create an e-mail account.

Week 3:
Lesson 3: Creative Nonfiction and Drama
Learning Outcomes:
The learner is expected to:
 describe the elements of drama
 analyze the difference and connections between drama and creative nonfiction
 analyze sample texts according to the elements and aspects of drama
 narrate and explain “dramatic” personal experiences

Bring to class an old issue of a tabloid. Look for stories with so much drama. Choose a leader who
will preside over the discussion and the process of selecting of a “dramatic” news article in a
tabloid. The leader will serve as the director. You will be given 30 minutes to organize and
rehearse a 10-minute skit dramatizing the news.
Essential Questions:
1.What are the elements of drama?
2.What makes drama different and connected to creative nonfiction?
3. If you were to tell or share your dramatic personal experience what would it be? Support your answer?

Comparing Notes
A drama or a play is a script that is meant to be staged. According to Hans Guth and
Gabrielle Rico mention that drama has five elements: namely situation, character, dialogue, plot, and
style. These five elements of drama are useful in writing an engaging essay.
In situation, the early scenes of the play answers basic questions in the spectators’ mind. It will give the
audience the background of the story.
The character in the drama is always in motion, in each action. We know the character by what he/she is
doing and by what he/she is saying which brings us to dialogue as element of drama.
The element of plot in drama is also like that in fiction, for drama is also a fiction. A plot is a series of
events arranged logically to make the story more interesting.
Style has something to do with the playwrights’ or the writers’ use of language.
According to Christina Pantoja Hidaldo(2003,58), the key to good creative nonfiction is dramatic writing.
And the key to dramatic writing is action.

Reader’s Corner
A. Pre-reading
Read the classic drama “Scene II Capulet’s Orchard from William Shakespeare’s and John
Iremil E. Teodoro’s essay Caught in the Forest Fire a creative nonfiction piece full of drama.

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 1
 For Romeo and Juliet, look for Cliff Notes or other literature guide books in reading this play. Read
about the background of the Shakespearean Theatre. Know the profile of the characters, and the plot of this drama
masterpiece.

Individual Activity#1:
For Caught in the Forest Fire, scan old newspapers and look for news about forests---tree planting
activities, deforestation, forest fire, illegal logging, remaining forest covers, among others. Clip the article on your
log notebook and be prepared to share it.

B. Cultural-Historical Background
In Romeo and Juliet according to Folger Shakespeare Library, “Shakespeare creates a world of violence
and generational conflict in which two young people fall in love and die because of that love. The story is rather
extraordinary in that normal problems faced by young lovers are here so large.
Romeo and Juliet were first published in 1597 as An Excellent Conceited Tragedies of Romeo and Juliet.

C. Previewing
As a preview to reading Romeo and Juliet, you may watch the two movies at home: Romeo+Juliet (dir
Baz Lhurman,1996) and Shakespeare in Love (dir John Madden,1999). The two films will give you a very good
background about the play and will help you in understanding it.

Individual Activity#2
C. Vocabulary Building: Copy and answer on your log notebook
Identify the meaning of each underlined word below and paraphrase each line or set of lines from the
excerpt.
1. But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks.
Meaning: ______________________.
Paraphrase: ___________________.
2. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she
Meaning: ______________________.
Paraphrase: ___________________.
3. What man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night
So stumblest on my counsel?
Meaning: ______________________.
Paraphrase: ___________________.
4. How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?

Individual Activity#3
D. Reading
You learned earlier that creative nonfiction requires “dramatic writing”. Search and read “Caught in the
Forest Fire” by John Iremil Theodore. Analyze the text based on the dramatic elements identified earlier-
situation, character, plot, and style. Write your answer on you log notebook.

Individual Activity#4
E. Writer’s Bloc
Recall five “dramatic” events in your life and explain why you consider them dramatic. Out
of five dramatic life events choose one that you can write about and serve as the possible subject of a
creative nonfiction text. Using this familiarity, try to complete the table and answer the questions.
Topic (Most Dramatic Experience):
How do I use my Knowledge of the elements of fiction
to write my composition? What details in my
composition would correspond to the elements of fiction
explained earlier (point of view, character, setting, tone
and atmosphere, symbols, irony, and theme)?
As in poetry, what concrete or evocative details would I
include in the composition?
What details in my composition would correspond to
the elements of drama (situation, character, dialogue,
plot, and style) cited earlier.
Be guided by the following criteria for scoring (60points):
Details-10 points
Organization-10 points
Conventions-10 points
Word Choice-10 points
Task Completion-20 points

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 2
 “The odes live upon the ideal, the epic upon the grandiose, the drama upon the real.” - Victor Hugo

END OF THE LESSON

Week 4
Unit 2: Principles, Elements, Techniques, and Devices of Creative Nonfiction
Lesson 1: Plot and Characterization
Learning Objectives:
The learner is expected to:
 Describe plot and characterization as elements of creative nonfiction
 Describe the interplay between plot and characterization
 Interview a person as a possible subject for creative nonfiction
Essential Questions:
1.What are the components of plot?
2. Why is character an important element of creative nonfiction?

Know your classmate/friend. For 15 minutes, converse with your classmate over the phone or
messenger and ask him/her life that you wish to know. Just be sure not to be offensive. When
your classmate/friend would not answer your question, respect his/her decision. The following are the questions
that you may ask:
1. Where do you live? Do you like the place where you live in?
2. What are the occupations of your parents?
3. How many are your siblings? Are you the eldest or the youngest? How do you feel about it?
4. What is your favorite food Why?
5. What is your hobby? Why?
6. What do you like most or do you like least in a person?
7. What is your ambition? Why?

For another 15 minutes write a paragraph describing your classmate/friend. Do not forget to include
his/her physical description-like her body built, color of the skin, color and style of hair, among others.

Comparing Notes
In the book Discovering Literature, plot is defined as “the story line, the sequence of actions
or events that gives to the story as a whole. When you study the plot, you focus on what drives,
motivates, or shapes the story. Plot maps out the itinerary that takes the reader to the conclusion.”

Plot can be divided into the following

1. Beginning- the initiating event
2. Exposition- background information
3. Rising Action with conflict-the tension or problem experienced by character
4. Climax- the most intense part of the story
5. Falling Action or resolution-how the tension or problem is resolved
6. Ending-Completes the story

Sometimes, the ending is open-ended in which case the narrative lacks a clear closure. Let it also be said
that in some stories, the events are not arranged chronologically. Flashback is one literary device that
circumvents the principle of chronological arrangement of events.
A good plot will define a good character. The logical arrangement of events in the story will give the
character proper motivation. The reader will understand why a character behaves in such a way.” Know your
characters as well as you know your best friend (Parra,13),” as stated in the book Playwrighting for Dummies.
Although this book is essentially for playwriting, the guidelines of creating good characters are vey useful in
creative nonfiction.

Reader’s Corner
Activity #1
A. Pre-reading
Surf the internet and read about ovarian cancer, especially in the Philippines. Find a person
testimony about this cancer, whatever by the cancer patient or by the people around a cancer patient. Present to
the class the most interesting information and story you have found. Make a log of your readings.

A. Cultural-Historical Background
All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 3
 Drug company Pfizer conducted a study about cancer in Asia showing the following
results:
 Among the 15 Asian countries, the highest incidence rates (age-standardized) for total cancer (all sites) in
males are in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan; female total cancer incidence rates are highest in Taiwan,
Singapore, and the Philippines.
 Lung cancer is the most common or second- most common cancer among males in all Asian countries but
for India, Japan, Mongolia and Taiwan.
 Stomach cancer is the most common cancer among both males and females in Korea; it is the most
common among females in China, and the most common among males in Japan.
 Among females, breast cancer is the most common cancer in seven countries Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan.
 41% of all new cancers diagnosed in males, and 37% of cancers diagnosed in females are in the fifteen
Asian countries-about three times as many cases as that in the United States.
 Liver, stomach and, esophageal cancer is relatively common in Asia. Three-fourths of worldwide liver
cancer cases in males and two-thirds in females occur in the fifteen Asian countries. China has more than
half of newly diagnosed liver cancer cases in the world.

B. Previewing
Scan the selection to answer the following questions:
1 What is the occupation of the narrator?
1. Who was Mrs. J? What was her job?
2. Who are the other characters in the selection?

C. Vocabulary Building
Look for the meanings or the following medical terms:
1. ectopic pregnancy
2.abdominal enlargement
3. ovarian malignancy

D. Reading
The following selection is an introspective, even heart-rending, text about how a patient
touched lives while confined in the hospital. Give the plot of the story and note the details about the main
character and the other characters.
Mommy J. at San Vicente Ward
Alice M. Sun-Cua

E. Question for Discussion

1.Why was Mommy J. in the hospital?
2.What makes mommy J. likeable and lovable?
3.What is the attitude of the narrator toward Mommy J?
4.What are the lessons learned by the other people in the essay from Mommy J?
5.Give the plot of the narrative by filling in the story chart below.

Beginning
Exposition
Rising Action with Conflict
Climax
Falling Action
Ending

6. Complete the chart below by giving the name of the characters and their corresponding descriptions.
Character
Mommy J.

Writer’s Bloc
Interview a person that you can have as the subject of creative nonfiction text. Ask the
interviewee about his/her life, particularly the details tat he/she wants to share, Use the story chart
above as your guide. Add descriptive details about the character-his/her personality. You shall be
graded according to the 5Cs of writing (with five points each): clarity, conciseness, correctness, completeness,
and cohesion.

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 4
 “Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destination.”
- Ray Bradbury

End of the Lesson

All rights reserved. No parts of this document may be reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying or any
electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the writer except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copy right law. 5