Lesson Plan in Creative Writing

Content Standard: The learners have an understanding of imagery, diction, figures of

speech, and variations on language.
Learning Competency: Use imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific
experiences.
I.Learning Objectives
a. Identify the diction and theme found in the texts,
b. Present a poem with an original theme and diction; and
c. Explain the purpose of diction and theme in creative writing.
II. Subject Matter
A. Title: Elements of Creative Writing
B. References: Grade 11 Creative Writing Module
C. Materials: Module
III. Procedure
A. Preliminaries
1. Prayer
2. Greetings
3. Attendance
4. Class Orderliness
B. Review
1. What is figures of speech?
2. What is the purpose of figures of speech in creative writing?
C. Motivation
 The teacher will 2 different passages to the class.
 The teacher will ask the students on the differences they have observed in the
passages.
Guide Questions:
 What have you observed in the passages?
 What makes the first passage different from the second one?
D. Lesson Proper
Elements of Creative Writing
Diction
Diction (pronounced DIK-shun) refers to word choice and phrasing in any written
or spoken text. Many authors can be said to have their own “diction,” because they tend
to use certain words more than others or phrase things in a unique way. In fact, every
author (including you) has developed a unique diction!
Diction can also mean “pronunciation,” but we’ll ignore that definition for now
since this article is mainly about writing, not speaking.
Examples and Explanation
Literally everything ever written is an example of diction! But here are a few
particularly interesting examples.
Example 1
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4)
The King James Bible has a very distinctive diction, using words like “yea” and “thy.”
Many of these terms were fairly standard at the time the King James version was
originally written, but nonetheless they are easily recognizable today as “biblical” diction.
Example 2
Is your writing as transparent as a mixture of comminuted particles of rock with water of
varying consistency? Or is it as clear as mud? (Graham Hopkins, The Write Stuff)
Graham Hopkins’ article on unclear writing opens with this wonderful example of how
diction changes the way we read sentences. The two phrases mean exactly the same
thing (“clear as mud”), but the first version uses all kinds of long words and overly
complex phrases to express this idea. Hopkins’ point was to show how needlessly
complex diction can detract from the quality of a piece of writing.
Types of Diction
There are as many types of diction as there are writers, and there will never be a
complete list of all of them. Moreover, all these different styles vary along multiple
variables, such as formal/informal, simple/complex, and modern/archaic. The most
basic distinction, however, is between formal diction and informal diction.

A. Formal Diction
When you are writing an essay, dissertation, business letter, or other formal
communication, it’s important to use formal diction. That is, you should avoid
contractions (isn’t, don’t) and colloquialisms (slang). It’s also important to make sure
that your grammar and word usage are “textbook” correct, since mistakes in this
category can make your work look sloppy or careless.
B. Informal Diction
In many contexts, it’s fine to use informal diction. This includes personal emails to
people you know well, and certain creative projects. (Most modern novels are written
with a fairly informal diction, as opposed to older novels, which tended to be more
precise and formal.) Informal diction is sometimes referred to as “vernacular,” which
means “everyday speech.”
The Importance of Diction
Diction is the main thing that sets the tone of a piece. If your diction is formal,
then the piece as a whole will come across as formal; if it’s quirky, then your writing will
seem quirky, and so on. Diction doesn’t have any specific rhetorical purpose – it just
creates the overall “sense” of your work.
In novels and short stories, diction can also help you craft a portrait of your
characters. The way someone talks tells us a lot about them, and good authors use this
to their advantage in character-creation. For example, a highly educated character
would be more likely to use arcane words and complex sentence structure, while a
more down-to-earth character would avoid such diction. Similarly, a younger character
would be more likely to use slang than an older one.
Syntax
Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts
of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought. Syntax and diction
are closely related. Diction refers to the choice of words in a particular situation, while
syntax determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence. More often than
not, adopting a complex diction means a complex syntactic structure of sentences, and
vice versa. In combination, syntax and diction help writers develop tone, mood, and
atmosphere in a text, along with evoking readers’ interest. To convey meaning is one of
the main functions of syntax. In literature, writers utilize syntax and diction to achieve
certain artistic effects, like mood, and tone. Like diction, syntax aims to affect the
readers as well as express the writer’s attitude.
Syntax in Poetry
The general word order of an English sentence is Subject+Verb+Object. In poetry,
however, the word order may be shifted to achieve certain artistic effects, such as
producing rhythm or melody in the lines, achieving emphasis, and heightening
connection between two words. The unique syntax used in poetry makes it different
from prose. Let us consider the following examples of syntax:
Example #1: Beyond Decoration (By P. J. Kavanagh)
In casual conversations, we can simply say, “I cannot go out” to convey our inability to
go out. P. J. Kavanagh’s poem Beyond Decoration does not rely on merely stating a
prosaic “I cannot go out.” Rather, he shifts the syntax and says “Go out I cannot,” which
lays a much stronger emphasis on the inability to go out conveyed by the word “cannot.”

Theme
 Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work,
which may be stated directly or indirectly.
Major and Minor Themes
Major and minor themes are two types of themes that appear in literary works. A
major theme is an idea that a writer repeats in his literary work, making it the most
significant idea in the work. A minor theme, on the other hand, refers to an idea that
appears in a work briefly, giving way to another minor theme. Examples of theme in
Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” are matrimony, love, friendship, and affection. The
whole narrative revolves around the major theme of matrimony. Its minor themes are
love, friendship, affectation etc.
Difference Between a Theme and a Subject
It is important not to confuse a theme of a literary work with its subject. Subject is
a topic that acts as a foundation for a literary work, while a theme is an opinion
expressed on the subject. For example, a writer may choose a subject of war for his
story, and the theme may be his personal opinion that war is a curse for humanity.
Usually, it is up to the readers to explore the theme of a literary work by analyzing
characters, plot, and other literary devices.
Short Examples of Theme
When the astronaut landed on the moon, he felt loneliness. Thinking there was
no one else, he became a little forlorned, though the view of Earth was stunningly
beautiful. (Theme of lonesomeness)
The space travelers were travelling to the moon, when their spaceship suddenly
ran out of fuel. They were all frightened to learn that they wouldn’t be able to return to
Earth, and could only land on the moon. (Theme of fear)
Examples of Theme in Literature
Example #1: Love and Friendship Theme
Love and friendship are frequently occurring themes in literature. They generate
emotional twists and turns in a narrative, and can lead to a variety of endings: happy,
sad, or bittersweet. The following are famous literary works with love and friendship
themes:
 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
 Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Example #2: War Theme
The theme of war has been explored in literature since ancient times. literary woks
utilizing this theme may either glorify or criticize the idea of war. Most recent literary
works portray war as a curse for humanity, due to the suffering it inflicts. Some famous
examples include:
 Iliad and Odyssey by Homer
 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
 Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw
 A Band of Brothers: Stories from Vietnam by Walter McDonald

1. Activity
 The class will be divided into four (4) groups.
 Each group will be given illustration board where they will write their
answers.
 Their task is to identify the diction and theme in the passages.
 Each correct answer merits 2 points.

2. Analysis
 How were you able to identify the diction used in the passages?
 What are the theme you have identified in the passages?
3. Abstraction
 What are the types of diction?
 What is the purpose of the theme and diction in the text?

4. Application
 The class will be divided into four (4) groups.
 Each group will be tasked to create a 2-stanza poem with 4 lines
formulating their own theme and will choose what type of diction they
would like to use.
 The group will choose their own subject for their poem.
  They will be given 15 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes to present their
work.

 Their task will be graded by the criteria below;

CRITERIA:

Correct Use of Imagery – 15 points

Creativity – 10
Teamwork – 5 points
Total – 30 points

IV.Evaluation
Direction: Below are some quotations about change. Rearrange the words and make them sound or look
creative. Write your answers on your activity notebook.

1. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” (Mother Teresa)

2. “If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” (Mary
Engelbreit)

3. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” (Andre Gide)

4. “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” (W. Edwards Deming)

5. “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” (Viktor Frankl)

6. “Lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at you.” (David Brinkley)

7. “You must welcome change as the rule but not as your ruler.” (Denis Waitley)

8. “Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not.” (Stephen King)

9. “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” (Charles Kettering)

10. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” (John
F. Kennedy)
V. Assignment
Direction: Figure out the theme of the different selections below and write your answers on your activity
notebook. You don’t have to copy the selections; you only need to write down its theme.

1. “From the beginning --- from the first moment, I may almost say --- of my acquaintance with you, your
manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of
the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events
have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last
man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.” (Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice”)

2. “I wish to Heaven I was married,” she said resentfully as she attacked the yams with loathing. “I’m tired of
everlastingly being unnatural and never doing anything I want to do. I’m tired of acting like I don’t eat
more than a bird, and walking when I want to run and saying I feel faint after a waltz, when I could dance
for two days and never get tired. “I’m tired of saying, ‘How wonderful you are!’ to fool men who haven’t
got one-half the sense I’ve got, and I’m tired of pretending I don’t know anything, so men can tell me
things and feel important while they’re doing it…… I can’t eat another bite.” (Margaret Mitchell, “Gone
with the Wind”)

3. “They appear to take as little note of one another, as any two people, enclosed within the same walls, could.
But whether each evermore watches and suspects the other, evermore mistrustful of some great reservation;
whether each is evermore prepared at all points for the other, and never to be taken unawares; what each
would give to know how much the other knows ---- all this is hidden, for the time, in their own hearts.”
(Charles Dickens, “Bleak House”)

4. “To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

No more; and, by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream” ay, there’s the rub.” (William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”)

5. “You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” (Maya Angelou, “Still Rise”)
Prepared by:
Miss Rutchelyn Lovitos