Go over dystopia definition (Slide 4): A world where something has gone wrong—there are unfair rules, strange problems, or a government that controls too much.

• Ask students to brainstorm words/concepts/ideas to come to mind with “dystopia”

Ask students: What is the opposite of dystopia? 

• Refer to definition of utopia on Slide 4 and explain to students that their goal will be to eventually transform their dystopian society into a utopia

Ask students: What's the relationship between dystopia and utopia? How can one turn into the other? Do these two types of societies look very similar to or different from each other?

Ask: Do you think we're living in a utopia, dystopia, or somewhere in between?

Split students into small groups of 3–5 members each and assign each group to read one of the three excerpts above

• Students should have hard copies of each reading to reference

Students should complete their assigned reading (either aloud or silently), then brainstorm their thoughts on the following questions:

• What is the issue of this dystopia? What do you find disturbing?

• What needs to potentially change?

Bring the class back together and have each group report their conclusions

Before students begin writing, briefly talk through each section of the graphic organizer

Tell students that this will help them later on when crafting their short stories

Encourage students to use their dystopian world to reflect on and critique issues that they're passionate about in the real world, as the model texts do

Ask students: Who is your favorite character from a book, tv series, video game, movie?

• Refer to Slide 14 on the slideshow

• Students should pair up and answer the questions questions on the slide

Encourage students to view this exercise as a warm-up activity for them to imagine their own main characters in the dystopian worlds we started last session

Have students take out their Worldbuilder Tool from the previous session, and distribute Hero's Journey handouts

Ask: has anyone heard of the Hero's Journey?

• Guide the group to a definition: a quest that a main character undertakes to solve a problem (while learning about themself along the way)

Read aloud, or ask volunteers to read aloud, the Hero’s Journey prompt and the first section of the graphic organizer (Dystopian Troubles)

Explain: their Hero Story Guide is meant to serve as a brainstorm page. Provide a choice for students: they can create a list of responses or write in complete sentences

• Please note: the brainstorm prompts are meant to inspire students; they do not have to use these

Once students have written responses to the Dystopian Troubles section, conduct a pair/share or whole group share 

Students should spend the rest of the class period completing their Hero's Journey graphic organizers

Optional: set a timer to go off after 10 minutes. At that point, students can pause in their writing and spend 2 minutes talking with a partner to share what they have so far. Repeat every 10 minutes of writing time

Optional: project background video for calming creative writing ambience. Some fun recommendations include:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amwA16ye148&list=RDamwA16ye148&start_radio=1 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3W40FIN-Dk

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6omG4RZqROE&list=RD6omG4RZqROE&start_radio=1

Explain: Using their Worldbuilding Tools and Hero's Journey graphic organizers for reference, students will write their rough drafts of their short stories

Review the “Short Story Rough Draft” checklist with the class, available at the top of the rough draft handout above and on Slide 20

• Provide your students with the handout if you think it would be helpful to them; otherwise, ask them to handwrite the draft on blank paper or type it up

Optional: Pause each 10 minutes for a 2-minute pair/share

Students apply peer feedback and continue their rough drafts

Once they're ready, students type up their final drafts for submission

Go over the sage archetype, as detailed on Slide 15

Ask: What are some examples of sage characters from popular media?

• If no one volunteers, you can bring up Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series

Ask: Can you think of any real-life individuals whom you think embody the sage archetype?

• Potential examples may include Greta Thunberg and Anthony Fauci

Turn and talk: Based on what you know about your world so far, would your story benefit from having a sage? Why or why not?

If your group is particularly interested in fiction-writing, consider introducing the concept of deus ex machina (literal translation: "God from the machine"): a plot event in which a powerful force swoops in and solves a major problem for the main character. The issue with this kind of event is that readers want a hero who is proactive and drives the narrative (i.e. someone who solves their own problems); this is an essential part of why the Hero's Journey model resonates. Ask your students: how can you write a sage character without falling into the deus ex machina pitfall?