Writing with your students or children will spice up your life and theirs – at least for ten minutes.
Here are three short writing activities to keep your students motivated to write
. Try to keep them to no more than ten minutes.
Activity #1 – Writing about Playlists
What’s in your playlist? There’s probably at least one or two songs that mean the world to you in there. Or songs that you cannot start your workouts or house cleaning or yardwork without.
What’s in your student’s playlist or your children’s? What are the songs that define them, that help you know them better, that make them dance or help them do their chores or homework with more vigor?
BEFORE THE ACTIVITY CONSIDER THESE THINGS ABOUT MUSIC:
1.
Words are powerful, but they only have the power we assign to them. Decide whether swear words or the N-word or words commonly seen by society as pejoratives will offend you. Let the other writer know. Select songs accordingly.
2.
Focus on the content with an open mind. Write questions if you have them.
3.
Listen to the whole song, not just parts of it. Songs are usually about 3 minutes.
4.
Write with kindness and empathy.
5.
Keep it short.
ACTIVITY #1
1.
Pick Songs:
You and your child select music each of you likes. Text each other the YouTube music and lyrics. Do not share any reasons why you both enjoy the music you selected. Only provide the song, singer, and lyrics.
2.
Take 10 Min.:
o
Listen to the entire song. Write
(for two minutes)
about anything the song elicits in you. If you can’t find anything to write about, use the Format Frames below.
o
3 min. for listening to the song
o
2 min. to write your reactions, comments, reflections…
o
5 min. to share and discuss what you wrote; divide time evenly
3.
Format Frame:
Use these frames if you’d like writing prompts.
o
“What I learned from my child’s/Student’s music was _____.”
o
“A line that I’d like to discuss is _____.”
o
“This music made me _____.”
4.
Discuss
: Talk about what you each wrote.
Activity #2: Writing about Pictures and Photographs and Objects
Sometimes items in the house mean more to us than we’ve shared with others – a favorite chair, mug, t-shirt.
Do your students or your children have a favorite blanket, fork, or place on the sofa? Reflect on the object or item. Do not share the item or object yet. Keep it hidden.
Activity #2
1.
Pick an object or item or photo that is important to you. Do not share it yet. Your writing partner or partners do the same. Put all items in a bag or box or on a bed and cover it with a blanket so that they can’t be seen.
2.
Write about the object for
two minutes
. Write anything you like. Anything.
3.
Someone pulls an item out of the box or off the bed. The person who owns the object then reads the reflection. It continues until everyone has read.
4.
Have a conversation if you want to carry the conversation on beyond 10 minutes.
Activity #3: Writing Ten-Minute Fiction – Finishing the Story
Fiction lets us know the impossible is probable. Have fun creating and exploring worlds with your students and children.
Children’s imaginations tend to be sharper than ours, so they will challenge us to take the fictional journey’s farther than we would normally travel. Let your writing partner take the lead, where all scenarios are work.
Activity #3 – Divide the House into Writing Teams
1.
Write three sentences that start to tell a story but doesn’t finish. If you are brave, let your student or child take the lead.
Spend only 30 sec. to 1 minute.
EXAMPLE: “The woman sat on a bench picking salt off her cracker. She was waiting for a bus to nowhere. The bus was late.”
2.
Give (or email…or text) the sentences to your writing partner.
3.
Your partner adds more sentences to the story – as many as he or she can write in two minutes.
4.
You add more to your partner’s story – two minutes’ worth.
5.
Continue swapping stories until you have had two turns, and your partner has had two – a total of 8 minutes.
6.
Whoever started the story, ends it in 30 sec. to 1 minute.
7.
Share the stories. Perform the stories. Draw the stories. You and your writing partner should make the stories come alive.
Write short pieces. Keep brains active. Know each other. Enjoy your summer.
