Creative Fiction:

Cliffhangers
Baylee Harding
Objectives & Relevance
◦ AFTER DIRECT INSTRUCTION, CLOSE READING, AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING,
SWBAT EVALUATE AND IDENTIFY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CLIFFHANGERS AS A
CONCLUSION STRATEGY BY WRITING THEIR OWN CREATIVE SHORT STORIES WITH
CLIFFHANGERS.
◦ ASSIGNMENT RELEVANCE:
◦ STUDENTS RECOGNIZE CLIFFHANGERS IN LITERATURE AND POPULAR MEDIA.
◦ STUDENTS LEARN WHEN TO USE A “WRAP THINGS UP NICE AND PRETTY” CONCLUSION AND
WHEN TO LEAVE THINGS AMBIGUOUS.
◦ STUDENTS BEGIN TO LEARN THE ELEMENTS OF WRITING CREATIVE FICTION.
Assignment Description
Overarching Goal:
• Students will write a short story(maximum 6 pages) that ends with a cliffhanger.
• The short story should contain elements of creative fiction, such as characterization, setting, and plot.
The story should end, leaving the audience with remaining questions about one or more of these creative
elements.
For Students:
• In a world where we often have the tendency to wrap things up with a nice bow when writing, how do
“cliffhangers” or open endings change reader perception and interpretation of the text?
• Your assignment will be to write a short story where the ending is a cliffhanger. The conclusion should
avoid the desire to wrap things up with a nice bow—instead, it should leave readers with questions,
anticipating what could possibly come next. The story will be a maximum of 6 pages.

Week 1
Minilessons:
• What are cliffhangers?
• Why do authors and writers use
cliffhangers?
Informal Writing:
• What is an example of a cliffhanger you
have seen in a TV show, movie, or book?
Tell me about it in 2-3 sentences. Then
explain why you define it as a cliffhanger.
Collaborative Learning
• Students will create plot charts in groups
over one of four short stories with
cliffhangers:
• “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury
• “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
• “The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank
Stockton
• “A Rose for Emily” by William
Faulkner
Instruction & Scaffolding
Week 2 Week 3
Minilesson: Peer Review
• What effect do cliffhangers have on Inferencing:
audiences? • Students will switch stories with a
Mentor Text: partner. They will then write a paragraph
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens about what they expect from the story
(Ch. 4-5) based on the short story their peer
Inferencing: wrote. They will also write 2-3 questions
• What do you think is going to happen in they are left with after reading their
the next chapter? Why do you think this? peer's story.
Compare/Contrast:
• Students will write a paragraph about
how the ending of chapter 4 did or did
not meet their expectations, and how
they felt as a reader waiting to hear what
would happen next.
Writing & Teacher Conferences
 Assessment: Checklist
Content:
 My title is original and creative.
 My paragraphs are structured appropriately; I use
transitions to begin new paragraphs.
 My beginning has a “hook” to engage readers.
 I introduce and explain my narrator and the
characters clearly.
 I maintain the point-of-view (1st or 3rd) throughout
the piece.
 I clearly establish the setting.
 I sequence the events in a clear manner.
 I build suspense throughout the story to keep
readers engaged.
 I conclude my story with a cliffhanger—leaving
readers with questions about what will happen
next.
Grammar/Mechanics/Craft:
 I use vivid details to describe events, the setting, and
the characters.
 I use dialogue that moves the plot forward by
revealing feelings, interactions between characters,
and/or reactions to settings/events.
 I use tone appropriately to convey an attitude or
perspective of a character.
 I check my mechanics for accuracy—spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization.
 My grammar is correct.