A Practical Guide to Creative Writing in Schools

Seven Creative Writing Projects for Ages 8-14

Fiona Clark

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000371420
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This book contains seven tried-and-tested creative writing projects for pupils aged 8–14. Each project is delivered through a series of workshops and enables pupils to explore a literary genre or writing style, discuss themes and topics and receive constructive feedback about their writing. The projects cover topics such as identity, cultural heritage, tolerance, empathy, morality, dreams and much more.

Teachers wanting to run creative writing projects will find this book easy to follow, practical and timesaving. Each project allows students to:

• explore a certain literary genre or writing style in detail

• be creative and have fun while learning

• think about, talk about and discuss themes and topics

• receive constructive feedback about their writing

• pursue their own ideas

• see themselves as 'real' writers with a 'real' audience

• understand that writing can be enjoyable, artistic and relaxing

• experience creativity to improve their wellbeing.

These ready-made projects are invaluable for teachers who are looking for new and successful creative writing projects for a range of students. They will enable teachers to immediately start making a difference to their students' confidence and writing skills, allowing them to be as creative and imaginative as possible and use creativity as a springboard for their own writing.

Project 1 — Poetry

Producing our own poetry anthology: examining themes of identity; community; local landscapes; conflict and cultural heritage

Recommended for:	Year 5/6/7 and/or 8; small groups of about 8–10.
Outcome:	Publication of a poetry anthology.
Overview:	This project allows pupils to study three key poems and examine the theme in each poem, relating it back to themselves; and then write their own poem in sonnet form. The three poems are about identity, community, local landscapes, conflict and cultural heritage.
Texts required:	A Martian Sends a Postcard Home by Craig Raine. Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan — an extended metaphor poem by Moniza Alvi. Text included: Golden Winter Sunrise — a sonnet by Fiona Clark.
Length:	13 workshops; 1 hour each.

Aims:

This project allows pupils to develop skills of perception and reality through the medium of poetry and art. Possible areas for exploration:

• What is perception — how to we build a picture of someone, something and what drives us to make judgements?
• Perception of themselves.
• What perception do we have of others?
• What perception do we have of the city around us?
• How do we think others see us — friendships, family, neighbours?
• What makes us happy?

The overall aim is for every pupil to study the three poems in the project, explore the themes of identity; community; local landscapes; conflict and cultural heritage; putting them in a position where they can write a sonnet of their own about their own identity for a collective anthology. There is the option for coordinators to choose additional poems to compliment the ones included here.

Summary of workshops

Approx. 1 hour for each workshop, with one workshop per week recommended.

Workshop 1	Capturing pre-project data; introducing the project; getting to know the pupils.
Workshop 2	Studying poem 1 — A Martian Sends a Postcard Home^* by Craig Raine (Raine, 1979).
Workshop 3	Studying poem 2 — Presents From My Aunts in Pakistan^* by Moniza Alvi (Alvi, 1991).
Workshop 4	Studying poem 3 — Golden Sunrise by Fiona Clark (Clark, 2020).
Workshop 5	Pupil presentations.
Workshops 6–10	Planning and drafting a sonnet.
Workshop 11	Typing up and making any amendments.
Workshop 12	Letter to the project coordinator; presenting the first draft of the anthology to pupils for checking.
Workshop 13	Presenting each pupil with their own copy of the final anthology and certificate; capturing post-project data.
*Note: You will need a copy of these poems for the project.

Overview of key steps in order of sequence:

1. Pre-project data capture.
2. Introduce the project, its themes and set the expectation that everyone will write a sonnet to be published in a collective anthology.
3. Get to know the pupils.
4. Over a series of weeks/workshops, study and explore the three named poems.
5. Talk about the themes and find creative ways to explore them.
6. Pupils to plan their own poem; then when they are ready, start writing — give 1:1 help and praise all efforts.
7. Poems should be typed up; and an adult to edit the work for an anthology.
8. Design a cover — pupils could help.
9. Print. Each pupil receives and copy.
10. Debrief — a review workshop.
11. Post-project data capture
12. Evaluation

Workshop 1 — Getting to know the pupils

Note

if you plan to carry out an evaluation at the end of the project, don’t forget to take a snap-shot of pre-project data during the first workshop. See Evaluating Your Project for guidance.

Activity 1 — Introduce yourself and the project

Activity 2 — Finding out from pupils ‘what makes you you?’

At the start of any new project it is useful not only to introduce yourself, but also to give pupils the opportunity to say something about themselves. It opens up the dialogue between teacher and pupil and communicates the message that this project is not just about learning poetry, but also an opportunity to learn about themselves. It also says ‘I see you, and, I hear you’. There are a number of different ways of doing this. One way is asking them to complete the following form, but make it clear that answers are optional. If there are blank spaces when these are handed in, this can be as revealing as having actual information itself. Once submitted, take a little time to review these forms away from the pupils, makin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Endorsements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• About the author
• Introduction
• Guidance for project coordinators
• A note about Evaluating Your Project
• Overview of projects
• Project 1: Poetry
• Project 2: Autobiography
• Project 3: Detective stories
• Project 4: Gothic conventions
• Project 5: Responding to drama
• Project 6: School newspaper
• Project 7: Responding to prose
• Evaluating Your Project
• Appendix A: Certificate for pupils