Creative Writing "Happy New Year" Activities

Happy New Year! I know it's been some time since I've blogged, but we've been traveling to see family, creating new lessons, relaxing, and enjoying the holidays. I hope that you, too, have been able to enjoy this time with family and friends.

I wanted to let you know about a free download I have for teachers to use this new year. It's my "2013 New Year Creative Writing Activities." Hopefully this will help with your lesson planning when you return to school after break.

It includes four short writing activities for students that also practice critical-thinking skills.

The first is writing a new-year resolution. I defined a resolution for the students and prompted them to think about what they wish to achieve and HOW they will go about obtaining that goal. I think it's important to include the "how" because some may resolve to do things that they could not possibly achieve. On the last page of this packet is a variation of his writing exercise that can be used for the first day of school or first day of the semester with a new group of students.

After your students finish writing about their goals, file them away for the rest of the year. Bring them back out on the last day of school and let them see how much they have achieved over the past few months. Students love looking back at things they've written.

The next activity is writing a list of the top 20 things they want to do in 2013 and the top 13 things they hope to avoid or not do. An example might be "Earn an A in class" for top 20 and "Turn in late work" for bottom 13.

Another activity is writing an acrostic poem using the numbers 2-0-1-3. It forces the students to think of the number as separate words. An example might be:
  Two months of searching
  Zero purchases
  One goal
  Three prospects for the perfect prom dress.

The final activity is a classroom scavenger hunt. Students are prompted to find certain things based on the numbers 2-0-1-3. Then they have to create their own clues for their classmates.

These activities could be a nice addition to a time capsule or writing portfolio. I hope you and your students enjoy them. If you do, please consider checking out my other creative writing and critical-thinking activities:

 Creative Activities for ANY Novel or Story

These new products are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Please see their product descriptions for the full list of standards alignment.

Character Cell Phone Activity

Character Trading Cards Activity

Fall-Themed Creative Writing Exercises

Last year I posted a Winter Creative Writing packet for younger students. It was well-received, so my intent was to create full-size bundles of creative writing exercises for all four seasons.

Well, here we are in September and I am just now posting my Fall Creative Writing Activities packet. :) Even though these are designed for students aged 10 and up, many of the activities can work for older students, as well.

Students will practice writing acrostic, haiku, and chance poetry, short stories, and short narrative "tweets" based on fall characters. This bundle has double the activities that my winter packet contained, hence the price. Download the preview for a sample activity and thumbnails of all the pages.

As a bonus, it also includes 12 pages of writing pages in fall themes. Use these for various writing assignments, stationery, or anything!

Celebrate Poetry: Why I Love Poetry

Photo © T.Orman, 2010

April is National Poetry Month and a great time to celebrate creative writing. Many people are intimidated by poetry, perhaps thinking it is too confusing, too deep, or too vague. I like to think of poetry as more of an "anything goes" style of writing. You can say what you want to say without worrying about formatting, complete sentences, or even if it makes sense. That's the fun of it. I try to convey this message to my students so they feel less intimidated by poetry. Poetry should be fun.

My love of poetry probably began as a child listening to my favorite songs and tediously jotting down the lyrics (either by lifting the needle of the record player or pushing "rewind" on the cassette over and over again). I was in love with lyrics--the combination of words, often rhyming, but not always. 

But it was most likely my junior year in high school when I really fell in love with poetry. I had a teacher who encouraged creative writing and believed in me. (Thank you, Mrs. Conrad!) I started a poetry journal, writing down every poem I had scribbled in notebooks or on napkins. Looking back, my early poems are more lyrical, as I strained to make them rhyme. But my writing matured with age and in college, with the help of another fantastic teacher (Thank you, Dr. Herzig!), I let go of the lyrics and let my words be themselves, unburdened by rhyme schemes or formulas.

Having teachers who encouraged my own creative writing helped me understand reading poetry, as well. The more I wrote, the more I wanted to read what others were writing. And both activities led me to love poetry.

I do like to start my unit with song lyrics; knowing that most students love music, if they see their favorite lyrics being treated as poetry, it is much less intimidating. They aren't afraid to dissect or find poetic devices in their favorite songs.

As you celebrate poetry in your own classroom, remember to encourage your students and let them have fun with it. They may not always see the symbols, underlying themes, or know exactly how to write in iambic pentameter...and that's OK. Leave them with a positive experience so they won't be intimidated or reluctant to learn more about poetry later in life. 

Two Holiday Freebies for Download

I just posted two holiday freebies you can download in my teacher store right now!

"The Day After Halloween Creative Writing Activity" 
(or it can be done anytime!)

"Thanksgiving Creative Writing Activity"

Both can be quick bell-ringers or exit slips, or used as journal prompts. They allow your students to be creative, which is always a good thing. And I like that you can use these for upper elementary students through seniors in high school. I know my older students had fun coming up with their responses. :)

Enjoy!

Oh, and they ARE aligned with the Common Core Standards.  Bonus!