Module Overviews and Suggested Activities

Options

Teachers have the option of organizing the course according to either context or writing genre. Option A (Context) offers the advantage of encouraging students to see all writing as having connections to the world around them and to their own individual perspectives. Option B (Writing Genre) offers the advantage of providing significant background in all four writing genres. However, the difference between the two should be minimised and should not be seen as a difference in content. All students should explore contexts and ideas, and all students should experience all four writing genres, no matter how the course is organized.

Module Content

The following should guide the teacher in planning the modules for Creative Writing 20:

• All modules should be based on the foundational and learning objectives.
• The emphasis in the modules should be on student writing.
• Necessary content about writing should be taught through mini-lessons, student presentations, or discussion.
• Necessary content should be taught within the context of the students’ own projects and as the students need the information.
• References to published literature and writers should be frequent.
• Discussion about the creative process, students' writing, writing issues, and the role of literature in society should be continuous.
• Activities should be focused on ideas and getting started with a writing project, unless a need for another type of writing exercise is expressed by a student or group of students.
• Students should spend a significant amount of time learning about what inspires them to write and exploring sources for their own writing. This is true even if the course is organized according to writing genre (Option B).
• Students should experience all four writing genres covered by this course, even if the course is organized according to context (Option A) rather than writing genre.

Objectives

The foundational objectives provided in the course overview of this guide apply to all modules. Specific learning objectives should be selected by the teacher, as appropriate. Selection will vary from classroom to classroom and even from student to student. The teacher should cover all learning objectives over the duration of the course.

Mini-lessons

It is not intended that the content in the Teacher Information section of this guide be taught routinely to all students. Rather, it is provided as background for the teacher, to be taught as needed in the form of mini-lessons. Mini-lessons or presentations might be made to the whole class (e.g., a brief lecture on point of view) or to small groups of students (e.g., a brief discussion on precise adjective choice with four students working on poems). Students might also take charge of this type of content by presenting to each other. Each student might become the "class expert" on one concept or topic.

Incorporating Literature

It is essential that students understand the connection between reading and writing. At the beginning of the term, teachers and students together should generate and post a list of materials they have read in English language arts classes and on their own. These works can then be referred to in general discussion when examples are required to illustrate concepts.

Teachers could also institute "book talks" as a regular part of classroom routine. At some point during the term, each student could present to the rest of the class a literary work that he or she believes is connected in some way to his or her own writing (style, subject matter, geographical location, characters, etc.).

In their writing folders and portfolios, students should be expected to include notes about literature they have read on their own time: what they have learned about writing from the work, what inspires them about the work, what is unique about the writer's style, etc.

Discussion on Writing

Discussion on writing should be continuous in the creative writing classroom. It should occur formally, initiated by the teacher according to need. It should also be encouraged among students. The following are examples of appropriate discussion topics:

• where specific writers get their ideas
• how to learn to be a writer
• the creative process
• how different writers have different writing processes
• how style is influenced by what a writer has read
• how style is influenced by subject matter
• what kind of writing is currently being published in literary magazines
• similarities between writing and other art forms
• censorship issues.

Activities

The activities suggested in the following section are pre-writing strategies. They are intended to help the students find ideas to write about that are interesting and meaningful to them. For Option A, the pre-writing strategies are based on the suggested module contexts. For Option B, the pre-writing strategies are based on the writing genres.

Pre-writing strategies are useful only as practice and for generating ideas. When students have found something that interests them, they should work through the idea in their own way and proceed through the stages of the writing process. As the teacher introduces new strategies, students who are already working on something else can note the strategies in their idea notebooks, for future reference.

Writing Exercises

Sometimes a different kind of writing exercise will be required: one that is aimed at teaching a certain writing concept (e.g., retell a story from a newspaper clipping in the first person and then in the third person, in order to understand the difference in point of view). These exercises should be designed by the teacher in response to student need and follow a mini-lesson. They can be used with the whole class, small groups of students with a similar need, or individual students.

Writing exercises should be used judiciously and only as needed. They should not take up too much class time. If they do, students will not have the time they need to explore their own writing ideas.

The following is an example of a writing exercise designed to teach or reinforce a specific concept.

• The following plot summary can be used to explore point of view:

  The story is about a teenager who sees a hit and run accident in which someone is gravely injured. He/she goes to the police but cannot give them any information about the driver of the car. He/she begins to suspect that he/she is being followed by someone, and that it is the driver of the car.

  • Write the events of the above paragraph in the first person from the point of view of the teenager.
  • Write the events in the third person from the point of view of the teenager.
  • Write the events in an omniscient point of view, exploring the consciousness of both the teenager who thinks he/she is being followed and the person in the car, who might or might not be innocent.

Ideas and Genres

Whichever option the teacher chooses for organizing the modules, students should experience all four genres covered by this course and spend a significant amount of time exploring ideas. The difference between Option A and Option B is conceptual and is one of focus. The goal is the same: for students to learn about their own processes and sources for ideas through the writing genres.

Option A: Organizing the Course by Context

This option provides the opportunity for students to choose their own writing genres in order to explore broader contexts. The commonality among the students, then, is the context rather than the writing genre; one student might choose to explore an idea through poetry while another might explore the same idea through nonfiction. Through Option A, students practise selecting the writing genre that best expresses their own ideas. The introductory module in Option A provides background in the four writing genres.

The topics given for Modules 2 to 5 are suggestions only. Teachers can develop other contexts or topics that might inspire their students and offer the opportunity for discussion on where ideas came from for writing.

Module 1: Introduction The purpose of Module 1 is as follows: to introduce students to the creative process to clarify the connections between literary traditions, reading, and writing to review the stages of the writing process to review the basics of conferencing to introduce students to the basic vocabulary and concepts for writing poetry, short fiction, plays, and nonfiction.	Module 2: The World Around us The purpose of Module 2 is to encourage students to see that writers are often inspired to write by the world around them. Student writing could be inspired by such subjects as nature, friends, family, and rural, urban, and northern environments.	Module 3: Popular Culture The purpose of Module 3 is to encourage students to examine the world of mass culture as a source of ideas. Student writing could be inspired by such subjects as advertising, mass production, the information highway, and mass media.
Module 4: Imagination The purpose of Module 4 is to encourage students to see that their own unique imaginations are valuable sources for ideas. The imagination can lead students in any direction, from fantasy to science fiction to well-imagined realism. The imagination is the writer's means of bringing an idea "to life" through the various writing genres.	Module 5: Differing Perspectives The purpose of Module 5 is to encourage students to see that every work of art is completed from a certain perspective and that each writer's background, beliefs, and experiences contribute to his or her perspective. The module will encourage students to learn about their own perspectives through writing and to recognize that individual perspectives differ.	Module 6: Independent Project Module 6 provides an opportunity for students to work on a project of their own choosing. The focus should be on selection of subject matter and writing genre that is important to the individual student, so students can begin to learn what especially interests them about writing. They might also plan a project in which they work with a writer or another person involved with writing.

Module 1: Introduction

The purpose of Module 1 is as follows:

• to introduce students to the creative process
• to clarify the connections between literary traditions, reading, and writing
• to review the stages of the writing process
• to review the basics of conferencing
• to introduce students to the basic vocabulary and concepts for writing poetry, short fiction, plays, and nonfiction.

Suggested Activities

The following are examples of the types of activities that can be used to introduce students to the Creative Writing 20 course.

Note: The activities provided in these module descriptions should be viewed as a "starter list" only. Teachers should add other activities they are familiar with or that they find in teacher resources listed in the bibliography. The activities or pre-writing strategies are intended to add to the students' understanding of concepts and to inspire them to develop their own ideas. When students are inspired by one of the activities, they should continue and take the idea in any direction that interests them, working through the phases of the writing process.

• Introduce the course and procedures: modules, genres, expectations, journals, portfolios, book talks, assessment and evaluation, etc.
• Discuss the following: The creative process is an organic one and is unique to individual artists and students. It describes the complex interaction between the writer and the work-in-process.
• Discuss the following: "... think of the writing in terms of discovery, which is to say that creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting." (Gertrude Stein)
• Create a display of quotations on creativity or the creative process. Ask each student to contribute a quotation, including the writer's name and an approximate date.
• Have small groups of students research and present a brief study of what one writer (of the group's choosing) has to say about creativity or the creative process.
• Create a list of literary works that most of the students have read. These can be works studied in previous English language arts classes or from the students' own reading. Include poetry, fiction, plays, and nonfiction. Post the list for reference throughout the course.
• Have students do a first draft of any piece of writing that interests them. It can be new or a piece of writing on which they have already worked. Have the students go through the steps of the writing process with this piece of writing. For this project only, assign dates for the completion of the phases, so that students go through the phases together. For this assignment only, the focus is on the writing process, rather than the writing itself. (If students are particularly interested in this particular writing project, they can continue working on it beyond this series of lessons.)
• Review peer and teacher conferencing with the students. Practise, using the above writing project. Establish peer conferencing guidelines and post them. Although students will engage in various types of conferencing throughout the course, ask them to be aware of their personal preferences for conferencing: student-teacher, student-peer, or small group.
• Introduce poetry to students by:
  • discussing what poetry is, especially contemporary poetry
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting poetry concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., line breaks, rhythm)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a poem from an idea, rather than a short story or a play
  • writing and discussing poems.
• Introduce short fiction to students by:
  • discussing what short fiction is, especially contemporary short fiction
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting short fiction concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., point of view, structure)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a short story from an idea, rather than a poem or a play
  • discussing the similarities and differences between short fiction and novels in terms of idea, scope, and structure
  • writing and discussing short stories.
• Introduce play writing to students by:
  • discussing what plays are, especially contemporary plays
  • discussing various types of contemporary plays (full length dramas, one act plays, "fringe" plays, street theatre, etc.)
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting play writing concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., dramatic dialogue, dramatic action)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a play from an idea, rather than a short story or a poem
  • writing and discussing short plays or scenes.
• Introduce literary nonfiction to students by:
  • discussing what nonfiction is, especially contemporary literary nonfiction
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting nonfiction concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., research sources, incorporating dialogue)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write literary nonfiction from an idea rather than fiction or more traditional journalism
  • writing and discussing literary nonfiction.
• Have each student select one piece of writing that interests him or her, from any writing genre. Ask the students to consider what the original source idea for the piece might have been (e.g., nature, a memory, human emotions, a dream, history, something from a book or movie, an idea from a specialized area such as physics or philosophy). As a class, create a large concept web of the various sources of ideas for writing. Students can incorporate ideas from the writing pieces they selected and add other ideas as the concept web progresses. The teacher might transfer the concept web onto letter-sized paper and copy it for each student's own reference.

Module 2: The World Around Us

The purpose of Module 2 is to encourage students to see that writers are often inspired to write by the world around them. Student writing could be inspired by such subjects as nature, friends, family, and rural, urban, and northern environments.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions specific to genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What are the different ways people can be inspired by the world around them?
• About what aspects of the world around you are you especially interested in writing?
• Is there a particular tone you like to take when writing about the world around you?
• What writers do you like who are inspired by the world around them?
• How is some aspect of the world around you reflected in this selection of your writing?
• Does it say what you intend it to say? If not, where does the problem lie?
• What are the strengths of this writing?
• How could this writing lead to other writing projects?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

The following are suggestions for pre-writing strategies to get students started on writing projects that are inspired by the world around them.

• Have each student bring to school a small manufactured object from home ( e.g., a dinner fork, a wrench, a nail, a sock). Display the objects. Have students:
  • free write about one or more objects
  • come up with five descriptive words for an object and then incorporate them in a poem
  • write a monologue from the point of view of the object
  • choose any two objects and write a paragraph that makes reference to both of them.
• Have each student bring to school an object from nature (e.g., a rock, a pine cone, dried plants). Display the objects. Have students:
  • free write about one or more objects
  • come up with five descriptive words for an object and then incorporate them in a poem
  • free write on personal associations with nature
  • imagine and describe in writing the natural setting from which one of the objects might have come.
• Have each student bring a photograph to school. The photo can be of a person, an animal, a scene, a building--anything. Have students write a paragraph, a poem, or some dialogue about the photo. Next, have students imagine that another character of their own invention is in the above photo. They should think about:
  • where the person is
  • what he or she is doing
  • what happened just before the photo was taken
  • what will happen next.

    Have students write again about the photo with the new character in it. Students might then try combining their two pieces of writing in some way.

• Have students think of some place that is meaningful to them or has been in the past, and have them free write about that place.
• Have students look for "symbols" in the community--flags, logos, emblems, signs, etc. Have students write about one community symbol in several different ways, such as:
  • in a sentimental way
  • in an ironic way
  • in a descriptive way
  • satirically
  • humorously.
• Have each student bring a newspaper article to school that tells a story or describes a sequence of events. Have students write one of the following:
  • a narrative poem
  • a series of diary entries from one person's point of view
  • a passage of dialogue between two people
  • descriptions of the people in the article
  • an "update" article that would be written in a month's time.
• Invite a local historian to the classroom, or go on a field trip to a local archive or museum. Explore community history by listening to stories; looking at old newspapers, local history books, and photographs; examining artifacts; and reading old letters or other such archival material. In response to these experiences, have students:
  • free write
  • describe a setting they learned about
  • retell an anecdote
  • write a story set in the past
  • write a poem about a person or event they learned about
  • write something in which an artifact features prominently
  • write something based on an old letter
  • create a series of letters between two people they learned about
  • write a dramatic monologue for a person they learned about.
• Have students write about something meaningful that happened to them: getting stranded in a blizzard, winning or losing a big game, witnessing an accident, etc.
• Have students write a series of diary entries (hourly, daily, or weekly) about something that happened to them: getting ready for a big game or tournament, getting lost in a strange city, shopping for a pair of shoes. It can be serious, humorous, satirical, etc.
• Have students write a eulogy for a car, a pet, an old pair of jeans or runners, etc.
• Bring an exotic fruit or vegetable to school that most students will not have eaten or with which they will not be very familiar. Have everyone in the class try it and then write a poem, description, story, etc. in response.
• Have students make note of a conversation they overhear somewhere in the community (in the grocery store, in a video rental store, on a bus, in the post office, etc.). Have them recreate the conversation in the form of dialogue.
• Have students describe what they think is the most interesting spot in their community.

Module 3: Popular Culture

The purpose of Module 3 is to encourage students to examine the world of mass culture as a source of ideas. Student writing could be inspired by such subjects as advertising, mass production, the information highway, and mass media.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-Teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only.

Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions specific to genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What are the various ways artists are inspired by or are influenced by popular or mass culture?
• What interests you in particular about popular or mass culture?
• Do you see it as a good thing or a bad thing?
• How is your perspective on popular or mass culture reflected in this writing?
• What tone have you taken to express your ideas in this writing?
• Is it the best tone for expressing your ideas in this piece of writing?
• What are the strengths of this piece of writing?
• In what ways might you explore the effects of popular or mass culture further?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

The following are suggestions for pre-writing strategies to get students started on writing projects that explore some aspect of popular culture.

• Discuss the meaning of the terms "mass culture" and "popular culture". Compile a list of all the things students think might be vehicles for mass culture (e.g., television, music videos, advertising, the Internet).
• Have small groups discuss statements such as the following and then present summaries of their discussion to the rest of the class. The purpose is to have students explore the meaning of popular culture.
  • Music videos are valid as an art form.
  • Advertising reflects the values of mass culture.
  • Popular culture can affect society in significant ways (e.g., through fashion trends).
  • Television has an impact on the values of society.
  • Popular culture is visible all around us.
  • Popular culture reflects conformist attitudes.
• Have each student explore the effect of popular culture on society and on themselves by choosing one aspect of popular culture that interests them and creating a concept web or mind map. Display the concept webs as references for the whole class.
• Have students do five minutes of free writing on each of three different broad aspects of popular culture (e.g., fashion, advertising, movies). After they have completed their free writing, ask them to narrow down each of the three topics (e.g., wedding dresses, car ads, Brad Pitt). Have them free write on the narrower topics.
• Have each student choose a product to be advertised and then make a list of words describing the product. Create a poem in the form of an advertising poster.
• Have each student "borrow" a line from a favourite song or movie (e.g., "Make my day"). Create a piece of writing around it.
• Read and study a variety of print advertisements. Have each student choose one and turn it into a piece of writing, incorporating the words from the advertisement, but also adding their own words or ideas in response to the advertisement--making fun of it, embellishing it, etc.
• Have each student select a place that is in some way a gathering place for large numbers of people (e.g., a sports arena, a shopping mall, a movie theatre). Have them write a paragraph describing the place or its atmosphere when it is full of people. Next, give students a list of "what if" statements. The following are examples:
  • What if a space ship landed?
  • What if a lion escaped from the zoo?
  • What if a tornado was sighted?
  • What if a gang of bikers pulled up and parked?

  Ask students to write a paragraph in response to the "what if" statement. Then, ask them to combine their two paragraphs in some way or to use the information in the two paragraphs in a new way (e.g., in a poem).

• Have students write a short description of the plot of a music video with which they are familiar, focusing on cause and effect. (Because one thing happens, something else happens, and so on.) Then, have them change the plot by introducing a new element (e.g., a new character, a new plot detail, a shift in time).
• Have each student write a "news flash"--some news item that would interrupt regular radio or television programming. Then, have them use their news flash in a piece of writing.
• Have students write about some familiar ritual of popular or mass culture (e.g., a wedding).
• Have students research writing on the Internet. (The Saskatchewan Writers Guild's high school magazine Windscript is available on the Internet, for example.) What effect might the Internet have on writing? The writing itself? The independence of writers? The inclusion of photographs and graphics? Have the students create some writing for the school's web site.
• Have students write five minutes of "stream of consciousness" writing as if they were a familiar character from a TV show, movie, or book.
• Have students bring headlines from tabloid papers to school. List as many headlines as possible. Have students free write in response to one or more of the headlines.
• Have students write dialogue between two people featured in a tabloid headline or between two people featured in any newspaper article.
• Conduct a mini-lesson on the art movement called "pop art". Discuss how pop artists often take images from mass culture and create something new with them. Find a reproduction of a famous person from art history, such as the Mona Lisa. Have students begin a piece of writing (any genre) in response to the art work.
• Have students write a dramatic scene between any two characters from art history (not necessarily from the same period).
• Have students write a dramatic scene between characters from two different movies or television shows.
• As a class, list topics for nonfiction articles on various aspects of popular or mass culture. Have each student choose one or more topics and imagine an innovative way to research and write the article. Have them write in their notebooks what they would write about and how.

Module 4: Imagination

The purpose of Module 4 is to encourage students to see that their own unique imaginations are valuable sources for ideas. The imagination can lead students in any direction, from fantasy to science fiction to well-imagined realism. The imagination is the writer's means of bringing an idea "to life" through the various writing genres.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions specific to genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• How is the term "imagination" relevant for this particular piece of your writing?
• What have you tried to do to bring the writing to life for the reader?
• What is unique about the way the writing is imagined?
• What are the particular strengths in the writing?
• How has theme or meaning been created through your imagination?
• How can ideas be reflected through imagination?
• In what places is the writing "well imagined" ?
• In what places does the writing seem to be struggling?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

The following are suggestions for pre-writing strategies to get students started on writing projects that focus on imagination.

• Discuss with students the breadth of the topic "imagination". Imagination is the essence of creative endeavour. Many students will think that imagination refers to such writing as science fiction or fantasy. Make sure they understand that imagination also applies to realism. As writers, they imagine something to life for themselves and for the reader, no matter in what kind of writing they are engaged.
• Have students imagine and list all possible uses for an everyday object (e.g., a brick, an egg beater, a toothpick, a paper plate).
• Have students record unusual sounds on tape. Then, have them write words that go with or describe their sounds. Use the sounds and words in a poem or to create atmosphere in a passage of fiction.
• Create a series of "what if" poems: What if I could be a character in my favourite book or movie? What if I lived in Australia? What if I were a rhinoceros?
• Have students create an imaginary landscape (e.g., Earth at the time of the dinosaurs, an imaginary planet, an undiscovered ecosystem). Have them describe their landscape, then use their description in a poem or a piece of fiction, or set a dramatic scene there.
• Have students imagine themselves as another character (e.g., from a book or movie, from history, from a famous painting). Have them, as that character, give a public lecture on a topic such as:
  • the efficiency/inefficiency of public transit or the postal system
  • Canadian unity
  • contemporary music
  • contemporary fashion
  • Canadian versus American football
  • the pleasures of fishing or wilderness camping.
• Tell students about the musical Sunday in the Park with George and explain how it was created from a famous painting by Georges Seurat (people in the painting come to life). View a reproduction of the painting or scenes from the video. Have students find a painting with several people in it and imagine what they would say or do if they came to life. Have them write dialogue, poems, or paragraphs.
• Have students imagine that they are inside a common object. Have them make up and describe an imaginary landscape inside that object.
• Have students imagine a "what if" situation. For example, what if you were walking in a park and you saw someone handing out hundred dollar bills to everyone who passed by, without saying a word. Three people come along as you watch.

  Have students imagine answers to questions such as the following:

  • Why is the person handing out money?
  • What does he or she look like?
  • Where does the money come from?
  • Do you take the money?
  • What does each of the other three people do?
  • What does the person with the money do when it is all gone?
  • What are the consequences of taking or not taking the money?
• Have students find two things:
  • a piece of writing that they like and that they feel has been "brought alive" by the writer
  • a newspaper article that describes a series of events.

  Have students work in pairs to decide what their two writers have done to bring the writing alive. Next, have students retell the newspaper narrative using whatever technique they think their selected writer has used.

• Have students think of something that really happened to them. Have them write a personal essay about the event or incident, incorporating techniques of fiction to bring the writing alive (e.g., dialogue).
• Have students think of something that really happened to them. Have them add a fictitious character or incident that did not really happen.
• Have students bring books of fables and fairy tales to school, or get some from the library. Have each student select one fairy tale or fable and retell it as though it were happening in modern times or a modern setting. (They could also use a well-known fairy tale and work from memory.)
• Have students imagine themselves in another time (e.g., historical or futuristic, on Earth, on another planet or space station). Have them describe one or more of the following:
  • the setting
  • how people live
  • plants and animals
  • travel and vehicles
  • the nature of community and inter-community relations
  • government
  • ceremonies (such as marriages or honouring ceremonies).

Module 5: Differing Perspectives

The purpose of Module 5 is to encourage students to see that every work of art is completed from a certain perspective and that each writer's background, beliefs, and experiences contribute to his or her perspective. The module will encourage students to learn about their own perspectives through writing and to recognize that individual perspectives differ.

Note: Caution should be exercised in this module to ensure that students do not get the impression that writers should be able to write authentically from many different perspectives. A writer can write well only from a perspective that is understood. (However, that is not to say that a writer can write only from his or her own perspective. Many writers do write convincingly from a perspective that is not their own.) Students should also understand that perspectives are individual: not all women writers share the same perspective, for example; not all Aboriginal writers share the same perspective. An individual writer's perspective (including the student's) is unique and will result in unique ideas and points of view.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions specific to genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• Is the piece written from a particular point of view? If so, what or whose?
• Is the voice convincing? If not, what could help you be more convincing?
• How does perspective influence the writing?
• What is unique about your perspective in this writing?
• What in the writing gives clues about your unique way of looking at the subject matter?
• How is your perspective evident in the theme?
• Is the piece saying what you, the writer, want it to say?
• Does the piece reflect what you, the writer, truly believe?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

• Read aloud two or three poems or examine reproductions of two or three paintings that are connected by theme in some way, but are by different artists. Discuss the differences in perspective. Discuss the factors that might influence perspective(e.g., culture, gender, time period, education, experience, geography). As a group, arrive at a broad definition of perspective.
• Divide the class into two groups. Tell one group that its members believe the sun revolves around the Earth. Tell the other group that its members believe the Earth revolves around the sun. Ask each student to write a brief poem (4 or 5 lines) called "The Sun", keeping in mind his or her group’s particular belief. Read some of the poems out loud. Discuss how the differing perspectives affected the poems.
• Have each student write a description of himself or herself through a friend's eyes. Then have each student write a monologue for his or her friend that tells a story about himself or herself.
• Have students choose a point of view or a vantage point and describe a setting as seen from there (e.g., from a rooftop). Then, have them change vantage point and write another description (e.g., from a basement window).
• Read aloud a version of the city mouse, country mouse story. Ask students to retell the story in a different way (e.g., as a murder mystery, as a futuristic space story).
• Have students write five sentences, a poem, or a sequence of dialogue about:
  • a time when they were insensitive to another
  • a time when they stubbornly rejected another person's point of view
  • a time when someone refused to see their point of view
  • a time when they were forced to see something from someone else's point of view
  • an argument they had when two very different points of view were expressed
  • a historical or political incident that reflected two very different points of view.
  
  (Their writing can be either fictional or nonfictional.)
• Describe a place by making up clues to the identity of the inhabitants (e.g., the furniture, objects, pictures). Have students work in pairs and exchange their descriptions. Then, have them write a poem or paragraph about the people who live in this place, or dialogue between two people in this place.
• Have students imagine a particular animal, perhaps a large dog. Ask students to free write or create poems or paragraphs from the following perspectives:
  • the perspective of a person who is terrified of dogs
  • the perspective of a person who takes in stray dogs and tries to find homes for them
  • the perspective of a person who has never before seen a dog
  • the perspective of a space traveller who is studying everything about the planet Earth.
  
  Or, have them write something from the point of view of the dog encountering each of the above people.
• Have students imagine three characters who are strangers to one another. (They might get these characters by randomly selecting them from a page of a newspaper or by flipping through magazines.) Have them write brief descriptions of who their characters are. Then, randomly assign students a situation, such as the following:
  • their three characters are seated together at a football game where a fight has broken out between fans for the opposing teams
  • their three characters are seated together at a ballet where the lead has just fallen and injured his or her ankle
  • their three characters are in line at a bank that is being robbed
  • their three characters are seated together on an aeroplane and the captain has just announced they are having "mechanical difficulties".

  Have students write one of the following:

  • some dialogue among the three characters
  • the private thoughts of each of the three characters
  • a description of the action that each of the three characters takes
  • a diary entry at the end of the day for each of the three characters.
• Have students find an article in the newspaper or a magazine that is about a controversial issue (e.g., Canadian unity, free trade, the Young Offenders Act). Have them write a "letter to the editor" or a monologue from a point of view that is not their own.
• Have students write a poem from the point of view of a historical figure that interests them.
• Have students write some dialogue between two historical figures from different time periods on the topic "The Future". Their writing can be serious or humorous; this will depend on the figures they choose and how they choose to portray them.

Module 6: Independent Project

Module 6 provides an opportunity for students to work on a project of their own choosing. The focus should be on selection of subject matter and writing genre that is important to the individual student, so students can begin to learn what especially interests them about writing. They might also plan a project in which they work with a writer or another person involved with writing.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions specific to genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What are the strengths of this writing?
• How is your unique perspective reflected in the writing?
• What is a particular challenge for you in this project?
• How might you see the writing in a new way during revision, so that you are not simply editing the first draft?
• Might any writing exercises be designed to help the student writer with problems he or she is having with this project?
• Are there any literature selections that might inspire the student or help to resolve some difficulties with the writing?
• What are the particular challenges of the genre chosen?
• Is it the best writing genre for this particular idea?
• In what new directions might this writing project lead?

Guidelines for Independent Projects

• Students can select a project inspired by any of the previous modules or from an entirely new source.
• Students can select one of the four genres covered in this course or they can select something different (e.g., a television or film script, a small magazine or "zine" format, a comic book).
• Students should outline the amount of time they will spend on the project and set timelines and check points for themselves.
• Student and teacher should agree on how much in-class time will spent on the project and how that time will be used.
• Students should decide on the type of feedback and conferencing that will most help them, and identify the individuals or group with whom they would like to consult. They might consult with an appropriate person outside of the school, with the teacher's approval (a writer or editor in the community, for example).
• Students should keep some kind of journal or record of their experience and progress. The purpose of this is to help them become familiar with their own creative process and writing habits.
• Student and teacher should identify some literature selections and critical articles or reviews that might help or inspire the student, or increase his or her repertoire with language.
• Student and teacher should decide how and when the project will be assessed and evaluated.
• Student and teacher should decide if and how the project will be published, displayed, or shared with other students.

Option B: Organizing the Course by Writing Genre

This option provides the opportunity for students to explore in some depth the four writing genres of poetry, short fiction, play writing, and nonfiction. The commonality among the students, then, is the writing genre; for example, all students will work on poetry writing at the same time. Through Option B, students learn how their ideas can be expressed in the four writing genres. The introductory module in Option B provides background on ideas and sources for writing.

Module 1: Introduction The purpose of Module 1 is as follows: to introduce students to the creative process to clarify the connections between literary traditions, reading, and writing to review the stages of the writing process to review the basics of conferencing to introduce students to the basic vocabulary and concepts for writing poetry, short fiction, plays, and nonfiction.	Module 2: Writing Poetry Module 2 introduces students to poetry writing. The module encourages students to discuss poetry, learn about the elements of contemporary poetry, and express their own ideas through various types of poetry.	Module 3: Writing Fiction Module 3 introduces students to fiction writing, especially short fiction. The module encourages students to discuss fiction, learn about the elements of contemporary fiction, and express their own ideas through various types of fiction.
Module 4: Writing Plays Module 4 introduces students to play writing. The module encourages students to discuss plays, learn about some elements of play writing, and express their own ideas through scenes and short plays.	Module 5: Writing Nonfiction Module 5 introduces students to writing nonfiction. The module encourages students to learn what makes a work of nonfiction a piece of creative writing. They will also discuss literary nonfiction and its development, read nonfiction, and express their own ideas through nonfiction.	Module 6: Independent Project Module 6 provides an opportunity for students to work on a project of their own choosing. The focus should be on selection of subject matter and writing genre that is important to the individual student, so students can begin to learn what especially interests them about writing. They might also plan a project in which they work with a writer or another person involved with writing.

Module 1: Introduction

The purpose of Module 1 is as follows:

• to introduce students to the creative process
• to clarify the connections between literary traditions, reading, and writing
• to review the stages of the writing process
• to review the basics of conferencing
• to introduce students to the basic vocabulary and concepts for writing poetry, short fiction, plays, and nonfiction.

Suggested Activities

The following are examples of the types of activities that can be used to introduce students to the Creative Writing 20 course.

Note: The activities provided in these module descriptions should be viewed as a "starter list" only. Teachers should add other activities they are familiar with or that they find in teacher resources listed in the bibliography. The activities or pre-writing strategies are intended to add to the students' understanding of concepts and to inspire them to develop their own ideas. When students are inspired by one of the activities, they should continue and take the idea in any direction that interests them, working through the phases of the writing process.

• Introduce the course and procedures: modules, genres, expectations, journals, portfolios, book talks, assessment and evaluation, etc.
• Discuss the following: The creative process is an organic one, and is unique to individual artists and students. It describes the complex interaction between the writer and the work-in-process.
• Discuss the following: "... think of the writing in terms of discovery, which is to say that creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting." (Gertrude Stein)
• Create a display of quotations on creativity or the creative process. Ask each student to contribute a quotation, including the writer's name and an approximate date.
• Have small groups of students research and present a brief study of what one writer (of the group's choosing) has to say about creativity or the creative process.
• Create a list of literary works that most of the students have read. These can be works studied in previous English language arts classes or from the students' own reading. Include poetry, fiction, plays, and nonfiction. Post the list for reference throughout the course.
• Have students do a first draft of any piece of writing that interests them. It can be new or a piece of writing on which they have already worked. Have the students go through the steps of the writing process with this piece of writing. For this project only, assign dates for the completion of the phases, so that students go through the phases together. For this assignment only, the focus is on the writing process, rather than the writing itself. (If students are particularly interested in this particular writing project, they can continue working on it beyond this series of lessons.)
• Review peer and teacher conferencing with the students. Practise, using the above writing project. Establish peer conferencing guidelines and post them. Although students will engage in various types of conferencing throughout the course, ask them to be aware of their personal preferences for conferencing: student-teacher, student-peer, or small group.
• Have each student select one piece of writing that interests him or her, from any writing genre. Ask the students to consider what the original source idea for the piece might have been (e.g., nature, a memory, human emotions, a dream, history, something from a book or movie, an idea from a specialized area such as physics or philosophy). As a class, create a large concept web of the various sources of ideas for writing. Students can incorporate ideas from the writing pieces they selected and add other ideas as the concept web progresses. The teacher might transfer the concept web onto letter-sized paper and copy it for each student's own reference.
• Select one source of inspiration from the concept web (e.g., nature). As a class, do an in-depth study that includes exploration of the following:
  • how that source has inspired writers in different time periods and different cultures
  • how it is reflected in different writing genres
  • how it is reflected in popular or mass culture (e.g., comic books or movies)
  • varying tones and styles expressed or developed by individual writers
  • connections with other art forms (e.g., visual art, dance, music)
  • critical writing or reviews that analyze or shed light on the topic.

Module 2: Writing Poetry

Module 2 introduces students to poetry writing. The module encourages students to discuss poetry, learn about the elements of contemporary poetry, and express their own ideas through various types of poetry.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions for revision of each genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What is the essence of this poem?
• Are the words chosen exactly the right ones?
• Is this the kind of poem that requires the very minimum of words or can it incorporate longer, more complex words patterns?
• Does the rhythm of the poem work?
• How does the poem reflect your own particular ideas about language?
• How does the order of the words or thoughts in the poem help to clarify or reveal the meaning?
• How does your poem reflect your unique "take" on the subject matter?
• What are the strengths of your poetry?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

• Introduce poetry to students by:
  • discussing what poetry is, especially contemporary poetry
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting poetry concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., line breaks, rhythm)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a poem from an idea, rather than a short story or a play.
• Have students look at or perceive something in real life as though it were a "picture" or a photograph. Have them capture that picture in words.
• Have students think about the sound of words they like. Have them select one and write a poem about why they like the sound of that word.
• Have students find a short poem that they like and analyze it for the following:
  • the subject matter
  • the kind of words and language used
  • whether the writer is a presence in the poem or is at a distance.

  Then, have students write their own short poem in the style of the original. They might do this with several different poems to experience writing in different styles and about different subject matter.

• In small groups, have students select an article in the newspaper that somehow connects to the word "justice" or the word "injustice". Have the group create a "tableau" in response to the article. Then, have each student capture the essence of the tableau in words.
• Have students quickly look around, inside or out. Ask them to seize upon something that leaps to the eye (e.g., a flower, a truck, a dog). Have them write ten descriptors of it. Or, have students write ten one-sentence "lies" about it. Lies are extremely useful to the poet, since before you can tell a lie, you must know what the truth is. Sometimes, truths that were previously hidden will suddenly be discovered.
• Have students write a poem with one of the following conditions:
  • using only adjectives
  • using no adjectives
  • using only sentence fragments
  • using no verbs
  • with no punctuation
  • without line breaks
  • using only words starting with consonants
  • using only words starting with vowels
  • etc.
• Have students find a short article in the newspaper. Ask them to eliminate as many words as possible and still retain the essence of the story. They do not need to worry about sentences or paragraphs, and they can break the lines wherever they want for clarity.
• Have students mix the senses in unusual ways by responding to questions such as:
  • What colour is the number seven?
  • What does red sound like?
  • What colour is surprise, or sleep, or winning, or pain?
  • How does purple taste?
  • Which is louder, a smile or a frown?
  • Which is rougher, yellow or pink?
  • Which is quicker, green or black?
  • Which is friendlier, a point or a line?
  • How is laughter like peanut butter?
  • Is mud softer than midnight?
  • What takes more space, a pickle or a giggle?
  • What weighs more, a scream or a sack of potatoes?
• Have students try one of the following:
  • colour their family or their town
  • describe the smell of success
  • describe the fragrance of a piece of music
  • tell about green feelings or pink feelings
  • describe the feel of touching the night.
• Have students define an abstract idea in concrete terms (concepts such as happiness, war, hate, beauty, family, friendship, pride, jealousy, or anger).
• Have students define events or objects in abstract terms (things like mice, bicycles, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, Chinooks, mermaids, ghosts).
• Music can be a source of inspiration for poetry. Have students free write while listening to music. Afterward, ask them to reflect on how the words and images related to the type of music to which they listened.
• Have students record five or six unusual sounds on tape. Then, have them exchange tapes with a partner and write about what they "see" on each other's tapes.
• Have students create character studies in poem form, by using old family photographs.
• Have students create a series of "what if" poems. (E.g., What if I could be a character in my favourite book or movie? What if I lived in Australia?)
• Have students begin a poem with a word randomly selected in a dictionary, letting their imaginations take over.
• Have students select famous quotations or idiomatic expressions as a place from which to start writing.
• Have students create an argument or a conversation in poem form, featuring any two people (e.g., storekeeper-customer, son-father, pedestrian-motorist).
• Have students write poems in response to their own drawings or sketches.
• Have students write poems in response to paintings, sculptures, or other images in art history books.
• Have students turn a fable, fairy tale, or proverb into a poem.
• Have students find descriptions of events, collections of words, or unusual ideas in daily newspapers, catalogues, cereal boxes, bumper stickers, novels, textbooks, comic books, letters, essays, or recipes. Then, have them recreate the words as "found poetry".
• Have students write a poem to tell a familiar story (a narrative poem).
• Have students work in pairs, with each member of the pair selecting about six words at random from a book. Each partner could then create a poem using all of the other partner's words.
• Have students write a poem in which they compare activity in the same location but at different times (e.g., a certain street at 8:00 am Monday as compared with 1:00 pm Sunday; an arena before, then during, a big game).

Module 3: Writing Fiction

Module 3 introduces students to fiction writing, especially short fiction. The module encourages students to discuss fiction, learn about the elements of contemporary fiction, and express their own ideas through various types of fiction.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions for revision of each genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What is this story about?
• What type of language have you chosen (poetic, sparse, everyday, descriptive) and is it consistent throughout?
• Is the type of language appropriate for the subject matter, characters, setting?
• Does the story unfold in a way that is interesting, intriguing, or satisfying for the reader?
• Is the story convincing and is it well-imagined? If so, why? If not, what might be the reason?
• Does the structure of the story allow the meaning of the story to be revealed or come clear at an appropriate time for the reader?
• How does the story reflect your unique "take" on the subject matter?
• What are the strengths of your fiction writing?

Suggested Pre-writing Activities

• Introduce short fiction to students by:
  • discussing what short fiction is, especially contemporary short fiction
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting short fiction concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., point of view, structure)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a short story from an idea, rather than a poem or a play
  • discussing the similarities and differences between short fiction and novels in terms of idea, scope, and structure.
• Have students write five sentences about:
  • a time when it paid off to be stubborn
  • a time when they either lost or found confidence in themselves
  • what they see when they look out the window
  • being tense, and what makes them feel that way
  • a time when they felt they were insensitive to another person
  • what it is that distracts them and keeps them from concentrating.
• Have students describe a place that always gives them some particular feeling (e.g., their grandparents’ house, the library, a cabin, a park).
• As a class, go to some location nearby (e.g., a football field, a cafeteria, a playground). Ask each student to write a full description of the place without looking at what others are writing. When back in the classroom, compare the different detailed descriptions to illustrate the variety of ways in which the same setting may be described.
• Ask students to choose a point of view or vantage point and describe a setting as seen from there (e.g., from an open window, from the air, through the eyes of their pet).
• Ask students to describe the most interesting street corner they know.
• Have students describe a place where someone they know works (e.g., an office, a shop, a hospital, a garage, a trapper's cabin).
• Have students describe a place by making up clues to the identity of the inhabitants (e.g., the kind of furniture they have, the objects on their tables or walls). Have students pair up and exchange descriptions with their partner. Then, have them write about the type of people who live in the place which their partner described.
• Have students imagine that they are inside a common object. Have them make up an imaginary landscape inside this thing (e.g., a light bulb, a computer, a clothes dryer).
• Have students write five minutes of "stream of consciousness" writing as if they were:
  • a character from a TV show, movie, or book
  • the manager of a convenience store
  • a postal carrier
  • a day care worker after a hard day
  • a person on his or her 100th birthday
  • a sports figure
  • a super hero.
• Ask students to imagine a "what if" situation. For example, "what if" they were standing in line at a bank and a suspicious character walked in holding something under his or her coat. This person walks around the bank in a suspicious manner and seems to be checking out the security system. Have students imagine five different characters in the line at the bank and write a paragraph about:
  • why each is in the bank
  • what each is thinking about while standing in line
  • what each does when he or she notices the suspicious character
  • what the consequences are of what each character does.
• Have students write a dialogue between two people that characterizes them both, without referring directly to either character's personality traits.
• Have students write a dialogue between two people that characterizes someone who is not present, without actually describing the person's character directly.
• Have students select a character they have already imagined for possible use in a short story, and write a brief dialogue between that character and another person under each of the following conditions:
  • one is trying to convince the other to go to a movie
  • one is trying not to let slip a piece of information that he or she has that might affect the other
  • one is trying to tell the other something but cannot get it out
  • the two are driving to the wedding of a mutual friend, who used to go out with one of them.
• Have students write opening paragraphs that contain some sort of "narrative hook" for these two possible short stories:
  • A middle-aged career woman dies suddenly, leaving unfinished business. She is given one day of grace to come back and settle things.
  • A young man decides to fake his own death and move to a distant country.
• From magazines, have each student select a photograph that contains people. Ask them to look at the photograph and assign it a one-sentence theme. Ask them to describe, in writing, the setting and the people. Then, ask them to put a plot in motion by presenting one of the characters with a choice, having the character make a choice, and then imagining what the consequences are.
• Have the students picture, in their minds, a rowboat tied to a dock. Ask them to imagine a person, who gets into the rowboat and rows it out into the lake. When the person gets to the middle of the lake, does he or she:
  • set the oars inside, let the boat drift, and read a book, lose track of time, get caught in a storm, etc.?
  • meet other people out there, who are fishing, diving for a sunken wreck, planning a robbery, etc.?
  • drop the boat’s anchor and go for a swim, explore the opposite shore, lose the boat, etc.?
  • become surprised by a gust of wind and lose an oar, drift to an unknown place, get rescued by a stranger, etc.?
• Describing physical action presents a unique challenge. Students might try some activities like the ones which follow:
  • Describe a young child eating.
  • Write a description of a person doing a sport well.
  • Describe a particular animal or bird running, jumping, flying, etc.
  • Describe someone at work (e.g., a mechanic, a postal carrier, a dental hygienist, a dog trainer).
  • Write about the movement of a crowd of people.
• Bring a collection of everyday objects to school and display them on a table. Have each student select two seemingly unrelated objects and write something that includes both of them. Ask them to think about how the presence of one affects the meaning of the other (e.g., apple and knife, pillow and knife, CD and knife).
• Have students write about something changing:
  • a wheat field ripening or being harvested
  • a person changing his or her mind
  • the sky changing colour
  • a person changing his or her image or style of dress
  • a person putting on a disguise
  • a person becoming angry
  • a school gym becoming an emergency shelter during a blizzard or a summer storm.
• Have students think about the meaning of the word "atmosphere" and how atmosphere can be created. Ask them to create atmosphere in describing one or more of the following situations:
  • a jazz club where a young musician is about to play his or her first professional gig
  • the grounds where a powwow is about to begin
  • a stadium where a famous rock musician is about to come on stage for a concert
  • a small concert hall where a string quartet is about to play
  • a parade route where a marching band is about to pass on Canada Day
  • an old apartment block after midnight where the sounds of a single instrument can be heard (e.g., guitar, trumpet, drum).
• Ask students to find an article in the newspaper that tells of a series of events (narrative). Have students retell the story as a "parody" of a certain type of fiction: a mystery, a western, a romance. They might tell the same story several different times, as a different type of fiction.

Module 4: Writing Plays

Module 4 introduces students to play writing. The module encourages students to discuss plays, learn about some elements of play writing, and express their own ideas through scenes and short plays.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions for revision of each genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What is this scene or play about?
• Is the type of language consistent and appropriate for the subject matter, characters, situation (poetic, sparse, everyday, heightened)?
• Is the dialogue dramatic rather than conversational; that is, does it push the characters to action (internal or external)?
• Does the play or scene unfold in a way that is interesting, intriguing, satisfying, or challenging for the reader?
• Are the characters convincing and well-imagined? If so, what have you, the writer, done successfully? If not, what might be the reason?
• Does the structure of the play or scene allow the meaning to be revealed or come clear at an appropriate time for the reader?
• How does your scene or play reflect your unique "take" on the subject matter?
• What are the strengths of your dramatic writing?

Suggested Pre-writing Activities

• Introduce play writing to students by:
  • discussing what plays are, especially contemporary plays
  • discussing various types of contemporary plays (full length dramas, one act plays, "fringe" plays, street theatre, etc.)
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting play writing concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., dramatic dialogue, dramatic action)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write a play from an idea, rather than a short story or a poem.
• Ask each student to write two or three "what if" statements and throw them all in a shoe box. (E.g., what if a black limousine pulled up and the Queen got out?) Next, ask each student to find four different characters in magazine ads or pictures, and throw them in a different shoe box. Next, ask each student to find two pictures of a place (e.g., a natural setting, an airport lounge, an office). Throw them in another shoe box. Now, ask students to choose randomly two characters, a setting, and a "what if" statement and write some dialogue.
• Ask students to change a short story, fable, fairy tale, or myth into a short play.
• Ask students to take the main idea of a narrative poem and write it in play form.
• Ask students to write an episode of a weekly television series as a short play. This can be an episode they have seen or one they make up.
• Have students imagine themselves at a social gathering with a famous movie or TV star. They want to speak to the famous person, but they do not want to appear uncool or act like a "groupie". Write a monologue in which they think out loud about how they will contrive to speak to the famous person.
• Have students imagine themselves as one of a number of hostages being held by a terrorist group. What do all the people involved say?
• Have students write a conversation they have overheard and then extend it.
• Explore the meaning of the word "sub-text". Have students write a conversation between two people, where they do not say directly what they mean. The following are examples:
  • One person wants to ask the other to go to a movie but is shy. They talk about the weather.
  • A student is trying to tell his or her parents about a bad mark on an exam. They talk about the dog.
  • Two friends have applied for the same job. They are both trying to find out if the other got called for an interview without actually asking. They talk about music on the radio.
• Have students create a conversation in which two people are talking: one has a secret and the other is trying to find out what it is.
• Have students invent a detective and a villain, and write a typical conversation between them, showing their styles or ways of speaking.
• Have students write dialogue between one person who is furious and another person who is trying to calm the first person down.
• Have students take a scene from any Shakespeare play and rewrite it, setting it in modern times.
• Have students work in small groups. Provide enough newspapers so that everyone in the group has a copy. Have each group pick a news story from the paper and write it as dialogue (e.g., a bank robbery, a trial, a car accident, a human interest story).
• Explore the meaning of the term "dramatic action". Have students write dialogue in which a character must make a choice and the choice has consequences.
• Have students write a monologue for a character in a one-person play. The character is telling the audience a story that is particularly revealing. The story is:
  • about a dream that caused the character to rethink something
  • about something that happened when the character was a child
  • about a time when the character was really embarrassed
  • about something that changed the character's life
  • about a decision that ended up being the wrong one.

Module 5: Writing Nonfiction

Module 5 introduces students to writing nonfiction. The module encourages students to learn what makes a work of nonfiction a piece of creative writing. They will also discuss literary nonfiction and its development, read literary nonfiction, and express their own ideas through nonfiction.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions for revision of each genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What is the subject matter?
• What techniques have you used to make the story interesting or bring it alive for the reader?
• If you used fictional techniques (e.g., dialogue), can the reader trust you to have told the story accurately, and with integrity and respect for the people involved?
• Does the story unfold in a way that is interesting, intriguing, or satisfying for the reader?
• Is the story convincing? If so, why? If not, what might be the reason?
• Does the structure of the story allow the meaning of the story to be revealed or come clear at an appropriate time for the reader?
• How does this writing reflect your unique "take" on the subject matter?
• What are the strengths of your nonfiction writing?

Suggested Pre-writing Strategies

Note: If students show an interest in extending these pre-writing strategies into major projects, they should consider how they will conduct research that will enable them to have real insights into their subjects. This is especially important with nonfiction because the writer's personal perspective is an important part of the writing.

• Introduce nonfiction to students by:
  • discussing what nonfiction is, especially contemporary literary nonfiction
  • studying various examples (some brought by students)
  • presenting nonfiction concepts in mini-lessons (e.g., research methods, incorporating dialogue)
  • discussing what it is that makes a person choose to write nonfiction from an idea rather than fiction or more traditional journalism.
• Have students look at an object from a totally different angle than usual (e.g., sideways, upside down, in an extraordinary light).
• Have students write about an incident or event, looking at it from an unusual angle (e.g., the school bus breaking down from the point of view of the tow-truck driver, a school basketball game from the point of view of a person who lives across the street from the school).
• Have students find a newspaper article that describes an event or occurrence. Have students write the story as though it were fiction, shaping it with a beginning, middle, and end, but at the same time not changing the facts of the story.
• Have students think of an issue in their own community and write a personal perspective on that issue.
• Have students find an article in the local newspaper or a local history book that is historical in nature. Have them visit the setting if possible and then write a description of the setting that will help bring the real event to life for the reader.
• Have students describe a setting they believe could be symbolic of something that happens in that setting. Their description should incorporate symbolism (e.g., the symbolism in rows and rows of identical work stations in a factory).
• Have students describe something that takes place over time using a diary type of format (e.g., preparing for an election, getting ready for an important sports event, training a dog, learning to drive).
• Have students interview someone who interests them and find an unique way to describe the results of the interview (other than the usual question and answer method).
• Have students imagine a topic they would like to learn about by immersing themselves in the topic and the lives of the people involved. Have them write an imaginary project proposal for a potential publisher. In their proposal, they should explain what they will be doing and why. They should also explain their personal interest in the topic and why they are the right person to write this story.
• Have students find an article in the newspaper about something momentous that happened to someone. Ask them to pretend the incident happened to them (e.g., getting stranded overnight in a blizzard, saving someone from a fire). Write a "personal essay" on what the incident meant to them and how it might change their lives.
• Have students think of something similar to the above that really happened to them. Have them write five different beginning paragraphs that could lead to different ways of telling the story.
• Have students write the story of something that really happened to them using one of the following for literary effect:
  • symbolism
  • repetition
  • suspense.
• Ask students to think of some aspect of human nature that they could "poke fun at", the way Stephen Leacock did.
• Have students think of a frustrating occurrence from everyday life (e.g., locking the keys in the car, dealing with voice messages when you are trying to call a business). Have them write a humorous anecdote that shows the extreme way human beings sometimes respond to minor aggravations.
• Have students choose a real historical figure and research to find out more about the person, his or her contribution, and the times he or she lived in. Ask students to:
  • write diary or journal entries for the figure they have selected
  • write a personal essay as that figure
  • "interview" the person and then write up the interview in an interesting way
  • write an article on the person and his or her particular contribution, using some of the techniques of fiction writing but still capturing what really happened.
• Have students interview someone in the community who was/is involved in an historical or human interest event (e.g., a veteran, an athlete, an elder, a local hero). Have students write a human interest article on that person, making special effort to bring the story to life for the readers using some of the techniques of fiction. The following are examples:
  • recreating dialogue between the person and another person involved, based on quotations from the person interviewed
  • using a story structure that you might use to tell a fiction story (e.g., with some kind of rising action and a climax)
  • using descriptive language to set the scene or create an atmosphere for the reader
  • telling the story in the first person so that you can record your own responses as you learn the details.
• Have students plan their own autobiography, thinking about what the tone and focus might be. Have them write the introductory section.

Module 6: Independent Project

Module 6 provides an opportunity for students to work on projects of their own choosing. The focus should be on selection of subject matter and writing genre that is important to the individual student, so students can begin to learn what especially interests them about writing. They might also plan a project in which they work with a writer or another person involved with writing.

Questions for Consideration in Discussions, Peer Conferences, or Student-teacher Conferences

These questions might be asked of the student writer for the purpose of reflection, or the student might adapt them to gather response from peers or the teacher. The questions are suggestions only. Students might have their own questions to ask peers or the teacher. (Other relevant questions for revision of each genre can be found in the Teacher Information section of this guide.)

• What are the strengths of this writing?
• How is your unique perspective reflected in the writing?
• What is a particular challenge for you in this project?
• How might you see the writing in a new way during revision, so that you are not simply editing the first draft?
• Might any writing exercises be designed to help the student writer with problems he or she is having with this project?
• Are there any literature selections that might inspire the student or help to resolve some difficulties with the writing?
• What are the particular challenges of the genre chosen?
• Is it the best writing genre for this particular idea?
• In what new directions might this writing project lead?

Guidelines for Independent Projects

• Students can select a project inspired by any of the previous modules or from an entirely new source.
• Students can select one of the four genres covered in this course or they can select something different (e.g., a television or film script, a small magazine or "zine" format, a comic book).
• Students should outline the amount of time they will spend on the project and set timelines and check points for themselves.
• Student and teacher should agree on how much in-class time will spent on the project and how that time will be used.
• Students should decide on the type of feedback and conferencing that will most help them, and identify the individuals or group with whom they would like to consult. They might consult with an appropriate person outside of the school, with the teacher's approval (a writer or editor in the community, for example).
• Students should keep some kind of journal or record of their experience and progress. The purpose of this is to help them become familiar with their own creative process and writing habits.
• Student and teacher should identify some literature selections and critical articles or reviews that might help or inspire the student, or increase his or her repertoire with language.
• Student and teacher should decide how and when the project will be assessed and evaluated.
• Student and teacher should decide if and how the project will be published, displayed, or shared with other students.