By request: Fun creative writing activities for co-op or micro-school.
Fun Creative Writing Activities for Co-op or Micro-school
So many co-ops and micro-schools love using 7Sisters no-busywork writing curriculum! We have had some requests from the high schoolers’ teachers on activities for the poetry and short-story writing units in their ELA courses.
Here are some activities that we have used in our homeschool co-op and umbrella school classes. (BTW- Don’t forget 7Sisters offers co-op and school discounts.)
Choose any or all of these ideas.
Create a syllabus for the course
7Sisters offers free sample syllabi for many of our ELA Bundles but don’t be stuck on the way WE do syllabi. Click here for a simple how-to on writing your own syllabus for your course. Or for teens who get excited and want a full year/full credit of poetry, here’s a syllabus for a poetry credit to walk them through the process.
Start each lesson with interest-building
This is probably the most important thing you will do to win your homeschool high schoolers’ attention. Show them a video (or several videos) of famous people reading poems or short stories.
Here are some we have shared:
YouTube is a wealth of resources. Here are a few ideas.
Poetry:
American Poetry
- S.M. Lockridge’s famous sermon-poem: Sunday’s Coming
- A Tiny Poem to the World by Kid President
- The Common Cold by Ogden Nash
- To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
- The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost read by Alan Bates
- Hope is a Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson
- 21st Century Native American Poet Layli Long Soldier’s Resolution 6
British Poetry
International Poetry
Short Stories:
Family Narrative:
- Tell them funny stories from my childhood and share clips of famous storytellers telling a short story about their lives.
- Read them short stories, such as stories from Patrick McManus’ Never Sniff a Gift Fish.
Tall tales:
- Tall Tale (movie)
- Here’s an ancient Disney Pecos Bill
- Read several tall tales to the teens.
Myth-Fantasy:
- The Lord of the Rings movies
- The Hobbit movie
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie
Each week share an inspirational quote about at the beginning of class each week
Here are a few from Brainy Quote:
- When it comes to understanding others, we rarely tax our imaginations. -Lawrence Hill
- Poetry is the truth in Sunday clothes. -Joseph Roux
- Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power. -Paul Engle
- Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner. -Neil Gaiman
- Start with short stories. After all, if you were taking up rock climbing. you wouldn’t start with Mt. Everest. So if you’re starting fantasy, you don’t start with a nine-book series.- George R.R. Martin
Read a poem in person each week
Choose a favorite poem to read as a group, you read or a student reads.
Build vocabulary with a word wall
Create a word wall. Have students bring an interesting word that they have found this week and write it on a group poster board. Then have each student share their word and what it means. Over the unit they will have enriched their vocabulary in a fun way.
Break the class into teams, assign a noun, and see how many of each examples of poetic sound language (carrying on a theme of alliteration or rhyme) that they can come up with to go along with our noun.
We use a timer and give them 60 seconds. (A good way to do this is have the kids look up the Noun Generator at randomlists.com and choose a noun from a generated list.)
For instance, they might generate the word “wealth”.
- Then the team might come up with these rhymes:
- health
- stealth (not too many rhymes for that word…)
Next they might find these words that alliterate with wealth (and have something to do with wealth):
- waning
- wishing (for)
- wanting
- wallowing (in)
Then practice writing skills together
This helps teens gain confidence in their ability to write creatively!
Group writing each week
Introduce each topic and then help the class work together to write a poem or tiny story of that style (you lead the activity). Allow this to be fun, silly and no-fail.
Team writing each week.
Break into teams. Have them write a quick, fun version of the topic then share with the group.
Share successes by sharing their creative writing assignments
This is powerful! Students might feel nervous at first, but then they love it.
Sharing their poem or short story
Each week have students share their homework poem with the group. With short stories, students will share their completed story at the end of the unit.
This sharing can be done by passing around. You can attach a blank sheet of paper to the poem or short story. Have students write something encouraging about their peer’s project.
Remember to keep the atmosphere relaxed! By the end of the unit, the teens have had a blast and have discovered that they LIKE short story writing!
You will enjoy using 7Sisters’ Writing Curriculum in your co-op!
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