Katie's Korner
When considering what to do with my lesson, my first focus was having fun with English Language Arts. I focused on the curriculum's Big Idea that language and story can be a source of creativity and joy. I think people's first impression when approaching creative writing is that they take it too seriously; not every written work will win the Pulitzer Prize. So, if we change the approach to creative writing to being something that creates joy, it makes it much less daunting to students (and fellow teacher candidates).
Thus came the Snowball activity! Although I made this lesson specifically for the holiday season, it could easily be adapted to other holidays, seasons, and literary themes and genres. I think everyone really took the activity in stride and had a lot of fun with it. My favourite stories were the ones that took completely unexpected turns! I've included a few of my favourites down below.
In reflection, if I were to teach this lesson again, I would love to include it in a larger creative writing unit so I could focus on narrative structure and purposefully construct a story with plot structure in mind. Also, considering students with learning differences, I would individualize the lesson parameters to fit their needs (e.g., writing one sentence instead of three sentences for ELL students, allowing students with IEPs to access learning supports as necessary, etc.).
All in all, this activity is designed to have fun with writing because creative writing should be enjoyed.
