Carol Crane’s Creative Writing Class for Staff Development and Writing in Residence.
Teaching
creative writing has nurtured me and I think I have inspired many writers.
Some of the students come to class kicking and screaming but slowly they
have their confidence built and through stories and ensuring them that
writing is fun, students are now asking to come up and read their work.
So how did all of this come about? I believe so strongly in good literature
that all my classes start with a story to make a point. If you allow me---
The first story is The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli, a 2008 release.
In this story we learn that our stories come from our own voice and heart.
In
creative writing we try to write a flow of words with flair of imagination
and lots of fun.
So lets get started...
THE REQUIREMENTS ARE THIS—
ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE ACCESS TO A GOOD DICTIONARY, THESAURAUS AND A SCHOLASTIC RHYMING DICTIONARY.
A SPIRAL NOTEBOOK.
A PENCIL. NO ERASER.
I DO NOT ALLOW ERASING IN MY CLASS.
WHEN YOU ERASE, YOU LOSE THE IDEA AND THOUGHT, CROSS OUT YOUR WRITING
TO IMPROVE OR IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER IDEA. SOMETIMES THE ORIGINAL IDEA IS
THE BEST AND IF YOU ERASE IT, THEN IT IS LOST.
TO MAKE A POINT, I
READ THE HATMAKER’S SIGN BY CANDACE FLEMING.
A STORY BY BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN DURING THE TIME THOMAS JEFFERSON IS WRITING THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE. A CORE BOOK I USE OVER AND OVER.
A SMILE IS REQUIRED IN THIS CLASS—WE ARE A TEAM OF WRITERS THAT ARE HAPPY, WE SHARE OUR WRITING, WE HELP EACH OTHER AND MOST OF ALL WE HAVE FUN.
BUILDING THE MAIN CHARACTER— A PERSON, A PLACE OR A THING.
USING AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE –WRITE THREE SENTENCES ABOUT THE
MAIN CHARACTER.
ALL STUDENTS ARE GIVEN A SEASHELL. TO DESCRIBE THE MAIN CHARACTER –USE
THE FIVE SENSES....WHAT DO YOU SEE, HEAR, TASTE, SMELL, TOUCH?
SEASHELLS COME IN
MANY SHAPES AND SIZES. THEY HAVE DIFFERENT NAMES AND COME FROM DIFFERENT
OCEANS AND LANDFORMS. GOGGLE ‘SEASHELLS”, IDENTIFY YOUR SHELL.
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR SEASHELLS NAME, USING YOUR FIVE SENSES, AGAIN WRITE
ABOUT YOUR SHELL AND CONTINUE USING THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE TO WRITE
A STORY.
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS CALLED RESEARCH, READING AND WRITING.
ALL AUTHORS HAVE TO
FIND AS MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR SUBJECT BEFORE THEY CAN BEGIN WRITING.
USE YOUR OWN VOICE
TO WRITE AN IMAGINATIVE STORY ABOUT THE SEASHELL, THE OCEAN, AND YOUR
MAIN CHARACTER.
IN TWO DAYS THE STUDENTS
ARE RAISING THEIR HANDS , STANDING UP STRAIGHT AND READING THEIR MANUSCRIPTS.
ALL WELL WRITTEN STORIES
ARE IN THE SHAPE OF A PYRAMID. START AT THE BOTTOM, BUILDING YOUR MAIN
CHARACTER THEN THE DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE STORY UNFOLDS, REACHING THE
PEAK OR CLIMAX OF THE STORY AND THEN BRING THE CONCLUSION DOWN THE HILL
TO A SATISFYING ENDING. WHEN WRITING THE MOVIE IN YOUR MIND KEEP AN ORDER
OR SEQUENCE OF IDEAS THAT FLOW AND ARE NOT JUMPING AROUND.
ALL AUTHORS HAVE
A TRICK WORD THEY USE TO WRITE BUT CAN’T GET STARTED.
USE THE WORD "WHEN" TO START.
THE FORMAT ----
WRITE THREE SENTENCES ABOUT THE SHELL.
NOW WRITE A PARAGRAPH USING THE THREE SENTENCES.
NOW CONTINUE TO WRITE A CHAPTER USING THE PARAGRAPH THAT INCLUDES CONVERSATION.
THE DRILL IS THIS---
THREE SENTENCES MAKE A PARAGRAPH, PARAGRAPHS MAKE CHAPTERS TO TELL THE
STORY THAT IS A MOVIE IN YOUR MIND.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE
OF A STORY
THREE SENTENCES---
BILL LOVES TO GO TO
THE OCEAN AND LOOK FOR SEASHELLS.
HE OFTEN PUTS THEM TO HIS EAR TO SEE IF HE CAN HEAR THE WAVES OF THE SEA.
ONE DAY HE DECIDED TO MAKE A JOURNAL OF ALL THE SHELLS HE HAD FOUND.
A PARAGRAPH---
THEN HE WROTE WHERE HE HAD FOUND THE SHELL, HOW DID IT LOOK, HOW DID THE SHELL FEEL AND DID IT SMELL. HE ALSO GLUED SMALL SHELLS TO THE COVER OF HIS JOURNAL. IT WAS A FUN PROJECT TO DO. WHILE GLUING ONE SHELL HE ACCIDENTLY DROPPED IT ON THE FLOOR. IT SMASHED INTO MANY PIECES. SOME OF THE PIECES TURNED TO DUST. HE THEN ASKED THE QUESTION, WHAT ARE SHELLS MADE OF? EVERY SUMMER HE WORKED ON HIS JOURNAL AND SHARED ALL THE INFORMATION HE HAD WITH HIS FRIENDS.
ONLY WHEN THE RULES
OF WRITING ARE UNDERSTOOD, DO WE START THE PROJECT
WRITING NON FICTION USING THE ABC MODEL. IT IS THE BEST MODEL FOR WRITNG
AS IT IS ONE THAT ALL STUDENTS ARE FAMILIAR WITH. THE FIRST SONG TWO AND
THREE YEAR OLDS LEARN IS THE ALPHABET SONG.
NON-FICTION IS VERY DESCRIPTIVE AND USUALLY NON-VERBAL, IT REQUIRES A
LOT OF RESEARCH. WHEN I WRITE I CAN GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUBJECT
ONLINE, BUT I CANNOT USE IT. I MUST GO TO THE LIBRARY TO FIND THREE REFERENCES
THAT I CAN USE TO BACK UP ALL MY FACTS.
OFTEN, A STAFF OF
WORKERS ARE SET UP AS IN A NEWSPAPER OFFICE ATMOSPHERE. EACH STUDENT IS
GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT FOR THE PROJECT.
LET’S PICK ANIMALS.
26 LETTERS DIVIDED AMONG THE STUDENTS. EACH STUDENT MAY HAVE THE CHOICE
OF THEIR ANIMAL FOR THAT LETTER. THAT’S WHERE THE RESEARCH COMES
IN.
I USE STICKY NOTES TO START THE GRID. THE APPOINTED EDITORS OF THE NEWSPAPER
PICK OUT THE ANIMAL AND USING A BOARD LAY OUT THE GRID, THE MOST INTERESTING
ANIMAL AND THE BEST RESEARCH.
I LIKE TO USE
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE TO START A PROJECT.
(EXAMPLE) DOGS—HOW MANY BREEDS OF DOGS ARE THERE? IS THERE A STATE
DOG IN YOUR STATE? USING THE FIVE SENSES AGAIN—CAN ALL DOGS BE TOUCHED?
DO DOGS HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF SMELL? DO THEY SEE WELL? DO THEY HEAR WELL?
CAN YOU FEEL THE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COATS? WHAT OCCUPATIONS DO DOGS HAVE?
GUARD DOGS, SEEING EYE DOGS, COMPANIONS, ETC:
EACH WRITER WILL RESEARCH AND TAKE HIS OR HER INFORMATION TO THE EDITOR.
500 WORDS IS THE MAXIMUM FOR EXPOSITORY TEXT.
THEN THE FUN
PART! ... THE FOUR LINES OF RHYME.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SCHOLASTIC RHYMING DICTIONARY—GET ONE.
AN EXAMPLE OF
A RHYME FOR A DOG.
1ST LINE TELLS THE SUBJECT—D IS FOR DOG
2ND LINE IS THE ACTION LINE—MY DOG LIKES TO BARK
3RD. LINE IS THE DESCRIPTIVE LINE—BREED, COLOR, SIZE, HABITAT
4TH LINE IS THE TRICKIEST LINE FOR IT MUST RHYME WITH THE LAST LINE OF
THE 2ND OR 3RD LINE.
D IS FOR DOG
MY DOG LIKES TO BARK
HIS VOICE IS VERY LOUD
WHEN WE GO TO THE PARK.
ALL EXPOSITORY HAS
TO BE WRITTEN BEFORE THE RHYMING.
WRITING ABOUT THE STATES IS AN ADVENTURE. ALL STUDENTS LIKE TO WRITE AN
ADVENTURE. IF YOU GIVE THEM THE SYMBOLS OF THE STATE (RESEARCH) THEN USING
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE HAVE THE STAFF OF WRITERS PUT TOGETHER A GRID OF AN ADVENTURE
ABOUT THEIR STATE, IMAGINARY OR REAL.
THIS WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR MANY OPTIONS.
