Middle

From fiction to nonfiction, short stories to poems to memoirs, creative and narrative writing often stem from writers' imaginations or personal interests, weaving together believable characters, settings, and plots.

Presents the basics of expository writing, from composing the introduction and the thesis statement to assembling body paragraphs to writing an effective conclusion.

Writers, ranging from a sportswriter for a school newspaper to a student working on a research project, demonstrate the processes of developing a focused thesis statement as well as structuring and writing solid introductory, supporting and concluding paragraphs.

This program suggests strategies to help discern the appropriate tone for a piece of writing based on purpose and audience. Student writers, ranging from an avid cyclist on a fundraising campaign for an upcoming school trip to a writer communicating with her fellow club members on the Internet, use formal and informal writing to accomplish their task.

In this program, a young writer must compose a convincing letter to the school news paper to win his classmates' votes for student council, while another writer is challenged to research and write a supporting argument in favor of an issue that she feels strongly against.

Meet Paul Bunyan, a lumberjack taller than the highest Minnesota pines, who is strong enough to fell ten trees with a single swing of his axe and has the ingenuity to conquer a swarm of beesquitoes.

Meet John Henry. Born with a hammer in his hand, he is the greatest steel-drivin' man that ever lived. He's as strong as an ox, as fast as the wind and possesses impeccable aim.

Three plots intertwine: the entangled love affairs of Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia; the comic performance of a "play within a play" by the tradesmen of Athens; and the antics in fairyland of King Oberon and Queen Titania.