Using creative writing in the classroom will give your students the chance to have fun

whilst practising grammar points and expanding their vocabulary.

Story Telling Warmer

Write a first line on the White Board. E.g. It was a dark and stormy night . Ask
the first student to continue the line and so on until every student has participated in
making a story. You may find that some students are reluctant but start with a stronger
student and they will soon be in full flow.
Speed Writing Warmer
Write a prompt on the White Board. For example It was raining cats and dogs.
Give the students three minutes to write anything that comes into their head. Its a
great way to get a writing class started and also to introduce new vocabulary such as
idioms. Be strict with the timing and when the time is up they should compare what
they have written with other students.
Writing Prompts
Write several prompts on slips of papers and give them out to the students either
individually or in pairs. These prompts could be geared towards practising certain
vocabulary or grammar points. For example:
You buy a newspaper from your local newsagent and see that it is dated one week in
the future. There is an article in it which makes it clear that you have to take action
now to prevent a catastrophe.
You go to an antique market and buy a box of bric-a-brac. On looking through the
box you find a photo of a young girl/boy in period clothing from 100 years ago and
written on the back is your name. You have to find out what the connection is between
the girl/boy in the photo and yourself.
The students then either individually or in pairs write a short story connected to their
prompt. The stories should be kept at around 150-250 words. When they have written
their stories they should join up with another student/pair and read and discuss their
stories.

Creating Character
Ask the students to create their own characters by first of all deciding the
following: Age, name, appearance including eye colour, hair colour,
distinguishing facial features etc., hobbies/studies/job. Then give them a
questionnaire to complete. It could include questions like: What makes your character
angry? What makes them laugh? What is their biggest fear? Do they have a secret?
For higher level classes you could expand this even more by adding more complex
questions such as: Is there anything that makes your character feel safe? Something
comforting? Describe what it is and why it makes them feel safe? Your character is
being lectured by someone in a position of authority, how do they react? These
prompts can be adjusted to level but the aim is that the student ends up with a rounded
character profile.

Writing Monologues
The aim of this lesson is for the students to use a character that they have
previously created and write a monologue. It is a good idea to show the students
examples of monologues from literature in order for them to see how it is done. You
should choose examples based on the age/level of your students. Stress that
monologue writing is writing your characters thoughts in the first person as if they
were thinking out loud.

Creating Dialogue
Give out an example of a short dialogue. Ask your students what their observations
are. Elicit: Naturalness, length of sentences, tension/mood, dialect speaking habits.
What is important about writing a dialogue? Ask your students to form pairs; they
should pair up with someone that they are not already sitting with. They should tell
each other about the characters they have created and discuss their
similarities/differences. Ask them to imagine a situation in which their characters
might meet and write a short dialogue about what happens. Stress that they should try
and include some conflict in their dialogue. Role-play the dialogue.