Viewing entries tagged
creative writing classes
This poem and the accompanying illustration were created by Millie, one of the students in our TMWFI! Summer Camp. After listening to a few segments of the "This I Believe" podcast, students asked themselves some questions about their own beliefs. Then, after brainstorming they wrote a poem, list or story about the things they believe in.
My Beliefs
I believe in Magic.
I believe in Dragons.
I believe in Peace.
I believe in the Stars.
I believe in My parents.
I believe in My friends.
I believe in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall.
I believe in Fatih.
I believe in the world and the people in it.
Our goal is to establish a community of young writers who respect one another and feel safe sharing their work with the group. On the first day of class we collaborate to come up with a set of guidelines we all agree to follow during out time together. That's followed by a writing activity that helps us get to know one another better. Then we introduce the curriculum and dive into our imaginations!
Our winter session students at Oakton Elementary in Northern Virginia were asked to create an original alarm clock and write about how it works.
The Minion Clock by Amale
The Brick by Jerry
Here are a few imaginative excerpts from our TMWFI! students at Thornhill Elementary.
My Secret Is
My secret is made from the footsteps on the stairs,
the shadows on the windowsill of faces
The noises I hear around the room, of silent screams
I found it lying under the bed
waiting for me to take it
and hold it with me.
-Della
The New Home
Moving houses was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to stay in our old home with the warm red walls and the nice orange carpets. With the smell of fresh peaches and warm cinnamon muffins.
But now, I was stepping into a cold house with lime green walls, a rough brown carpet and instead of a nice peach-cinnamon muffin smell, there was that new paint-garage smell.
-Aisling
Ice Cream Dream
The Ice-Cream Dream flavor has been invented by award winning cook, April Y. Ear. It comes in any possible flavor you could ever wish for, and if you eat it right before bed, you will have amazing dreams. The ice-cream also comes in Ice-cream Dream Sandwiches and Ice-cream Dream Sundaes.
-Gulzar
I Am Found
I am found in a lightless world, a fearful world, a dead world.
-Gabby
In this writing activity, we asked members of our Next Chapter Club to use personalization to create a clock character who decides that he’s/she’s tired of keeping time. Below is a unique story written by Charlotte:
"I moaned with agony as the kindergardeners shrieked.
I could not stand these children. Always screaming, and their teacher would just put in ear plugs and sip her coffee.
No one ever thought of me. I mean, I'm just a clock fairy. You know, the little creature that makes the hands spin on clocks? But they thought I was the clock. Nothing more. And people tend not to care about the hearing of inanimate objects.
One day, I just snapped. The children were screaming their lungs out during Free Time, while the teacher just sat there at her laptop, ear plugs firmly wedged in place.
And I decided I couldn't stand another second. I stopped turning the hands, and kept it that way until the janitor took my clock down. And I had another stroke of luck-- the fairy in the fifth-grade classroom was being promoted to a clock at a basketball stadium, and I moved into that clock.
And I lived happily ever after."