Writing Portfolio
First piece for assessment: Creative Writing - a dystopian short story, or other short story of your choice.
Think over the dystopic short stories we have read (linked on the Power & Control page) and also dystopic films and novels you are familiar with. All begin with some kind of current world problem and then explore the possible impacts on society if that issue is mishandled. For example, We Ate the Children Last is exploring the implications of cross-species organ transplants, while The Machine Stops is exploring issues around artificial intelligence and placing too much trust in computers or machines.
What do you think are the most important issues facing humanity at the present time? Climate change? Genetic engineering? Medical advances? Social Media? Technological surveillance? Invasion of privacy?
Create a story set in a future in which a current world issue or problem has been addressed. But, as so often happens, the ideal solution has brought problems of its own. What could go wrong with your proposed solution? How will humanity deal with the resulting situation?
Alternatively, if dystopic stories are not your thing, write a different short story of your choice. Make sure it has a sufficiently interesting problem, tension or conflict. There are some suggestions for creative writing options linked in the student assessment task below.
Before you start planning your story, read through the task outline and exemplars to get an idea of the standard required. You probably need a minimum length of 600-800 words. There is no upper word limit, but you are strongly recommended to keep your story concise and impactful.
You must share your completed story with me (jty@otakicollege.school.nz) for formal feedback by the due date of Wednesday 17 March at 3:15 pm. If 'Horse of the Year' goes ahead, the three students away for that must have their story in by Wednesday 24 March at 3:15 pm. When I give you your feedback I will set a further deadline for you to formally submit your creative writing.