{"id":3593,"date":"2021-04-18T13:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-18T18:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=3593"},"modified":"2022-08-02T10:25:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T15:25:23","slug":"teaching-creative-writing-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/teaching-creative-writing-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Creative Writing: Tips for Your High School Class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I was first told that I’d be teaching creative writing, I panicked. <\/strong>While I had always enjoyed writing myself, I had no idea how to show others how to do it creatively. After all, all of my professional development had focused on argumentative writing and improving test scores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, though, I came to love my creative writing class, and I think you will too. In this post, I hope to help you with shaping your own creative writing class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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The Importance of Teaching Creative Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of how<\/em> to teach creative writing, let’s first remind ourselves why<\/em> you should teach a creative writing class.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How often do you see students freeze in your English class,<\/strong> wondering if what they’re writing is “right”?<\/strong> How often do your students beg you to look over their work to make sure that they’re doing it “right”? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We English teachers know that there’s no such thing as “right” when it comes to writing. But our students really struggle with the idea of there being no one correct answer. Creative writing is one solution to this problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By encouraging our students to explore, express themselves, and play with language, we show them how fun and exploratory writing can be. I know there have been many times in my life when writing clarified my own ideas and beliefs for me; creative writing provides this opportunity for our high school students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, creative writing is just downright fun!<\/strong> And in this modern era of standardized testing, high-stakes grading, and just increased anxiety overall, isn’t more fun<\/em> just what our students and us need? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative writing is playful, imaginative, but also rigorous. It’s a great balance to our standard literature or composition curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether you’re choosing to teach creative writing or you’re being voluntold to do so, you’re probably ready to start planning. Make it as easy as possible on yourself: grab my done-for-you Creative Writing Class here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, preparing for an elective creative writing class isn’t much different than preparing for any other English class<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set your goals and choose the standards you’ll cover. Plan lessons accordingly. Then, be sure to have a way to assess student progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #1: Get Clear on Your Goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, what do you want to achieve with your creative writing class? In some school, Creative Writing is purely a fun elective.<\/strong> The goal is create a class that students enjoy with a side of learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For other schools or district cultures, however, Creative Writing might be an intensely academic course. As a child, I went to an arts middle school. Creative writing was my major and it was taken very seriously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount of rigor you wish to include in your class will impact how you structure everything<\/strong>. <\/strong>So take some time to think about that.<\/strong> You may want to get some feedback from your administrator or other colleagues who have taught the course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some schools also sequence creative writing classes, so be sure you know where in the sequence your particular elective falls. I’ve also seen schools divide creative writing classes by genre: a poetry course and a short story course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know what your administrator expects and then think about what you as an instructor want to accomplish with your students.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #2: List Out Your Essential Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of your class’s level of rigor, there are some skills that every creative writing course should cover. <\/p>\n\n\n

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My Poem Writing Activities<\/a> always include examples or mentor texts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

First, you need to cover the writing process. <\/strong>Throughout the course, students should practice brainstorming, outlining, writing, and editing their drafts. In nearly every Poem Writing Activity<\/a> that I use in my class, students follow the same process. They examine a model text, brainstorm ideas, outline or fill out a graphic organizer, put together a final draft, and then share with a peer for feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That last step–sharing and critiquing work–is an essential skill that can’t be overstated. Students are often reluctant to share their work, but it’s through that peer feedback that they often grow the most. Find short, casual, and informal ways to build in feedback throughout the class in order to normalize it for students. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Writing workshops<\/a> are a great way to teach and create hands-on, engaging activities!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Literary terms are another, in my opinion, must-cover topic for teaching a creative writing class.<\/strong> You want your students to know how to talk about their writing and others’ like an actual author. How deep into vocabulary you want to go is up to you, but by the end of the course, students should sound like writers honing their craft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, you should cover some basic writing skills, preferably skills that will help students in their academic writing, too.<\/strong> I like to cover broad topics like writing for tone or including dialogue. Lessons like these will be ones that students can use in other writing assignments, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if you’re teaching a creative writing class to students who plan on becoming creative writing majors in college, you could focus on more narrow skills. For me, most of my students are upperclassmen looking for an “easy A”. I try my best to engage them in activities and teach them skills that are widely applicable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #3: Make Sure Your Materials are Age-Appropriate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you know what<\/em> you’re teaching, you can begin to cultivate the actual lessons you’ll present. If you pick up a book on teaching creative writing or do a quick Google search, you’ll see tons of creative writing resources out there for young children<\/strong>. You’ll see far less for teens. <\/p>\n\n\n

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This Haiku Poem for High Schoo<\/a>l Writing Activity includes a slideshow, students worksheets, and lesson plan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Really, the content and general ideas around creative writing don’t change much from elementary to high school. But the presentation of ideas should<\/em>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every high school teacher knows that teens do not like to feel babied or talked down to; make sure your lessons and activities approach “old” ideas with an added level of rigor or maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take for example the haiku poem. I think most students are introduced to haikus at some point during their elementary years. We know that haiku is a pretty simple poem structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in my Haiku Poem Writing Lesson<\/a>, I add an extra layer of rigor. First, students analyze a poem in which each stanza is its own haiku. Students are asked not only to count syllables but to notice how the author uses punctuation to clarify ideas. They also analyze mood throughout the work.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By incorporating a mentor text and having students examine an author’s choices, the simple lesson of writing a haiku becomes more relevant and rigorous. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Teaching Creative Writing Tip #4: Tell Students What They Should Not <\/em>Write About<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You’ll often be surprised by just how vulnerable your students are willing to be with you in their writing. But there are some experiences that we teachers don’t need to know about, or are required to act on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first day of a creative writing course should always include a lecture on what it means to be a mandated reporter. <\/strong>Remind students that if they write about suicidal thoughts, abuse at home, or anything else that might suggest they’re in danger that you are required by law to report it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on how strict your district, school, or your own teaching preferences, you may also want to cover your own stance on swearing, violence, or sexual encounters in student writing. One idea is to implement a “PG-13” only rule in your classroom.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever your boundaries are for student work, make it clear on the first day and repeat it regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n