Students will write a short story (either individually or in pairs) from creative ideas they imagine and develop from a prompt built from Toobeez.
Time: 15 minutes
Materials
Setup
Time: 20 minutes for ideas; Add 20 minutes for writing
Space: Medium
Instruction: Individual or pairs
Helpful Hints
– a tower (is someone or something locked inside?)
– a door (where does it lead – another room or another land?)
– a box (is it a treasure chest, a present?)
– a helicopter, a boat, a spaceship or more
Here are available Training Options!
1. Circle up the group.
Discuss the difference between non-fiction writing (such as a biography or a research paper) and fictional writing (such as stories or poetry). Have students discuss the different purposes and the importance of both of these types of writing, as well as the possible audiences of each.
2. Review the term “rhyme scheme” with the group before continuing.
*Creative writing is difficult to define because this type of writing encompasses many areas and ideas, as well as the unique imaginations of each individual writer. Story ideas can vary. Sometimes these pieces are structured and sometimes they are not. Creative writing can include plays, poems, narratives, commentaries and more.
3. Read aloud the following Activity Challenge Box to the group.
Challenge: Students will write a short story (either individually or in pairs) from creative ideas they imagine and develop from a prompt built from Toobeez.
4. Display the Toobeez structure(s) before the class.
5. Students will then use brainstorming techniques or a story map to brainstorm ideas for a short story. Have students focus on a simple plot line to keep their story from going on endlessly. Students should create a simple conflict for their character(s) to face.
6. Conference briefly with students as they plan their stories. Once the short story has been mapped out, students may begin to draft their story.
7. After the activity, move to the “Activity Discussion and Processing” section of the activity.
Sample prompt structure: You can provide a story starter to accompany your structure or you can let students write simply from imagination.
Sample Story Starter
One afternoon, while hiking in the woods with
your friend, you came across a mysterious
bridge you had never seen before… .
This structure could represent a bridge. You can share what your structure is, or you can let the students’ creativity take over. You can also provide a story starter like the one below to help students generate ideas.
