Conclusion
By using those things which I have endeavored to add to their writing repertoire, along with the knowledge they garner from utilizing the Literary Elements Study Guide (Appendix A) and perusing the website article entitled "Anatomy of a Murder," as well as the short how-to book called Write Your Own Mystery Story, it is my hope that — by the end of the first 6-weeks grading cycle, — my students will have a collection of original short stories that include at least one from each of the subgenres in detective fiction to which I have spoken in this unit. It is my further hope that the practice they get from using the Writer's Guide to Critiquing (Appendix B), which I have compiled so that they can critique the work of their classmates, will serve to sharpen their writing. I want them to hone their abilities by using the detective fiction conventions they've been provided during this course of study, in addition to sharpening the grammatical skills - conventions and mechanics — called for in any writing course. Lastly, my greatest wish is that this 6-weeks study, coupled with a second 6-weeks cycle devoted to turning their stories into one-act plays, will facilitate their third 6-weeks cycle assignment of writing a novella or 3-Act play in the subgenre of Detective Fiction to which they've most gained an affinity.
Each of the broad tasks assigned will be assessed at regular intervals (more than likely each week but, at the least, every two weeks) during the 6-weeks cycle in which they are assigned. The assessments will be based on the students' use of the conventions presented for each subgenre, the inclusion of the essential literary elements of a short story and the tenets provided in their critiquing rubric, the written presentation of their work, and their adherence to the directives given for each assignment. The result will be a body of works deserving of their pride and my praise. It will tell them and their audience that they are, indeed, masters of details and detection who have whetted the edge of their chosen tool — their dagger, the pen. It will enable them to say, "Writing is my forte and detective fiction is my venue. I have the work to prove it."
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