20 Minute Story - Lots of times when we start writing stories, we do not have a plan, so the story ends up going on and on for way too long and with no end in sight. With a 20 minute Story, we need to make choices and make them fast. What can we come up with and how can we write a story that will only take us 20 minutes to write? What will we include and what will we leave out?
Sorting and Reading Narratives - There are millions of narrative stories. In the library, on our shelves at home, in our minds. There are stories all over the place. Attached are a few stories that have been written by students around our age. As we have done before, let's read the stories and sort them in different ways. Continue to add to our list of saved stories as we continue the year. What do these stories have in common? How are they different? What text features do you see?
Narrative Text Features Scavenger Hunt - Continuing on from Sorting and Reading Narratives. Let's take a look through the texts we have been reading to see if we can find common text features and parts of speech. Grab your trusty Post-It Notes and your highlighters and see if you can find things in common throughout different narrative pieces.
Sorting and Reading Narratives - There are millions of narrative stories. In the library, on our shelves at home, in our minds. There are stories all over the place. Attached are a few stories that have been written by students around our age. As we have done before, let's read the stories and sort them in different ways. Continue to add to our list of saved stories as we continue the year. What do these stories have in common? How are they different? What text features do you see?
Narrative Text Features Scavenger Hunt - Continuing on from Sorting and Reading Narratives. Let's take a look through the texts we have been reading to see if we can find common text features and parts of speech. Grab your trusty Post-It Notes and your highlighters and see if you can find things in common throughout different narrative pieces.
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Random Picture Prompts - Sometimes we need some inspiration for our stories. The next few engagements focus on finding that inspiration. The website in the link is very cool. Each time you click the button, a new random image will come up on the screen. So, take a moment to think about a character you might want to write about, then, click on the button. Whatever the image that comes up, you should try to include in your story in some way. Continue to write for a bit and then, click the button again. The next new random image should also be part of your story. How can you move from one thing to the next? Well, that is up to you. Use your creativity.
Order the Pictures - With this writing inspiration engagement, we will take a look at a series of pictures with no words that are either in order, or in a random order that you can change. First look at the pictures, then put them into the order that makes the most sense to you. After that, write a sentence or two for each picture that will help to create your story. How might the story change if you change the order of the pictures. Description Bubbles - A Description Bubble can help you to add detail to your story. Think about the words in the bubble to the right. What is the position of your character? How many? What is the size? What about colour? How are they shaped? What is the texture? And finally, what are they doing? By adding certain details to your story, or about your character at different points, you add interest and depth to your story. |
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Character Interviews - Imagine the character from your story was really here. What would you want to ask them? What would they say? Come up with a series of questions for your character to answer, or for a friend's character to answer and then ask them those questions. Try to think deeply about what they might say. Often our characters think similarly to ourselves, but what if our character is very different from us? What if our character isn't human? How might they communicate?
Character Map - The setting of our story is very important. Lots of really good authors build their word like we might build something with lego, or in Minecraft. Try to think about stories you have read, or even better, read some stories with others and see if you can make a map of the events and places within the story. Where does the character go, what do they do in each of those places. Try to show this on a map. Better yet, use the Ozobots and what you know about how to code them, to make a map that they can travel around. As you write your own stories, try to map them out as well.
Expanding Vocabulary - When we write, it's helpful if we have a big vocabulary of words with which to draw from. How can we improve our vocabulary so that our writing is more interesting and rich? What tools are there that we can use to find more words, or to find words similar to ones we already know? In our class, we like to TALK, so, as a way of building our vocabulary, try to find out as many different words for TALK as you can. The record so far is 50! Can you find more? What are words that you can think of that you already know? How can you find out more? How will you record your answers?
Picture Story Books - There are many books out there that do not have any words. But how can that be? How can a story have no words? An example of a story with no words is Windows, by Jeannie Baker. Above there is a picture of Jeannie making one of her collages with materials other than just a pencil and paper. Can you write a story that accompanies the pictures? What other stories have no words? Find different stories like Windows and see if you can write a narrative to accompany the pictures.
Guiding Questions - Writing a narrative involves planning. If we just start writing without knowing where our story is going to go, we can end up writing stories that never seem to end. Remember, a long story does not necessarily mean a good story. As a group, come up with some questions you might want to answer before you start writing. Here are a list of a few questions to consider at different parts in the story.
Character Map - The setting of our story is very important. Lots of really good authors build their word like we might build something with lego, or in Minecraft. Try to think about stories you have read, or even better, read some stories with others and see if you can make a map of the events and places within the story. Where does the character go, what do they do in each of those places. Try to show this on a map. Better yet, use the Ozobots and what you know about how to code them, to make a map that they can travel around. As you write your own stories, try to map them out as well.
Expanding Vocabulary - When we write, it's helpful if we have a big vocabulary of words with which to draw from. How can we improve our vocabulary so that our writing is more interesting and rich? What tools are there that we can use to find more words, or to find words similar to ones we already know? In our class, we like to TALK, so, as a way of building our vocabulary, try to find out as many different words for TALK as you can. The record so far is 50! Can you find more? What are words that you can think of that you already know? How can you find out more? How will you record your answers?
Picture Story Books - There are many books out there that do not have any words. But how can that be? How can a story have no words? An example of a story with no words is Windows, by Jeannie Baker. Above there is a picture of Jeannie making one of her collages with materials other than just a pencil and paper. Can you write a story that accompanies the pictures? What other stories have no words? Find different stories like Windows and see if you can write a narrative to accompany the pictures.
Guiding Questions - Writing a narrative involves planning. If we just start writing without knowing where our story is going to go, we can end up writing stories that never seem to end. Remember, a long story does not necessarily mean a good story. As a group, come up with some questions you might want to answer before you start writing. Here are a list of a few questions to consider at different parts in the story.
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Orientation
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Character Profiles - To go with your Character Interviews, try to think about other elements of their personality and the way they look. You can use the template attached to help you, but try to answer as many questions about them as you can. Add to our list of questions as you think of more.
Pass it On - Sharing is caring. Let's try to write a story together one sentence at a time. With a friend, start your story by writing one sentence that sets the scene and introduces two of the characters. After you have written that sentence, pass your story over to your friend. They will then write a sentence that begins with a word like 'Suddenly.' After your friend writes their sentence, advancing the action, have them pass the story back so that you can continue the story. Continue with this process until your story comes to an end. It will be interesting to see the twists and turns as the two of you write.
Picture This - Part of being able to write is being able to describe a scene. Collect pictures of objects and settings and write descriptions of them. What words and language will you use to paint a picture of what you see in the images. After you've written your description of the pictures, see if other students can figure out which picture you have written about. Use the Description Bubble to make sure you are describing in many different ways.
Reader's Theatre - Narratives are not always written in books. Sometimes they are performed as plays, or filmed and put in movies. Attached are a series of different short plays, or performances. Read through some of the plays to see how they are different and similar to the stories we have read. Find some friends and try to act out some of the stories. How do the characters lines affect what actions you will perform on stage? What choices will you make when performing?
Story Boards - When directors make a movie, they do not just start filming and hope for the best. Like good authors, they make a plan first. During the year, we might change some of our stories into movies, or videos, or even stop motion films. To do this, we might want to make a plan by using a story board, like the one attached.
- What will the characters look like?
- What are their interests?
- How will they act?
- What will they do when something goes wrong?
- What sort of a person are they?
- How will the characters interact with other characters?
- What might they say?
Pass it On - Sharing is caring. Let's try to write a story together one sentence at a time. With a friend, start your story by writing one sentence that sets the scene and introduces two of the characters. After you have written that sentence, pass your story over to your friend. They will then write a sentence that begins with a word like 'Suddenly.' After your friend writes their sentence, advancing the action, have them pass the story back so that you can continue the story. Continue with this process until your story comes to an end. It will be interesting to see the twists and turns as the two of you write.
Picture This - Part of being able to write is being able to describe a scene. Collect pictures of objects and settings and write descriptions of them. What words and language will you use to paint a picture of what you see in the images. After you've written your description of the pictures, see if other students can figure out which picture you have written about. Use the Description Bubble to make sure you are describing in many different ways.
Reader's Theatre - Narratives are not always written in books. Sometimes they are performed as plays, or filmed and put in movies. Attached are a series of different short plays, or performances. Read through some of the plays to see how they are different and similar to the stories we have read. Find some friends and try to act out some of the stories. How do the characters lines affect what actions you will perform on stage? What choices will you make when performing?
Story Boards - When directors make a movie, they do not just start filming and hope for the best. Like good authors, they make a plan first. During the year, we might change some of our stories into movies, or videos, or even stop motion films. To do this, we might want to make a plan by using a story board, like the one attached.
What is Poetry? - Why do people write it? Find your trusty Post-It Notes and answer our two questions by writing down your thoughts on one or more Post-It Notes. Add your thoughts to the classes thoughts by sticking them to our board.
My First Poem - Try your best to write a poem in whatever way you see fit. Choose any style you know about and give it a go. Just like with our 20 minute narrative, you are not going to write the perfect poem in 20 minutes, but at the very least, we will see what you know and how you can improve.
Poetry Treasure Hunt - Collect poetry books from the library and poems from different sources. As we have done before, try and see what they have in common. What is different? What language features and parts of speech are in the poems? As a hint, poems tend to have a lot of different unique features that other writing does not often have.
Ryan's Cat - My friend Ryan has a cat. Actually, Ryan has several cats. This is a game where we can describe in a poetic way, what Ryan's cats are like. Either out loud, or in writing, repeat the following sentence: "Ryan's cat is a _____________ cat and his / her name is ______________." The first person to describe Ryan's can has to come up with a name an a description for Ryan's cat that starts with the letter A. For example, "Ryan's cat is an Angry cat and his name is Anthony." The second person to describe Ryan's cat will use the letter B, then the letter C and so on and so forth. Be creative with your descriptions and names.
Alphabet Book - Continuing on with our description of Ryan's cats, the Alphabet book is a game where we write a sentence based on different letters in the alphabet. Pull a random letter from a hat and try to come up with a sentence for that letter. As we start this game, the sentence could be about anything, but to make the game more challenging, we can have different themes.
Secret Sentences - This game involves knowing a little bit about the Parts of Speech, so you may want to watch this video on BrainPop Jr to remind yourself of the different words for each part of speech. For this game, ask your teacher to give you a list with only the parts of speech written on it. With that list, you will need to create a sentence or poem that uses words that represent that part of speech and in that order. For example, the teacher might give you a sentence that goes adjective, adjective, noun, verb, adverb, adjective, noun. What might a sentence sound like using that order of parts of speech? As a fun alternative, work with a group of students and brainstorm 5 words for each of the parts of speech. Write them in a list on a piece of paper and then cover them once you've written them. Once they all have a list of 5, read the sentences that you have created using all the first words, all the second words, all the third words, etc.
My First Poem - Try your best to write a poem in whatever way you see fit. Choose any style you know about and give it a go. Just like with our 20 minute narrative, you are not going to write the perfect poem in 20 minutes, but at the very least, we will see what you know and how you can improve.
Poetry Treasure Hunt - Collect poetry books from the library and poems from different sources. As we have done before, try and see what they have in common. What is different? What language features and parts of speech are in the poems? As a hint, poems tend to have a lot of different unique features that other writing does not often have.
Ryan's Cat - My friend Ryan has a cat. Actually, Ryan has several cats. This is a game where we can describe in a poetic way, what Ryan's cats are like. Either out loud, or in writing, repeat the following sentence: "Ryan's cat is a _____________ cat and his / her name is ______________." The first person to describe Ryan's can has to come up with a name an a description for Ryan's cat that starts with the letter A. For example, "Ryan's cat is an Angry cat and his name is Anthony." The second person to describe Ryan's cat will use the letter B, then the letter C and so on and so forth. Be creative with your descriptions and names.
Alphabet Book - Continuing on with our description of Ryan's cats, the Alphabet book is a game where we write a sentence based on different letters in the alphabet. Pull a random letter from a hat and try to come up with a sentence for that letter. As we start this game, the sentence could be about anything, but to make the game more challenging, we can have different themes.
Secret Sentences - This game involves knowing a little bit about the Parts of Speech, so you may want to watch this video on BrainPop Jr to remind yourself of the different words for each part of speech. For this game, ask your teacher to give you a list with only the parts of speech written on it. With that list, you will need to create a sentence or poem that uses words that represent that part of speech and in that order. For example, the teacher might give you a sentence that goes adjective, adjective, noun, verb, adverb, adjective, noun. What might a sentence sound like using that order of parts of speech? As a fun alternative, work with a group of students and brainstorm 5 words for each of the parts of speech. Write them in a list on a piece of paper and then cover them once you've written them. Once they all have a list of 5, read the sentences that you have created using all the first words, all the second words, all the third words, etc.
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Sensory Experiences - When we write poetry, we should think about all of our senses. Listen to music, smell different smells, etc. and list all the thoughts that come to mind during your experience. Some words might lead you to think of other words, this is perfectly fine. Write down all of the words that you can think of. After you've written down your list, try to create a free verse poem, or a poem of a known structure based on the words in your list.
On the right is a recording of a very famous song. Without knowing the title, or watching the video, listen to the song and write down the words you think of while listening. This could be the basis for one of your sensory poems. First Liners - Sometimes starting a poem can be difficult. So, here are some first lines that might help you to get started. If you have lots of ideas, try to add to our list of first liners so that other students in the future can benefit from your creativity Possible opening lines:
Poetry Tool Kit - To the right, is a video with all different language features that you might find in poems. Watch the video and then try some of the learning engagements below to learn about each of the different features. Poetry Devices in Movies - Where can we find these different poetry devices? Are they just in poems? Probably not. Check out the video to the right to see how different language features in poetry can be found in movies. The Five Senses - Just like with our description bubble above, try to think about your poem using all your different senses. If you have selected something you want to write about, think about words that describe how that thing looks, how it smells, how it tastes, how it sounds and how it feels. The more descriptive words you come up with the better. Remember, your poem doesn't have to include everything you come up with. Rhyming Words - What are rhyming words? How are they used in poetry? Watch the video on the right to find out a little bit more about rhyming words. Also, see if you can find tools that can help you to find words that rhyme. My favourite tool is this online rhyming dictionary. See if you can find words that rhyme and then try to expand your knowledge to make sentences that rhyme and then, try one of the different rhyming schemes to make poems that rhyme. Alliteration - We have so many different videos to help us. To find out more about Alliteration, watch the video on the right. How is alliteration different from a rhyme? How is it the same? When might you use a rhyme and when might you use alliteration. Try to come up with words that show alliteration and see if you can make up your own tongue twisters with the words you come up with. Onomatopoeia - What a strange word. But what does it mean? Do you think we have a video to find out more about it? Of course we do. Come up with your own definition of what Onomatopoeia is and continue to add to your glossary and list of different language features. Also, you can click on the title to create your own list of onomatopoeic words. Different Poem Types - There are many different poem types, too many to list here. Once we have started to find out about the different language features of poems, it is important for us to start applying our knowledge to different genres of poems. Poems like the Acrostic, Haikus, Rhyming Couplets, Kennings, and colour poems are ones we might learn about and write, but there are so many more. Try to find different poems when we do our poem scavenger hunts and see if you can sort them into different categories. What do they have in common? How are they different? Are there rules for these types of poems, or are there no rules at all? Challenge yourself to write different types of poems, but make sure, as with all of our writing, that you take time to plan and use the language features you know to make your poetry more interesting. |
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