Synopsis Time

You have just written a mystery called “Murder at the Café.” You want to submit it to a publisher, hoping an editor there will like it and want to publish it. You are sure it will be a best seller.

You go to the guidebook Writer’s Market and find that the publisher requires a synopsis of your book. You are baffled. You were under the impression that synopsis was some kind of drug used for treating stomach upset.

You are smart, though. You go to a dictionary and discover that a synopsis is not a drug at all. It is a brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc. The synopsis tells what happens, without any frills or character development. Here, for example, is a synopsis of the fairy tale “Cinderella.”

A king announces that a ball is to be held, and all unmarried young women in the kingdom are invited because the prince is looking for a wife. A young woman named Cinderella wants to go, but she can’t because her wicked stepmother won’t let her. She wants Cinderella to continue to clean the hearth and do other hard work around the home. Instead, she helps Cinderella’s stepsisters get ready.

Cinderella makes a wish, though, and her fairy godmother makes her look like a princess, complete with a golden carriage to take her to the ball. She warns her, though, that she will turn back into her normal self at the stroke of midnight.

Cinderella goes to the ball, and the prince falls in love with her. When the clock starts to strike midnight, she runs away, leaving behind a glass slipper. The prince searches the kingdom to find the woman he loves, taking the glass slipper with him. When he gets to Cinderella’s home, the shoe fits. The two get married and live happily ever after.

This synopsis tells the main plot of the fairy tale. Of course, it isn’t very satisfying because all the good details are left out—the nastiness of the stepmother and

overworked Cinderella feels, the details of the clothes and carriage with a flourish of her magic wand, etc. However, a synopsis is not for a story. It is just designed to tell the basics of the story, quickly

Write a one-page synopsis of Murder at the Café.

or

Write a one-page synopsis of a book you have read or a movie you have seen.

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Euphemistically speaking

Marietta just made a hamburger for her boyfriend, Justin. He takes a bite and immediately realizes it is the worst burger he has ever eaten. He can barely swallow it because it is so dry. Still, when she asks him how it tastes, he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Luckily, Justin is good at using euphemisms—polite terms for something unpleasant. “Honey, I think this burger spent a little too much time on the grill. It’s a bit moisture-challenged.”

The following items show Justin speaking euphemistically. Below each, write what he really means, but in blunt, straightforward terms.

1.Well, Grandma, little Fufu isn’t going to be disturbing your sleep in the morning anymore. The vet found it was best to give her to an angel and let her fly up to that land of feather toys and all the tuna she can eat.

What he really means: ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2.Yes, indeed I did read the manuscript for your new book. I am so impressed with your vocabulary! You certainly know a lot of big words. It is so interesting that you chose not to make plot an important part of the story—a brave choice. I admire your courage! And I am impressed at your endurance. It may be the longest book I’ve ever read.

What he really means: ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Now you be the euphemistic one. You are a librarian, and you have to kick little Seneca Jones out of the library story time group. You have given her every chance in the world, but it is clear ever, because she is out of control. She takes chocolate candy, gets it all over the rug and the books. She sings while you are tryof whatever little boy is unfortunate enough to be sitting next to knocks over things. She talks too loud. She drives everyone crazy. mother and break the news that Seneca can no longer come to

euphemisms and the kindest language you can.

“I’ve had

a wonderful evening—but this wasn’t it.”

—Groucho Marx

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Pizza Monster

You are a writer for a movie studio. Your boss, in your opinion, has some of the dumbest ideas in the world. His latest? He wants to produce a movie about a pizza monster.

“What is a pizza monster?” you ask.

“That’s for you to figure out!” he answers. “You create the monster. That’s where we will start. Give me a one-page description of the monster. What does he look like? What are his monster-ish qualities? What is scary about him—or her? Oh, my, but you should have fun with this! I can’t wait to read it.”

Write the one-page description. If you like, you can add a picture of your monster at the top. A few hints:

•Think of interesting verbs to describe what the monster does.

•Think of your senses. What does the monster look like? Sound like? Feel like? Smell like?

•What is really unusual about this monster? How does he differ from most other monsters you have seen in movies?

•Does the monster have any special powers?

“As far as I’m concerned, progress peaked with frozen pizza.”

—From the movie Die Hard 2

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Food House

You have probably heard of similes and metaphors. A simile is an expression that compares one thing to another, using the words like or as. A metaphor is an expression that equates or compares two different things, without using the words like or as.

Here is an example of a simile:

Her hair was like a tornado, swirling around her head.

Here’s an example of a metaphor:

His eyes were cameras, never missing a thing.

Imagine a home. Is it an old farm house? An apartment? A modern mansion? A cell block? A cozy cottage? A tent? Describe the home, using metaphors and similes that compare the house to food. Use at least four similes and at least one metaphor. Here’s an example of one way to start:

Antonio’s house had a slick steel roof, as slick as a banana peeling on an icy sidewalk. The front door was as purple as a grape…

“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.”

—Orson Scott Card

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Teacher Instructions

Aples and Orenges

It’s not easy to interest students in spelling. “Aples and Orenges” is an activity that will help them pay close attention. Students work in groups of two or three to try to create a spelling test that will receive the worst score from other students. By trying to create a hard test, with an answer key, they are forced to concentrate, hard, on spelling.

First ask each group to write a description or a short story called “What Happened at the Grocery Store.” As students write, have them include spelling mistakes— a total of 50 of them. (Or, depending on your students, you might want them to try for 100 errors.) Suggest that they try not to be too obvious. For example, they might not want to spell can of corn as cn of crn. Suggest that they also include some words that people often have trouble with, like there, they’re and their and to, two, and too. They will also want to be sure their story is still readable. A sentence with too many errors may be impossible to correct, as no one can tell what was even intended. (Example:

Cidz plyng wth knzuf fud ‘n maikng twers inthe iles where mackng custmrz tns.)

When students have finished their stories full of errors, they then create answer keys. (The answer keys must be on a separate page.)

Now the fun begins. Each group gives its error-filled story to another group. The other group does its best to correct all the errors. When it is finished correcting, it gives the corrected paper back to the original group to score.

Here’s where things can get interesting. The original group must give the scored paper back to the correctors, with the answer key, and give them a chance to check the scoring group’s work. If the group members find a mistake on the answer key, they get two points back. Thus, both the originators of the piece and the correctors of the piece have a chance to gain and lose points.

No, the game won’t turn your students into perfect spellers. However, it will help them learn to be more aware of spelling. And they may even learn a thing or two as they complete this activity.

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