"High School Rivalry Story" (Advance Creative Writing)

This advanced creative writing unit transforms your classroom into a professional publishing house where students collaboratively create a multi-perspective novel inspired by a real-life tragedy: the 2009 murder of Sarah Ludemann, a Florida teenager killed by Rachel Wade in a love triangle over Joshua Camacho . The case serves as a lens for exploring how ordinary teenage emotions—jealousy, obsession, insecurity, and the desire to be chosen—can spiral into tragedy. Students will work together to create a shared high school world, develop three central characters (the two "lovestruck" rivals and the "bad boy/girl" who fuels the rivalry), and individually write chapters from different perspectives. The unit emphasizes professional collaboration, psychological depth, social commentary, and the ethical responsibility of writing about real-life tragedy.

Materials & Resources:

• PPT: "High School Rivalry Story.pptx"
• True Crime Content: Documentaries or articles about the Rachel Wade/Sarah Ludemann case 
• Role Packets: Class Contracts, Editorial Feedback, Marketing Materials Guides, Role-Specific Addendum, Weekly Check-In Forms:
• Digital Forms:Google Docs, Canva, Trello/Asana, Miro/Jamboard