1. How has your character grown or changed as a result of their experience?

2. Characters Change The Main Event causes a change in the main character. Is she wiser or smarter? Did he learn a lesson? Is she a better person? The last few sentences should sum up what the character learned, or how the character changed.

3. Abrupt Endings “So I went home and went to bed.” “I said goodbye and went inside.” “The next day, I couldn’t believe it was true.”

4. Satisfying Endings Notice how the endings reveal what the story was about and how the main character has grown or changed: Sara looked out the window at her new neighborhood. It still didn’t feel like home, she thought. Yet, there were many new places to visit and things to explore. So, she took a deep breath, pushed the memories of her old home aside, and headed out the door. She knew in her heart that it was up to her to make this new place feel like home.

5. Creating Satisfying Endings A Memory: Have the main character remember the main event. Q A Feeling: Show how the main character felt about what happened in the story. Q A Decision: Include a decision made by the main character as a result of the main event or story problem. Q A Wish or Hope: As a result of the main event, the main character thinks ahead and makes a wish or hope for the future. Q A Defining Action: As a result of the main event the main character does something that reflects a decision or a feeling. Q

6. Analyze This… Read the story ending. Pick out the main character’s memories, feelings, and hope or wish. What decision did the main character make? Tim leaned back against the building and heaved a sigh of relief. It had been close, that’s for sure. When he shut his eyes he could still see the huge, clobbering dog snarling and snapping at him. He knew that if he ever wanted to explore the junkyard again, he’d check first to see if the dog was there. And he’d come armed with some dog biscuits or a very big bone!

7. Let’s Try… Read the story summary: This is a story about a greedy dog named Zippy who lived on a farm. Zippy would run around the farm stealing all of the other animals’ food. The other animals didn’t want Zippy for a friend. Zippy finally learned that friends shared and had a party for all of the animals. Then they were friends again. Now read the way the author ended the story. It is abrupt and unsatisfying. So, Zippy wasn’t greedy anymore. THE END

8. Your Turn… Work with your partner/small group to read the story summary and extend the ending to make it a satisfying ending. Record your new ending on the paper provided. Elect one representative to share your new ending during our closing.