Here are 5 reasons why middle schoolers should write one fairy tale.
5 Reasons Why Middle Schoolers Should Write One Fairy Tale
Sometimes the joy of homeschooling the middle school years can get lost in frantic *preparing for high school*. We parents sometimes feel pressure to do more serious academics and feel that our tweeners don’t have time for creativity.
That’s not the case at all! In fact, one of the best gifts you can give a young person is permission to engage (or discover their imaginations and creativity). Writing fairy tales is one way to keep the creativity alive.
Here are 5 reasons why your middle schooler should write at least 1 fairy tale.
Reason 1: Smart people use their imaginations!
Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world…”
C.S. Lewis: “For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
Reason 2: Reading fairy tales can be a nice change from the more serious reading assignments for middle schoolers.
And you don’t even need a trip to the library with all the resources available on the internet. 7Sisters’ Middle School Short Story Writing Guide: Fairy Tales includes a list of good, classic fairy tales to read.
Reason 3: Fairy tales are good writing exercises.
Sometimes middle schoolers feel awkward about their writing (feeling awkward is part of the tweener experience). Fairy tales don’t take themselves too seriously. Young people can take a light-hearted approach to this creative writing assignment while learning creative thinking and capturing ideas on paper.
7Sisters’ Fairy Tale Writing Guide takes homeschool middle school students step-by-step through the process of writing a fairy tale.
Reason 4: Writing a fairy tale will boost your middle schooler’s confidence.
I’ve seen this happen again and again as I’ve worked with my own homeschoolers and taught creative writing in homeschool co-ops and group classes. Whether or not a young person THINKS they are creative, once they work through a creative-writing assignment, their confidence (and excitement) blossoms!
Thus, when your middle schooler is writing his/her first fairy tale, the amount of guidance needed will vary. A young person who is feeling lack of confidence in their writing ability may need some daily discussions about what to do. A young person with some confidence will take this etext and work happily on their own.
There’s not ONE right way to do a middle school writing curriculum!
Reason 5: Writing a fairy tale can give your student a solid writing assignment that looks great in their homeschool portfolio without taking enormous amounts of time each day.
When you use 7Sister’s fairy tale guide, you’ll find that the simple lessons easy to use:
- The lessons are planned for 4 days a week over 5 weeks
- The lessons are short
- The lessons are designed to help students achieve success.
- The style of instruction is conversational
- There is no-busywork
Bonus Reason: 7Sisters did the work for you! No figuring out how-on-earth to teach fairy-tale writing!
In Middle School Short Story Writing Guide: Fairy Tales, your middle schoolers will:
- Learn to Understand the Elements of a Fairy Tale
- Create Main Characters, Bad Guys, and Rescuers
- Create the Where and When of Settings
- Develop Backstory
- Plot the Story Powerfully
- Write Dialogue
- Edit and Proofread Using a Rubric
Here are some excerpts from the Middle School Short Story Writing Guide: Fairy Tale.
Download a copy today and have creative, imaginative fun with fairy tale writing!
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