Developing a Creative Writing Club in your Secondary School
Christmas Crackers
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Christmas Crackers project
Christmas Crackers A programme of themes and ideas for new or established creative writing clubs. Designed and produced by Mark Grist as part of the Well Versed Poetry in School project Theme Christmas. Whether you want to focus on the various moral messages that are associated with Christmas, the stories that have developed around it, festivities in general, or winter as a season is up to you Programme Length 6 weeks and culminating in a festive event at the end of term Final Event A lunchtime event that could raise money for a charity in the build up to Christmas. If possible, this should take place during the last fortnight before the Christmas break. Suggested Equipment Some Christmas music and Christmassy items would help the event feel more festive. You could also have cakes and biscuits for people to nibble on.
Additional Notes The event doesn’t have to be opened up to other students. It may be that pupils just want to share the things they’ve made with their families and friends outside of school.
Christmas Crackers project
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Suggested activities Choose 5/6 of the following activities to do during club hours over 5/6 weeks. 1. Pupils make Christmas cards for a friends/family and write a short poem for them inside to give it a personal touch. 2. The Best Christmas Ever! Pupils write a short story detailing the best Christmas they have ever had. 3. The Worst Christmas Ever! Pupils write a list poem detailing the worst Christmas presents ever 4. Research a famous Christmas Carol as a group and then encourage pupils to write their own version – either using the same structure, or creating a totally new song. Get the keyboards from the music department and create a backing track to accompany them 5. Hold a debate on whether Christmas should be banned. Make sure that there is an equal number on each side, and decide who made the most convincing argument. 6. Pupils write persuasive letters to Father Christmas for the most ambitious presents they can think of. 7. Make a group advent calendar, with a different haiku behind each door. 8. Dragons Den In pairs, pupils design their own products for shifting snow and then present the ideas to the group . As teacher, you are the dragon! Ask questions and encourage pupils to explain how/why their inventions would work. 9. Design an advertising campaign including making adverts for a new winter clothes range. 10. Pupils to each put the name of a famous person/character into a pot then draw one each at random. They must then create a Christmas wish-list for that person. 11. ‘On the First Day of Christmas’ As a group decide what you think is the most important thing about Christmas. Write a play where the main character realises this is the true meaning of Christmas. The plays can be written separately or as a group writing exercise. 12. Create a Christmassy board-game that could be sold to teenagers in the Christmas rush!