Panda Short Story - National Zoo

Directions:
1. Discuss the uniqueness and plight of the giant panda, referring to
other background material found in this guide. Once the stage is
set, tell your students that the giant panda will play a central role in
a creative work that they will write.
2. Provide your students with a few handouts of short stories by
famed authors, preferably writing in different styles. Read the
stories and discuss their elements, suspense, plot, etc.
3. Explain that each student will write a 1,000-word (about 2-1/2
pages at 1-1/2 spaces) short story that uses the giant panda as a
metaphor for something central to the story. The panda can play
out subtly or blatantly, but encourage your students to try to write
as deftly and powerfully as possible--to grab their audience and
weave the panda right in with other elements, characters, etc.
4. This project should be inspiring. The students can draw from their
experiences or explore new fictitious possibilities or meld both.
Explain to them the importance of writing short stories in the
training of writers: They must set the stage in a compelling way,
introduce characters, conflict, and lead up to some kind of ending,
either a total wrap-up or open ending--all in two and a half pages.
This is how many fiction writers start out. Students should give this
a serious shot but expect to need improvement. Perfecting the
short story takes many years for writers.
Friends of the National Zoo Page 38