PURPOSE OF WRITING ACTIVITY
- learn English writing sentences about change
This activity helps students learn English writing sentences about change, to control progress, movement or action in a paragraph or short story. It also helps students improve their ability to describe things with accuracy and style.
Students will write a story with four different people. Each person does something different, but these actions must evolve or progress. They become bigger, better, worse, happier, stronger, scarier, or deadlier. The student chooses the kind of change that happens.
Rationale
The ability to describe change over time is an important writing skill. Change is part of basic story telling. It’s also part of report writing (e.g. when researchers describe differences and change over time).
Need an example? Think about A Christmas Carol. In that story, three ghosts visit Scrooge. The story moves from the past to the present and the future. Each ghost telling a scarier and more shocking story. In the end, Scrooge becomes a kind generous person.
Writing Flow
Step 1: Choose a basic plot with a simple setting. This should be about one paragraph.
Step 2: Choose four characters. Focus on describing the characters and, more importantly, how each one one does something which shows the reader movement or change.
Step 3: Make a few notes, brainstorm ideas.
Step 4: Write the first draft. It should be at least 2-3 paragraphs.
PHOTO CREDIT
The image in this post comes from Simon Laroche and its use complies with the owner’s creative commons licensing terms.