Creative Writing Ideas: Romancing the Writer
The best creative writing ideas for your classroom! Here are key ideas and strategies for teaching children creative writing.
To use creative writing prompts effectively, you have to teach your writers, not just "teach writing,"
Just like reading, kids need to be writing a lot. We need to saturate them with quality pieces and reasons to write. Even kindergarteners should be writing meaningful and authentic pieces.
Read how to implement the 4 Stages of Scaffolded Writing Instruction
Teachers: Put the Romance Into Your Writing Lessons!
Creative Teaching Ideas
1. Word Play
Young writers in particular need to play with words. If they cannot write "short stuff," how will they ever be able to write the "long stuff?" Creative writing ideas that build word play will strengthen the foundation of their writing.
Build word lists together and put into a class book for reference: odd words, grumpy words, slippery words, wet words, silly wordsCreate Word Wheels to hang from the ceiling: think of it as a rotating thesaurusCrazy phrases: take your word lists and combine 4-5 words into phrases: "slinking enchiladas drooping at sunset"Conversation Stoppers: sentences that would be guaranteed to halt all conversation: "Dad, did you ever catch that snake?"Do It Yourself Dictionary: write original words - "superflubulous" isn't real, but it's a great word and could mean loads of things!Alphabet Adventures: for each letter, write a word that fits a particular category, such as Words That Describe SmellsBig Word Books: Give kids a list of big words and let them write sentences and stories with them (without knowing what they mean!)Spoonerisms: Mixed-up phrases, such as, "I want cananas and bream in my oatmeal."
2. Experiencing Ideas (Great for teaching ESL writing!)
To be able to write, children must have something to draw upon. Most of your kids will write without any "romance," but it won't be the creative writing ideas you were hoping for. Here are some suggestions:
Music Without Words: melodies can inspire lists, phrases, thoughts, images and descriptions of feelingsMusic With Words: change the words, add a verse, create a new title, stories set to the themeArt: create poems based on the colors present in art (Picasso's blue period could inspire a poem about feeling blue, the ocean or blueberries!)Taste: eat an apple together and write word lists about an apple (crunchy, sweet, juicy, dribbling, shiny). Use these to create restaurant menusMovement: move like a tiger then write phrases that express that movementScience Experiments: write a class newspaper based on results from an experiment. For example, "Students Served Mexican Jumping Beans: Cafeteria Erupts in Chaos!"
3. Instead of a Story...use creative writing ideas!
Visit a graveyard then write humorous epithetsSentence stretching: start with a short sentence then pass it around the class/small group. Each student adds a word or two to make it more interesting. Click here for a PDF of starter sentences.Write an invitation to a fairy tale ballA new explanation for a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake - get creative!A complaint about having too much homeworkWrite questions about things your students really want to knowInterview questions for a celebrity (then maybe switch and write secret responses?)A persuasive letter from you as a turkey at Thanksgiving, and convince your mom not to cook youA persuasive letter to Santa from the elf union about their working conditionsWarning labels: Don't eat brussel sprouts - they cause massive gastrical blow-outs!Wanted Posters for historical figures (Wanted: Genghis Khan for marauding, pillaging and total destruction of property)Thank you notes for something you never wanted in the first placeDo You Want to Know a Secret? - write a silly secret on notepaper and let your students pass them around
Using creative writing ideas really supports the idea of romancing your writers. Remember to provide many experiences prior to actually teaching writing skills, and your students will reward you with imaginative pieces that really show their talents.
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