Creative Writing, Page 3

Photography for Creative Writing
These creative writing activities were designed by a teacher. She used a series of student-taken photographs in her composition course as a way of generating excitement and an interest in writing.

Pizzaz! Creative Writing and Storytelling Ideas
A variety of links to ideas and handouts for all grade levels.

Poetry Express
Write 15 different kinds of poems, suggestions for poetry workshop, tips for revision, suggestions for publishing.

Portfolio Justification Form
This document helps students assess the work in their portfolios. It requires MS-Word or comparable software for access.

Pseudonyms
In this activity students match pseudonyms with real names and consider the reasons someone might want a pseudonym. Then they select a pseudonym for themselves and explain their choice. This document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible software for access.

Reading Paintings, Drawing Words: Creating Original Artwork Based on Written Stories
In this lesson, students grade 6 and older will consider an art exhibit comprised of works that tell stories, then create their own original pieces of art based on a specific work of literature.

Recklessly Creative Writing Ideas
Scroll down for "Serendipitous Writing Prompts & Word Games."

'Retale' Value: Exploring Plot Similarities in Fiction and Nonfiction Stories
Students explore 7 basic plot lines. They compare them with newspaper articles and with fiction they are familiar with.

Rewrite, Revise, Recycle: Updating Classic Literary Storylines for Today's Television Audience
Students "explore classic themes and storylines, and create modern versions to cater to a contemporary audience. They then compose backstories to develop characters for current television shows." This lesson plan is based on an article from the New York Times (included).

Revising Check list
Students in grades 4-6 can use this checklist to help with editing and peer editing.

Sacred Cows for High School Creative Writing Students
This unit uses stories and information about animals to discuss various themes that deal with human behavior. It includes a wide variety of mentor texts, writing tasks, and a rubric. It is designed for high school students.

Selling Rock 'n' Roll to the PTA
Students work in groups to sell a product to an unlikely market.

Show, Don't Tell
Students learn the importance of detail. This lesson uses Louise Fitzhugh's book, Harriet the Spy, but another work could also serve.

Stanton's Stellar Journaling
100 ideas for possible creative journal topics from a classroom teacher and poet.

Story Creation Magic: Character, Setting, and Plot
Elementary students learn about the basic elements needed to write stories, with an emphasis on character, setting, and plot.

Story It
Printable picture prompts for younger students.

Story Starters
Story starters from Laura Numeroff, author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other children's books.

Storybase
Use drop-down menus to select story components, receive suggestions for a plot structure. This is a good site for students who "just can't think of anything" for a story.

Storybook Memos
Students write a memo as if they were a storybook character.

Tabloid Tales
Using the 5 W's, students create stories to accompany actual tabloid headlines. Headlines are provided.

Teaching Creative Writing
Links to teacher-tested ideas for both poetry and narrative writing.

Tell It Like It Isn't: Exploring Creative Ways to Revise Well-Known Stories
Students examine the elements that comprise a good story, and then, after reading about various performances for children taking place in New York City, envision their own performances in similar styles.

Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters
Questions to help beginning writers create more rounded characters.

Urban Legends Writing
Using old photographs and skills in characterization, students create urban legends. Click on the title for details.

Using Favorite Songs as Prompts
Students draw ideas for fiction from the themes of popular music. This lesson is part of the National Writing Project.

Wake up Writing
A collection of writing prompts, book reviews, and more. This site is designed for professional writers but many prompts are appropriate for classroom use, too.

What's in a Name?: Exploring The History of Names Through Creative Writing
Students examine their own first, middle, and last names and consider how they originated. They then write a creative piece using the information they discovered.

Whose Story is it? Conflict and Roleplay in Narrative Writing
Examining setting, character, and action, students work in groups, generating a framework for understanding and writing short fictional narratives. Through roleplay, the students develop characters suitable to their own stories. A series of tasks introduces students to the underlying structure of short fiction and allows them to begin writing stories of their own.

Write Revealing Dialogue
This activity uses the story "Chameleon" as a master text to teach dialogue writing. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

Writing Bug
A new creative writing topic every week! Elementary teachers can download a handout with a colorful graphic; teachers of older students will still find the ideas useful.

Writing a good plot outline
These tips are intended for writing a novel but also apply to short stories.

Writing Plans from the Teacher's Desk
These writing activities are designed for 5th and 6th graders.

Writing Portfolio
These 55 outstanding reflective writing prompts are designed for high school sophomores. They are presented in 3 formats: Web page, MS-Word document, and PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for access).

Writing Prompts/Journal Topics
An extensive collection of topics.

Writing Prompts
From Writers Digest, 52 story starters. Many of these are appropriate for a wide range of grade levels, but not all are appropriate for all grades.

Writing Prompts
Scroll down to find creative writing prompts appropriate for a range of grade levels.

Writing Prompts
Select a grade level at the top and click "go" to receive a list of appropriate prompts.

Additional creative writing lesson plans >> | 1 | 2 | 3 |