TOPIC’S INFORMATION
Topic: WRITING CREATIVE WORKS (General Topic)
Estimated Instruction Time: 80
per class lesson (or it depends on the level
of students)
Classes: I, II, III, and IV.
INTRODUCTION
Creative writing is the
writing that focuses on expressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions rather than
to simply convey information. Creative writing is based on fiction or
imagination. Usually, the writer uses an object, a person or an event in the
real world and builds an imagined story, a poem, or a play around.
Writing creatively is to write
using literary techniques. Most of these techniques are covered in the topic Theory of Literature: An
Introduction to Literature that is taught in English Language subject and in
Literature in English as well. However, this literary technique can be taught
in any class in both 'O' Level and 'A' Level Secondary Schools. Even Form One
student can be taught this topic in simple ways. The important thing for a
teacher is to consider the class and the degree of simplicity and complexity
for a particular class.
(Also: For Literature in English
Subject, Check out my Literature in English Blog. Also check out My Diary for Diary Writing Inspiration and More!
)
In this sub topic, students will
be introduced to the art of composing or writing short stories, poems and short
plays. They will now apply the techniques they learnt in Theory of Literature: An
Introduction to Literature as well.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE
The student should be able to
write a literary work using literary devices and skills. They will be able to
use literary techniques, devices, and skills they learnt in Theory of Literature: An
Introduction to Literature to create
literary works of their own.
For Form One and Form Two
Students who have no deep knowledge of Theory of Literature: An
Introduction to Literature can be briefly introduced to the important
elements when writing any literary work such as:
Plot - organization of events from beginning, middle to the end.
Characters - people in the story.
Setting - place where events of the story takes place.
Point of view - the point where story's events are observed.
Conflict - the problem that drives the story's events.
Theme - the idea the writer wants to convey.
Six
Stages of Teaching How to Write Poems.
1. Start with Students’ Names.
I begin a lesson by
asking students this question:
Which name do you
like between your first name and surname?
Just as expected,
answer from grown up students like Form III, IV, V or VI, most of them prefer surnames
to first names, only few students can opt differently. Then I tell them to use
surnames in this lesson. You can't believe I keep them in the dark (i.e. I don't
tell them what I am trying to teach them ) for a purpose and the surprise of
the lesson make them even thrilled very much. The other reason I don't tell
them what I am trying to teach is to remove the belief that poems are
difficult. I prove this by merely using their names and at the end they will
wonder that their names are the assets to poetry writing.
2. Apply Your Name.
After choosing
their surnames, I also choose mine and write it on the blackboard horizontally
as normal. I also ask them to write their surnames horizontally in their
exercise books as I have done.
I write my name
horizontally as well.
KACHELE
Then I asked them
to write their surnames vertically as I have written my name below starting
from the left margin:
K
A
C
H
E
L
E
3. Give them the Mode of Writing.
After writing this,
I tell them that for each letter of the name from first letter to the last in
vertical way, they should write a sentence of four to five words for each line.
The sound (rarely a letter) that begins a sentence should also finish the
sentence or there should be the same sound like the first one.
4. Show them the Way.
I ask them to write
as I have instructed and I begin to work on my surname as well. As a teacher
you should show an example or prepare it in advance if it is not easy for you
to prepare it while teaching. My surname when finished can look as follow, and
I write very slowly just to be together with the students. Tell them that the titles
of their poems are their names: See my example here:
Kachele
K-achele hates picnic
A-mateur diarist and teacher
C-urious and charismatic
H-e jokes and laughs.
E-nglish teacher with degree.
L-atest in content and liberal.
E-ducated and hates decree.
Or another version
of the poem, but with different content and title and the same name:
The Peak
K - achele likes
one landmark
A - nd it
illuminates Tanzania
C - ome flying
during picnic
H - eight is so
high
E - njoyment is
always free
L - and, climb the
'Peak'
E - njoy, drink and
sightsee
Or yet another
version like this below:
The
Peak
Kachele likes one landmark
And it illuminates Tanzania
Come flying during picnic
Height is so high
Enjoyment is always free
Land, climb the 'Peak'
Enjoy, drink and sightsee
Note: For beginning poets, punctuations if used
improperly can distort the whole meaning of the poem. Thus, you should not
entirely emphasize using punctuations, until they master poetry writing skills.
And of course, as a
teacher I finish early. As I supervise I tell them that their sentences should
be grammatically correct and tell the real story of a person in question or
invent another story but using the same letters of the surname. Here also you
may be teaching them the way stories are invented fictitiously.
5. Supervise them and Respond to their Questions.
I supervise them
until they finish. Make sure you don't leave them. In case they ask you a
question respond to them. Also give them guidance on finding words that rhyme
as you pass through their desks. It's OK to help them or check their works
because you have not told them what you are trying to teach them.
6. Surprise them with your Lesson’s Intention.
Make sure you pass
an eye to every student. After finishing their works, now you can tell them
what you are trying to teach them. I assure you, when you tell them that you
are teaching them how to write poems, they will be surprised and wonder at what
they have done already. They will be asking themselves, after doing this
activity, that the poems are composed just simple like that. As a foundation or
beginning of the lesson of teaching how to write poems, teaching these acrostic
or bio poems, it is the very best step to introduce the students to writing
poems.
On how to Compose Creative
Short Story, check writing
Imaginary Events in Form Three
As you finish the lesson,
discuss with them the following aspects they have learnt.
1.
Rhythm. It's the concept of patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Because you have guided them to have four to five words in each line, it'll be
easy to tell them to identify syllables in the lines, hence easily identifying
the beats in the line.
2.
Rhyme. You have introduced them to rhymes already when you told them to make
sure each line ends with the first sound of the line.
3. Writing stories within poems. In this way,
students can learn that they can tell stories in the poems they compose.
For most of the techniques of
Creative writing, check Theory
of Literature: An Introduction to Literature
In conclusion
In the next lesson, you can
have them write the same poem or change the same poem they wrote by making sure
they choose perfect rhymes, that is, a student may now choose that his or her
all lines are going to end with sound –‘n’ etc. Also, you can tell them to
write a free verse poem; the poems that do not follow rhymes.
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WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?
This article is about how to
study and teach "Creative Writing: Writing Poems" in for all
Secondary School Students. As a student or teacher, you may have your opinion
on how to study and teach "Creative Writing: Writing Poems"
Your opinion is worth and I
believe that it can make these materials better for our own consumption.
You are Welcome!
Stay Updated. Next, we will share
how to compose other poems.
For those who want to see how
poems are analysed, click 15
Valuable Steps of Analysing Poems and How
to Teach Interpreting Poems.
Related Topics:
Also check out:
Tags
'O' LEVEL ENGLISH (OLE)
'O' LEVEL LITERATURE IN ENGLISH (OLLE)
Form Four
Form One
Form Three
Form Two
General Topics
How to Teach
How to Write
Make Your Literary Skills Applicable
Poetry