Writing in Role

This activity invites students to think critically about events in Outside. Specifically, they will analyze an excerpt in which Krystina tells Jeremy about the time the teacher, Mr. Williams, does not intervene when students call Krystina a “dyke” because she is promoting a gay-straight alliance club. The goal is to have students put themselves in Krystina’s shoes and give her the power to respond in writing to the situation she encountered.

Materials Needed:

Excerpt; Writing-in-Role Assessment Rubric (found at bottom of attached document); Paper, Pens, pencils 


Instructional Procedures: 


Distribute the excerpt to each student. Ask for volunteers to read the excerpt aloud in order to re- fresh students’ memories of the scene. 


Ask the students to re-read the excerpt silently, jotting point-form notes about what is happening in the scene, their reactions to the scene, and what they remember from the live performance of the scene. Discuss their opinions with the class. 


Now ask the students to view the scene from Krystina’s perspective, focusing on her, thoughts, feelings and opinions. As Krystina, ask them to write answers to the following questions: 


• How old am I?
• What grade am I in? 

• Where am I at the beginning of the scene?
• For what purpose?
• What problems do I face in the story I'm describing?

• How do I deal with these problems?

• How do I feel about each of the other characters in the scene? (Mr. Williams, girls in the hallway)

• If I could change the outcome of the scene, what would I want to happen?

As a writing-in-role exercise, have students consolidate their answers into a diary entry or a letter to Mr. Williams composed by Krystina that details the event, her feelings about the event, and her thoughts as to what should have been done about the situation. Distribute the Writing-in-Role As- sessment Rubric. 


Ask for volunteers to read their diary entry aloud. 


Discuss with the class how Krystina would change the ending of the scene.