A Storied Evening

Lamp shades placed in corners of a newly bought flat,
Green pot plants in the finest porcelain,
Soothing instrumental music infused with imported incense,
Flowery candles floating in wood inlaid bowls,
Sky-blue curtains swaying in the wind,
Cozy cushions waiting here and there,
Fusion food ready on an elegant embroidered runner,
A storied evening ahead.

The words below are “Offlist” words, meaning that they are not so common in English and are not found on the high frequency word lists. Learners should only learn these if they know all the words above.

1. Write a short story in response to the poem. What kind of story will it be?                          As you prepare, make some brief notes about each of the following…

the setting (place and objects you can see)

• the characters (appearance, personality, manner, beliefs and attitudes)
• the key events (and the order of events)
• the time in which the events take place (past, present, future)
• anything else that is important

2. Now go back and add some words from the poem to your notes.
3. Begin writing your story. As you write, make sure to use some of the vocabulary from the poem.
4. Share your story with a partner, in English. Read your partner’s story.
5. Think about what might make each person’s story better. Use the table below to give your friend’s story some feedback. Give your feedback sheets to each other.