Subject Area
Language Arts/ Writing

Time needed
5 days for prewriting activities and rough draft
5 - 10 days for revising and drafting

Overview
In many portfolios, short stories are used to demonstrate the students' ability to write literary pieces.  For many students, it is difficult to come up with creative ideas or a story line that holds the reader's interest.  I have found that in my classroom, many students excelled at creating the plot for a mystery rather than a simple story.  The resources linked to this site (combined with your own creative flair) offer students the structure they need to write a well-developed story, while still allowing them to exercise their creativity.