Using the Hero Journey Structure to Create a Short Story Writing Unit Your Middle Schoolers Will Love

Course Overview

Middle school students writing 10, 15, 20-page short stories? Yes! In this course, we will look at a tried and tested writing unit that uses the Hero Journey structure to guide your students through fully fleshed out short stories. From realistic fiction to fantasy, students can choose their genre and step-by-step develop, write, revise, edit, and publish their story. The curriculum unit culminates in an optional paperback anthology of short stories that students can take home, becoming actual published authors. Intended for middle school ELA teachers, but can be of interest to high school English teachers as well.

Learning Objectives 

1. Participants will explore the Hero Journey structure in literature, film, and myth.
2. Participants will learn an easy-to-implement writing unit for their middle school students that will culminate in a published (via Amazon) short story collection.
3. Participants will adapt this creative writing unit for their own students.
4. Participants will be able to connect classroom literature units with this writing unit.