The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

Once Upon a Time
Guidelines for the Activities

IMAGINATION IS the greatest natural resource of childhood. As luck would have it, it is also one of the most indispensable tools of a writer.

Children are perfectly suited for creating engaging stories, tall tales, and fanciful fiction. Just think about it. They have an amazing sense of wonder; a propensity to think in metaphor; a sensitivity to rhythm, rhyme, and repetition; and an enormous capacity for making things up. In fact, it’s actually much easier to teach children how to think like writers than it is to teach seasoned writers to remember how to be as creative as children.

When it comes to spinning a yarn, kids are at a definite advantage. Simply start a sentence with, “Once upon a time . . .” and wait for them to take over. By the time they get to “The end,” you’ll know exactly what I mean.

MATERIALS

∗ some favorite books

∗ paper

∗ pencil

HOW-TO

1. Read a few simple stories with your children and discuss some of the choices the author made. How did the story begin? Who were the characters? Where did it take place? What is the most exciting thing that happened? How did the author wrap up everything in the end?

2. Brainstorm with your children some ideas for stories of their own.

3. When you see their eyes light up about an idea, pull out paper and pencil, and help them get started.

Variations

For Scribblers: Getting pre-writers accustomed to stories couldn’t be simpler. Read, read, read. Listening to the rhythm of stories is the best possible prep for them to write stories of their own someday.

For Spellers: Emerging writers get a big kick out of fill-in-the-blank stories. They can make important decisions about the twists and turns of the story, without having to tackle the whole thing all at once (for a sample, see “Fill-in-the-Blank Story” in the templates section).

For Storytellers: As their name suggests, Storytellers are perfectly suited to this challenge. Just give them a small stack of paper and some loving support, and then admire all the stories they crank out.

For Scholars: Young authors-in-training can begin to consider some of the more technical aspects of writing a story, such as the parts of a story (introduction, body, and conclusion), character development, and setting.