Writing Projects
Wondering what creative writing projects to include in a class or unit? Read on! The more I teach creative writing, the more I see students come alive. I was very unsure of myself when I began teaching a creative writing class last year. As I’ve continued, our projects have expanded and improved.
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In this series on teaching French writing activities, we've already discussed using templates to model good writing, as well as the importance of French transition words to decrease choppiness. This post will continue the writing discussion with 25 ideas for great French writing projects and French writing activities to use all year long for your
In this series on teaching Spanish writing skills, we've discussed using templates to model good writing, as well as the importance of Spanish transition words to decrease choppiness. This post will continue the writing discussion with ideas for great Spanish writing activities and Spanish writing projects to use all year long with your high school
In episode 64 I shared reasons to go ahead and open up about your project. After listening to some of the benefits, you might have wondered why we wouldn’t always talk about our projects with people. Why not take advantage of that great input and the energy and fun of collaboration and developmental input? Why […]
Three kinds of writing projects for the copywriter: strategic planning projects, sales pieces, and content.
Are you bursting with novel ideas, but seem to lose track of them over time? Here are a few tips for staying on track and seeing your writing projects through to the end.
Winter Writing Projects for Homeschool High School. Winter is a great time for a challenging and/or fun writing project.
When you want your students to write more, motivation is half the battle. Giving kids a real purpose and a real audience for writing can make a big difference in their desire to write! In today’s post, I’ll describe 10 engaging persuasive / opinion writing projects that you can use to motivate your students. At the beginning of each of my writing units, I tell students about our final project, why we are doing it, and who we will be writing for. This generates excitement and creates a sense of urgency! Here are 10 persuasive / opinion writing projects I’ve used to motivate my students: – “All About Me” book – This is more opinion writing than persuasive, but kids can make a book of their “favorites” (food, toy, activity at school, restaurant, recess activity, game, TV show, etc.). They give at least one reason to explain each favorite. Then, place the books in the classroom library – the kids will love reading about each other! – New student book – Have your students make a class book for students who move into the area from out of town. Each child can write a page about a different topic (or a few different students can write about the same topic). The topic of the book could be “Important Places”, and each student can make a page about an important place in the community. On the page, they would name an important place (i.e. library, water park, pool), describe it, and give reasons to explain why it is an important location in the community. Place the book in the school office so new students have something to read while their parents fill out registration paperwork. – Recess activities letter – Have students write a letter to a friend in the class or school. In the letter, the child can name an activity at recess and explain why the friend should try it. Kids can get into a “recess rut,” doing the same thing at recess day after day, so this can be a fun way to motivate them to try something new! Have kids deliver the letters and then invite their friends to try out the activity with them at recess. – Reviews – The possibilities are endless here! Kids can write book reviews, and then you can feature a few at a time in the classroom library to encourage kids to try out new books. Other possible topics include favorite restaurants, foods, video games, board games, TV shows, movies, sports, toys, and music. Make sure that you find a real audience for their reviews, such as other students in the school, administrators, community members, etc. – Debate notes – Have students engage in simple debates, like, “Should kids watch TV on school nights?” In order to prepare for their debates, they will have to write persuasive papers about their opinions and reasons. You can have them put different reasons on notecards and form teams to work together during the debate. I would probably only do this one with 2nd grade and up. – Book awards – If you teach a traits-based writing program, your students might already be familiar with concepts like “word choice” and “ideas.” Turn this into a book awards project. Students can give books prizes for “wonderful word choice,” “detailed descriptions,” or other categories of your choice. They can each present one award and show off the book as the rest of the class listens. – “Dear Mom and Dad” letter – Students can select something they want to see changed in their household and write to their parents to explain why they think the change should take place. Encourage students to think beyond the typical “later bedtime” or “buy me a new toy” topics. Maybe they wish their family ate dinner together more often? Perhaps they would like to have a family game night? Maybe they want more “say” in decorating the home? Help your students think outside the box here, and then have them hand-deliver or even mail their letters. – “Dear Teacher” letter – Similar to the “Dear Mom and Dad” letter, kids can select something in the classroom that they would like to see changed and write to you to share their opinion and reasons. They will be delighted when you write them back a letter in response! – “Dear Principal” letter – Similar to the above. Encourage kids to think about a problem in the school that might be solved, and to write to the principal to share their ideas. My principal wrote back to my kids, and they were thrilled! – “Dear Community Leader” letter – Similar to the above. Have kids think about problems in the community and improvements/changes that they might like to see. Your students will probably need your help to find audiences for their letters. Many of my kids chose topics like, “people need to slow down in neighborhoods,” so I had to look on the town webpage and find names and addresses for people who were in charge of things like road signs/transportation. If you are lucky, some of the community leaders might write them back! Most of these projects are included in my persuasive writing units for K, 1st, and 2nd. The lesson plans are already done for you, and supplementary materials (the ones pictured in this post) are included! For a list of persuasive mentor text suggestions, check out this post. Happy teaching!
This online class gives middlers (ages 9-14) the support they need to navigate an entire writing project, start to finish. You’ll end up with a perfect project for that end-of-year portfolio! As a BONUS, during class, you'll receive guidelines for five different writing projects —readymade ideas for the months after class. So you can keep building that path to essays, one stone at a time!
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This is part 3 of our four cornerstones of writing more series. Here’s a common writing mistake to stop making now: Putting projects on your to-do list instead of tasks. If you’ve been writing “finish article” on your to-do list, then you’re guilty of this. You’re also setting yourself up for failure as you keep moving […]
6 lists. A simple individual who loves writing and sharing my ideas with others!💜 On this profil you will find different lists with recommendations you might need during your writing journey. I will also include other topics which personally interest me as well (maybe there is something for you as well?😊)
My log and tracker pages are not beautiful works of art as many bullet journals are but they have encouraged me to be more productive and I’ve really enjoyed filling in the different trackers. I’m delighted with the progress I’ve made - particularly with my novel. In the video below I share exactly how many words I’ve written this month as well as how I got on with my non-fiction, my essay and what I’ve read.
Learn how to get and use my free Cricut font downloads! Looking for some inspiration for a craft with text? The right font (or typeface, but more on that later) can really make a project shine! So I’ve put together a set of JenniferMaker free Cricut font downloads you can use in many different ways....
Beat the overwhelming chaos of a disorganized writing project and get back to writing your story. The How to Organize Your Writing Projects workbook helps writers organize their writing projects to beat the overwhelming chaos of having ideas and research everywhere but not being able to find them. This workbook will not only help writers get organized but also help them feel less distracted so that they can focus more on what matters–which is writing the actual story.
Readers meet #Author Jan Scarbrough @romancerider - she's talking about her writing projects http://sfauthorandbookinsights.blogspot.ca/
Freelance writer and children's author Amy O'Quinn explains how to keep the momentum going on your writing projects.
