Creative Writing Work Booklet

A booklet containing eight different activities that could be used during lessons or even set for homework. The start of the booklet is aimed to assess the student’s current ability before revision and practice. The middle is aimed at helping build skills like expanding vocabulary, using similes and using metaphors. The final two activities are planning and writing their own short story. The teacher can use this to assess progress from the start of the booklet.

Activity 1:
Image of a fictional character (from The Hunger Games)

• What is happening in the picture?
• What is your first impression of the character?
• How is the character feeling?
• Write a short diary entry as the character.

Activity 2:
Image of setting (an animal farm)

• What can you see?
• What can you hear?
• What can you smell?
• What can you feel?
• Write an opening to a story that is set on a farm.

Activity 3:
Picture of Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) running away from the tribe where he was once chief.

• Students have to rewrite pre-written descriptive sentences and replace the underlined words with more exciting ones.
• Students then have to write their own descriptive sentences to describe the scene/characters.

Activity 4:
Expanding vocabulary.

• A list of ‘boring’ adjectives and verbs that students have to find three different replacements for each.

Activity 5:
Similes and Metaphors.

• A page of half written similes that students need to complete.
• Students then need to come up with their own similes to describe a candle.
• A page of half written metaphors that students need to complete.
• Students then need to come up with their own metaphors to describe the beach.

Activity 6:
“Gingerbread man” character analysis

• Harry Potter pointing his wand during a fight.
• Inside: Write the character’s thoughts and feelings.
• Outside: Write what the character looks like to others. What might be happening in the image. Where is he? What is he doing?
• Second analysis image of Rose and Jack in famous pose at the front of the Titanic.
• Choose one character (Rose or jack)
• Inside: Character’s thoughts and feelings.
• Outside: What the character looks like to others? What might be happening in the image? Where are they? What are they doing?
• One step further: Include similes and metaphors.

Activity 7:
Planning.

• Students have to choose one of six characters to analyse and complete a ‘gingerbread man’ activity.
• Students then have to choose from one of five settings and fill out a table to describe it. Table headings include: sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, similes, metaphors and other notes.
• The students fill out a step by step plan of their story using the character and setting they have chosen.

Activity 8:
Students write their short story that they have planned for.