Table Of Content

Resources for Teaching Creative Writing Resources available for download Worksheetsfromthisbookareavailableonlineat www.continuumbooks.com/resources/9780826443540. Pleasevisitthelinkandregisterwithustoreceiveyourpasswordand accesstothesedownloadableresources. Ifyouexperienceanyproblemsaccessingtheresources,pleasecontact [email protected] AlsoavailablefromContinuum TeachingCreativeWriting–GraemeHarper 100IdeasforTeachingDrama–JohnnieYoung 100+IdeasforManagingBehaviour–JohnnieYoung ResourcesforTeachingFrench–GillJames Resources for Teaching Creative Writing Johnnie Young ContinuumInternationalPublishingGroup TheTowerBuilding 80MaidenLane,Suite704 11YorkRoad NewYorkNY10038 LondonSE17NX www.continuumbooks.com ©JohnnieYoung2009 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans, electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem, withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers. JohnnieYounghasassertedhisrightundertheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct,1988,tobeidentifiedas Authorofthiswork. BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. ISBN:978-0-8264-0992-8(paperback) LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Young,Johnnie. Resourcesforteachingcreativewriting/JohnnieYoung. p.cm. ISBN978-0-8264-4354-0(pbk.:alk.paper) 1. Creativewriting(Secondaryeducation) I.Title. LB1631.Y682009 808'.0420712--dc22 2009009348 DesignedandtypesetbyKennethBurnley,Wirral,Cheshire PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby This book is dedicated to my wife Sylvie and my children Edward, Julie and William. It is also dedicated to the memory of my mother and father. This page intentionally left blank Contents Introduction ix Acknowledgements xi SectionA:RealizeaDream 1 AdventureTravelDiary,CapeHorn 2 2 RadioInterview:RealizeaDreamAmbition 4 3 WritingaboutaDream 6 4 TheDreamCompetition 8 5 DreamAdventurePoetry 10 6 ScienceFiction 12 SectionB:SomeElementsofWriting 7 TheFourElements 16 8 LinkedOrderOutofRandomChaos 18 9 DescriptiveWriting:ContrastingPlacesandExperiences 20 SectionC:Memories 10 TheFemaleHollyBlue 24 11 MemoriesofChildhood 26 12 WhatCanYouSeeinthePhotograph? 28 13 ReturnJourney 30 14 WhatStandsOutinYourMemory? 32 SectionD:SomethingSpecial 15 CreatingYour‘Masterpiece’ 36 16 TheExtraordinaryHiddenWithintheOrdinary 38 17 PoeticConsiderations 40 18 Advertisements 42 19 TheSpecialFeature 44 20 TheInvention 46 21 TheAdvice 48 SectionE:SpookyBusiness 22 TheTavern 52 23 ScaryExtracts 54 24 SpookyStarters 56 25 ‘BleakNight’MiniStagePlay 58 SectionF:CreatingTension 26 TheVase 62 27 Predicaments 64 28 BeingUnderStressMonologue 66 29 SomeoneisFollowingMe 68 30 UnexpectedEvent 70 vii SectionG:TheWorldofFeelings 31 InsideandOutside 74 32 AgonyAunt/UncleLetters 76 33 TrueLove 78 34 MyPerfectDay 80 35 FavouriteSounds 82 36 DescribetheView 84 37 TheDisappointment 86 38 FeelingsandImpressionsPoetry 88 SectionH:Connections 39 JobConnections 92 40 WhereDidYouComeFrom? 94 41 Descriptions:FrozenSceneandAction 96 42 DescribeaPicture 98 43 CharacterViewpoints 100 44 Let’sArgueOurCase 102 45 CharacterConnections 104 46 World‘Class’Journey 106 SectionI:Character 47 AnInterestingCharacter 110 48 YourStatue 112 49 InYourAbsence 114 50 StoryTellingUsingDialogue 116 51 OptimisticorPessimisticCharacter? 118 52 TheInterview 120 53 ViewpointsRevealCharacter 122 54 WhatAnnoysYou? 124 SectionJ:Time 55 StrangeDiscoveries 128 56 FutureRemains 130 57 WhatDoestheFutureHold? 132 58 TransformingtheMemories 134 59 AMomentinTime 136 60 HowTimeChangesThings 138 viii Introduction Thekeyideasbehindthisbookarebasedonmyattemptsduring17yearsofteachingtoencouragestudentsto writeimaginativelyandcreatively.Ihavefoundthatmoststudentsmayfindthemselvesunsureandlackingin confidenceintheearlystagesoftheprocess.Tobegivenawritingtasksuchas:‘Writeaboutadayinthelifeofa golfball’mayfireupthecreativejuicesoftheteacher,butEnglishteachershavehadalotofexperienceinfiring uptheirowncreativejuices.WhatIhavefoundthatmoststudentsneedisanexampleofafinishedproductso thattheycansettheir‘mentalco-ordinates’:asetofsuggestionstopromptthemintoactionandinsomecasesa stepbystepapproachwithteacherguidanceandencouragement.Thecrucialthingistheactualexamplestheyare shown.Iftheexampleistoosophisticated(forexample,adescriptionofacharacterfromaDickensnovel)this createsadistancingbetweenwhattheyseebeforethemandwhattheyfeeltheyarecapableofwriting.Examples arethereforerequiredwhichbridgethisgap.Manyteachersrewriteexamplesthemselves,fromliterature,tofulfil thisneedtobridgethegap.Butthistakesanawfullotoftime. Thisbookprovides60ready-to-useexamples.Theexamplesarenottakenfromwell-knownworksofliterature. Ihave,infact,writtenalltheexamplesmyself,basedonmyownexperiencesintheclassroomandseeingwhat engagesthestudents’attention,holdstheirinterestandallowsthemtothinkwitha‘Icandothat’attitude.Once theirinterestisengagedwiththeexampleofa‘finishedproduct’thesuggestionlistsgivethestudentschoicefor thenextstep,andthentriggertheirowncreativeprocesses.Ihavefoundthatthisunlocksamazingthings. Studentswanttowritecreatively.Theyloveitwhenitgoeswell.Theyjustneedtherighttoolswithwhichtodoit. Thebookisorganizedintotenthematicsections.Withinthethematicsectionsisawiderangeofwritingtypesand skillsrangingfromdramaticmonologuestopoetry.Thebookbalancestherequirementtoteachcreativewriting tospecificallyhelpwiththeKS4andKS5syllabusesandthedesireto‘openout’thefieldofcreativewritingto exploreitsmanyaspectsforthestudents’purepleasureandjoyofwritingcreatively. Thebookwillbeappropriatetoanysecondaryschoolteacherwhowantstoteachcreativewritingtoanagerange of14to18yearsold. ThegenerallayoutistoshowtheTeacherNotesontheleft-handsideandanaccompanyingphotocopiable resourceStudentWorksheetontheright. TheTeacherNotesincludealltheinformationneededtoprovideawell-balancedandchallenginglesson.Eachidea beginswithasummaryofkeyskillssothattheteachercanquicklyplacetheactivitytoaparticularareaofthe NationalCurriculum.Thereisthenastarter,achunkedmainphaseandaplenary.Foreachonethereisanideafor homeworkandsuggestionstodevelopthework,ifdesired,bytheteacher.Aparticularfeatureistoinclude,for eachidea,aspecialfocusanddevelopmentexercisefortheKS4andKS5syllabus. Idohopethatthisbookhelpsyoutodeliversomegreatlessons.Thereisnothingbetterthanhearingastudent readhisorherowncreativewritingwithasenseofpleasureandpride.Sometimes,asbusyteachers,wedon’t realizejusthowdeepthatpleasuregoes.I’vebeenteachinglongenoughnowtohavetheprivilegeofmeeting studentsinthestreetwhorefertostoriestheyenjoyedwritingdecadesago.Isn’tthatgreat!Theymaynothave becomefamousauthorsbuttheyproducedsomethingwhichtheywereproudof.Whatajobthisiswhereabitof creativewritingdoneinyourclassroomwillbesomemorablefortheminyearstocome.Ireallywishyouthebest indeliveringlessonsthatcanmakesuchanimpressiononyourstudents’lives. ix