After completing their literature circle units, students will write a short realistic fiction story. This activity will be the culmination of several weeks of hard work, and it should represent what the students have learned about realistic fiction as a genre. Students will write their stories individually, and they must include all elements of story, such as setting, plot, characterization, and theme. The setting should be a school. Students may choose to write about characters from any of the books they read in their literature circles. They may also write about themselves and classmates, or they may create unique characters. Each short story should include illustrations. After the students have written and illustrated their stories, they will share them with their literature circle groups.