Giving students an opportunity to write fiction is an important and empowering experience. Too often personal narrative, persuasive, and expository trump all other forms of writing in our classrooms. Meanwhile, we read multiple short stories and novels – all examples of creative narratives that we analyze and exalt. Having student analyze fiction, but not create it runs the risk of sending students a terrible message: the fiction they could write is inferior and not worth creating.
In order for students to really understand why authors do
what they do, students must take on the role of the author. Good readers read as writers. When
deciding the parameters of a creative writing assignment, I look to my reading
standards, not just writing.
Pre-writing plays a key role:
Theme: Get short
stories with substance by asking students to find an inspirational quotation on
http://www.quotationspage.com/ and then create a plot that proves the theme
to be true. Model an example, create plot charts, and let students conference
just on the plot charts and ideas so they can refine and get feedback.
Character: By
creating innovative and realistic characters, student practice
characterization. Character profiles, like the one over at National Novel Writing Month’s
teacher resources packet, gives students the scaffolding they need to flesh
out their ideas. Use my
lesson on the coronation scene from Frozen
to help show students the versatility of dialogue.
Symbol: My
students were really struggling with analyzing symbols. I wanted them to see
symbols from the other point of view, as the author. I modeled with my own
story – a stunning narrative that involved Brad Pitt buying me flowers.
Stage directions:
This year, our district moved drama unit into the same grading period as our
narrative reading and writing units, so I took this as an opportunity to change
the short story to a script. Capitalizing on the standards for our grade level
that asks students to analyze stage directions, we looked at models and
students used them to establish characterization and symbols.
What’s more, the kids have fun! The creative process is
engaging. Students are energized. The testing genres are killing our kids. They
have voices and characters and worlds ready to be unleashed! Creative writing
opens the doors to those worlds and lets kids speak through their characters.
