Download - Creative writing in service 27-01-11
Creative Writing Exercises for Junior Cycle English
Derbhile Dromey
Benefits of Creative Writing – Personal Writing
Take Advantage of Generous Marking Scheme
Ability to Write Creatively Significantly Improves Grade
Create Memorable Exam Essays
Benefits of Teaching Creative Writing - GeneralGives Structure to Their Thoughts
Helps Them Engage with Set Texts
Insights Into Techniques Used by Writers
Quick Fix for Fridays
Outline of PresentationOverview of Exercises
Aim, Method, Relevance to PaperTiming and Visual Aids
Sample the Merchandise – Practise of Exercises
Discussion: Value of Teaching Creative Writing
Personal Writing ExercisesThese exercises will show students how to
Get Material for Stories from their Own Lives
Hold the Interest of Readers
Character SketchAim
To show how authors create characters
Timing : 15-20 Minutes
Visual Aids: Photographs in Newspapers
Relevance: Questions about people of significance in students’ lives, eg. Grandparents, inspiring people
Character SketchMethodCut photograph out of paper and use asbasis to create character.
Create profile in 3 sections1.Basic details – name, age, appearance2.Personal details – family, hobbies3.Secrets – a secret from their past no-one knows
Selling a Destination Aim
To make stories more atmospheric
To identify ingredients that make places unique
Visual Aids: List of placenames or map of local area
Timing: 10-15 Minutes
Relevance: Questions about their local area or holidays
Selling a DestinationMethod
Give Your students a choice of two placenames to
choose from, familiar or foreign
Write a paragraph about one of the places in the style of a travel brochure
Describe scenery, local customs, people and activities
Run X-Factor style competition to vote for most popular holiday destination
Napoleon’s BedroomAim
Helps Students Be Inspired by the Ordinary
Show Effect of Time Period on Descriptions of Place
Timing: 10-15 minutes
Relevance: Questions about favourite rooms, or asking them to imagine the lives of celebrities
Napoleon’s BedroomMethodImagine the bedroom of a historical figure or celebrityDescribe bedroom in 3 sections1.Physical Details, what it looks like2.Sensory Details, sounds, smells, feel3.Emotional Details, feelings about room, atmosphere
Alternative: Describe Their Own Bedroom and Views of It
The 24 SheepAim
Show students how to use both action and atmosphere to create a compelling story
Timing: 20 minutes
Relevance: Questions asking students to describe an event or continue a story
The 24 SheepMethod
Write two-paragraph story based on following scenario:
They are in their garden sunbathing when 24
sheep burst in and start eating washing off the line
Par 1. Atmospheric, describe garden, weather
Par 2. Action, what happens when sheep get in and how they resolve problem
Functional Writing ExercisesGoal of Exercises
Give Students Practise in Structuring Pieces
Apply Imagination to Formal Structure Formats
Behind the HeadlinesAim
Give practise in writing in a journalistic style
Identify ingredients that make story newsworthy
Timing: 10-15 minutes
Visual Aids: Headlines from Newspapers
Relevance: Insight into skills used by journalists for media sections
Behind the HeadlinesMethod
Give Each Student a Headline
They Write Story Behind Headline
Stories Cover 5 Ws of News
What
Who
When
Where
Why
100-Word DiaryAim
Pick Out Most Important Elements of Story
How to Use Everyday Activities as Material for Stories
Timing: 15 Minutes
Relevance: Practise in Diary Structure
Useful for both Personal and Functional Writing Section
100-Word DiaryMethodWrite a Diary of Your Day in 100 Words
Greetings, Dates and Sign-Offs Not Included
Make Notes First About What to Include
Write Out Entry Summarising Events
Alternative: Write Diary Entry for Character in Text They’re Studying
Book ReviewAim
Gives Insight into How Fiction Works
Shows books have life beyond classroom
Timing: 20-30 Minutes
Relevance: If they know how fiction works, they’ll write more compelling reviews
Book ReviewMethodImagine You’re a Bookseller Write a Pitch Selling Your Current Book to Teacher
Title and PlotGenre
Who Would Read it Why You Should Buy It
Alternative: Write a review of the worst book you have ever read.
Adam’s Excuse NoteAimTo encourage students to take a more creativeapproach to letter writing.
Gives students practise in laying out letters
Timing: 10-15 minutes
Relevance: Useful for all exercises based on letters
Adam’s Excuse NoteImagine you are Adam in Garden of Eden (revise story
if necessary)
Write an excuse note to God, apologising for eating the apple and giving reason
Letter to be laid out with address, date, greeting and sign-off
Alternative: Any situation where well-known person apologises for misdeed, eg. Politician, celebrity
Poetry ExercisesGoals of Exercises
Demonstrate how poets use imagery, language and the senses to create poems
Supporting Material for Lessons Dealing with Similes and Metaphor
Helps Students to Analyse and Decipher Meaning of Set Poems
If the Hat FitsAim
Gives Practise in Creating Similes and Metaphors and Avoiding Cliches
Sharpens Descriptive Abilities
Timing: 10-15 Minutes
Relevance: Helps students identify inventive imagery and comparison in set poems
If the Hat FitsMethod
Bring Unusual Hat Into Class, Students Pass it Around
Examine Hat and Write Sentence About it
Sentence Begins with This Hat Is/This Hat Is Like
Add to Challenge With List of Forbidden Words
Alphabet SoupAim
Encourages Students to Play with Words and Reduce
Inhibitions Around Language
Timing: 20 Minutes
Relevance: Helps them identify wordplay and its impact in set poems
Alphabet SoupMethod
Come Up with 26 Words to Match 26 Consecutive Letters of Alphabet
Form Words Into Sentences, eg, A Black Cat Drifted
Carry on Until Alphabet Finished
Alternative: Write 26 Random Words, Choose 3 and Work them into One-Paragraph Story
Guess WhatAim
Demonstrates ‘show don’t tell’ – subtle descriptions have greater impact
Help Identify the Extraordinary Within the Ordinary
Visual Aids: Bring in 5-6 Interesting Objects if Classroom Bare
Timing: 10-15 Minutes
Relevance: Ability to Decode Hidden Messages in Set Poems
Guess WhatMethod
Pick an Object in the Classroom and Describe it
Without Saying What It is
Describe it Using Senses – What it Looks, Feels, Smells, Tastes and Sounds Like
Read out Description, Other Students Guess Object
Extension: Create Life Story for Object
Emotion PoemAim
Demonstrates Power of Emotions to Inspire
Shows How to Use Five Senses to Describe Emotions – Not Just Sight
Timing: 10-15 Minutes
Relevance: Helps Students Identify Emotions in Text Poems, Discover Emotions Are Universal
Emotion PoemMethod
Students Write a Poem Describing Emotion eg: Love
Line 1: Metaphor for Emotion
Line 2: Describe What Emotion Looks Like
Line 3: Sound Emotion Makes
Line 4: What Emotion Tastes Like
Line 5: What Emotion Feels Like
Line 6: Smell of Emotion
Line 7: Repeat of 1st Line
Fiction ExercisesAim
Helps Students See Relevance of Set Novels
Practise Techniques Used by Author of Novel
Become More Familiar with Novel’s Characters, Theme, Setting and Style
20 QuestionsAim
Gives Insight into How Authors Make their Characters Believable and Interesting
Timing: 10-15 Minutes
Relevance: Helps Students Become More Familiar with Characters
20 QuestionsMethod
Pick Character From Novel and Write Character Sketch of them
Other Students Ask Questions to Guess Character
When They Have Guessed, Continue to Ask Questions to Learn More About Character
Not Allowed to Ask Questions with Yes or No Answers
Rough JusticeAim
Highlights Theme of Novel, Demonstrates that Themes are Universal
Timing: One class period
Visual Aids: To Kill a Mockingbird, Pages 21-25
Relevance: Helps them Identify Theme of Novel and Relate to Own Experience
Rough JusticeMethod
Read Passage, Identify and Discuss Theme of Fighting for Justice
Transpose to Present Day Classroom, Injustice Against Student On Racial or Class Grounds
Student Defends Other Student, Pays Price
Alternative: Version Relevant to Other Novels, Drawn from Student’s Life
Chinese WhispersAim
Shows how to structure story and maintain momentum
Shows that story ends up in very different place from where it began
Timing: One class period
Relevance: Pinpoint Storytelling Techniques Use by Author in Set Text
Chinese WhispersMethod
Based on game Chinese Whispers, check familiarity with rules
Give set period of time to write first paragraph of story
Pass copy to person three seats away.
Student receives another copy and continues story in that copy
Pass on again, bring story to an end
Story SoupAim
Creates awareness of ingredients in story and shows how to combine them
Timing: 10-15 minutes
Relevance: Encourages students to think about how ingredients are combined in set novels
Story SoupMethod
Write name of animal, place and verb on sheet of paper, eg. Hyena, supermarket, skipping
Hand up paper, papers passed around choose one
Write story which includes the three words on paper
Drama ExercisesGoal of Exercises
Give Insight into Techniques Specific to Drama:
Dialogue Creation
How Characters Behave in Conflict
Scene Setting
You’ll Never GuessAim
Shows how dialogue is used to get to heart of story and maintain momentum
Gives insight into how language used in dialogue differs from that of narrative
Timing: 15-20 minutes
Relevance: Insight into structure of dialogue in set play
You’ll Never GuessMethod
Create Dialogue in Pairs Based on Following Scenario
You are in a cafe waiting for your friend. They burst in, saying ‘You’ll Never Guess!’
Continue writing dialogue from there. One describes event, one responds
Aim for natural style, bring to conclusion.
Alternative: Write Version of Scenario from set play
Superhero ScaleAim
Gives insight into how characters behave in conflict situations
Shows role of character status in determining outcome of conflict
Timing: One class period
Relevance: Gives insight into how characters in set plays relate to each other
Superhero ScaleMethod (Part 1)
Pick a Number from 1-12 to Denote Status of Character in Set Play
The Higher the Number, The More Confident a Character is
Write a Paragraph to Show How Status Manifests Itself in voice, gestures, body language and walk
Superhero ScaleHow to Determine Status - Brainstorm
High Status Low Status
Clear Voice Mutters
Confident Gestures Agitated
Good Eye Contact Looks Down
Strutting Walk Shuffling Walk
Characters with status numbers of 6-9 will fall somewhere in between
Superhero Scale – Part 2Method
Work in Pairs to Create Conflict Dialogue
Scenario: One character wants to go out and the other character won’t allow them
Characters Behave According to Status
Ends with One Character Triumphant
Extension: Have student imagine progress of a dinner party between characters
Character Describes SceneAim
Shows how setting of play adds to dramatic tension
Demonstrates importance of position of character within scene
Timing: 15-20 Minutes
Relevance: Encourages Students to Pay Attention to Backdrop and Character Positioning in Set Plays
Character Describes SceneMethod
Student Becomes Character in Play
They describe what they see around them
Give Sensual and Emotional Details About Setting
Also Outline Their Own Position in the Scene and How it Affects them
Alternative: Imagine you are transported into world of play. What would you see?
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