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Section 4: Overview

Stories That Ring True

We will examine how contemporary writers of nonfiction narratives and documentarians have used the art of storytelling to depict true stories about real events and characters. We will read, analyze, and discuss a dramatic nonfiction narrative about three survivors of 9/11 by historian Hampton Sides, then examine documentary films about the same topic, developing claims about the ways these nonfiction accounts tell their stories. In optional lessons, we might also see how the ideas about storytelling we have learned from Pixar animators play out in a full-length film or documentary. We will practice and develop our own storytelling skills by writing a short nonfiction narrative (or storyboarding a documentary) based on a historical or contemporary event or figure.

  • Lesson 1:

    We will examine how writers working in a nonfiction narrative form, sometimes referred to as “new journalism,” use storytelling elements and techniques to depict contemporary or historical events or characters vividly. We will learn about the work of Tom Wolfe, known as the father of new journalism, and then read, analyze, and discuss a powerful narrative by historian Hampton Sides about survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks. We will study the narrative structure of Sides’s account, then choose one of the three characters to focus on in a close reading, from which we will develop an evidence-based claim.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will continue to examine Hampton Sides’s narrative about survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks, comparing the evidence-based claims we have developed about the story’s three characters. We will then discuss the ways in which Sides has used the elements of narration to craft his moving nonfiction account.

  • Lesson 3:

    We will read and examine a contrasting example of Hampton Sides’s craft as a writer of historical narratives, “The Birdman Drops In,” a story about skateboarder Tony Hawk. We will closely examine Sides’s use of imagery and language to make his narrative come alive.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will consider how documentary films also use narrative techniques and elements to tell their stories. We will study several documentaries that use different approaches to tell the story of the 9/11 terror attacks. Noting key narrative details, elements, and approaches in each of the documentaries, we will compare the storytelling forms in the documentaries to Hampton Sides’s historical narrative.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will consider what we have learned in our research about a historical or contemporary event or figure. We will begin drafting an original historical narrative that uses vivid images, language, and dialogue to tell and dramatize the story.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will revise and edit our historical narratives and will present and discuss our narratives or storyboards in a class gallery review.

  • Lesson 7:

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 8:

    We will share the analyses we have made about our independent reading texts and make connections to the unit. We will plan a final product to share our experiences from reading independently and the knowledge we have gained.