A Relationship Story
A Relationship Story
For this assignment, you will have a choice of completing either Option A or Option B. (24 marks)
Option A: A Fictional Story
Instructions: Create two characters and chart the course of their relationship in a short story of at least 500 words.
Your story should have a beginning, middle, and end and will include the following:
- How does the couple meet?—online dating, introduced by friends, meet at a party, etc.
- What qualities attract them to each other?—physical attraction, same social class, similar levels of education, etc.
- How does the relationship progress?
- What things do they do to get to know each other?
- What qualities allow this couple to reach the commitment stage of their relationship?—able to manage conflicts, have effective communication, enjoy each other’s company, etc.
- If they don’t end up staying together, describe the reasons why—realize values are different, get bored, have communication problems, etc.
Conclude with your own thoughts and insights about this couple’s relationship.
Second person: “When I read your online dating profile, my first thought was we might not be looking for the same things in life. But after we met at the Cosmic Cow for a coffee, I knew I wanted to see you again.”
Third person: The ‘odd couple’ doesn’t come close to describing Paul and Janine. Paul is a tattooed, pierced, heavy-metal guitarist, and Janine is your typical career woman working as an accountant in a large financial firm.”
Option B: A True Story
Instructions: Interview a couple you know whose relationship progressed to marriage or living common law and write a 500-word summary of the interview. Either audiotape or take detailed notes of the interview. Submit your interview notes with your written summary.
Your interview and written summary should have a beginning, middle, and end and will include the following:
- How did the couple meet?—online dating, introduced by friends, meet at a party, etc.
- What qualities attracted them to each other?—physical attraction, same social class, similar levels of education, etc.
- How did the relationship progress?
- What things did they do to get to know each other?
- What challenges did the couple overcome in the progress of their relationship?
- What qualities allow this couple to reach the commitment stage of their relationship?—able to manage conflicts, have effective communication, enjoy each other’s company, etc.
Conclude with your own thoughts and insights about this couple’s relationship.
How to Conduct an Interview:
- If you’re using an audiotape, be sure to ask the couple if they mind you taping the interview.
- Have a list of clearly worded questions made up ahead of time. Avoid asking questions with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. You want them to talk!
- Ask the interviewees to elaborate on their answers when needed. “What do you mean by…” “That’s interesting, tell me more.”
- Practise active listening: watch that your body language shows interest and encourages discussion.
- Write down the answers in as much detail as possible.
- Either during or after the interview, note any observations you may have such as the type of body language the couple exhibited (closeness, eye contact, tone of voice, etc.).
Review “The Writing Process” for assistance on this assignment
Review "The Paragraph Scoring Guide"
When you have completed this assignment, attach your file to Section 2 Lesson A - A relationship story
The assignment will be marked using the rubric shown,