Sorry I posted the wrong link before here is the storytelling into writing link
Writing Games
Imitate
Read a short poem or paragraph to the class. The game is for them to listen carefully and then as soon as you have finished write down as much as they can remember - filling in gaps if they need. In pairs, they can compare results and then listen to the original. This develops memory but is also interesting because different people remember different sections - or everyone remembers the same piece - why?
Interviews
Children work in pairs - one in role as the poet or author and the other is about to interview them. Read a poem or paragraph. The interviewers then ask questions and role-play an interview. Hear some in front of the class. Questions can be about the poem - but also any other aspect that the interviewer deems interesting!
Story Sale
Choose an object from a story and write a For Sale notice, e.g. For Sale - The Minotaur's Horn. Straight from the labyrinth, the genuine article...
Likes, dislikes, puzzles and patterns
Put children into pairs to make a list about a story or poem of likes, dislikes, puzzles and patterns. Or, each pair makes a list of 5 questions they are curious about. Later on, list these as a class and see if other pairs can provide ideas or answers.
Story Poem
Stop at a vivid moment in a story. Use a simple frame (I heard., I saw, I touched., I wondered.) to write a senses poem in role as a character in the story, e.g.
- I heard the distant rumble of the Minotaur's hot breath.
- I heard the dark hooves scraping the sandy floor.
- I heard the heavy beat of my heart as it drew nearer.
- I saw the sudden sharp flash of its red eyes glinting in the darkness.
- I saw the ragged hair and the flared nostrils.
- I touched the cold walls for comfort.
- I touched the thin string of Ariadne's hope.
- I wondered if my fear would turn into dust
Exploring feelings in a poem or story
a. Choose a key object from a story - something which made you feel something (happy? sad? bored?) and explore why:
The ball of string made me feel sad because.
b. Work in role as a selected character, explaining how he/she/it felt at that moment in the story. Present as a monologue:
I am weary because
"What if" re-telling
Think of a "what-if" moment in a story when events could take a different turn. Make a list of these key moments - usually at a crossroads where decisions are made. Make notes or draw events and prepare to tell what happens next in your new version. This works best if you can give examples, e.g. Theseus drops the ball of string and cannot find it in the darkness.
Dialogue
Choose a favourite moment in a story and write some dialogue for that moment, either as part of a play, as a duologue for a pair to perform or as a piece of story writing. Discuss with the class possible scenes.
Phone a Friend
a. Choose a specific moment in a story. In role as a character, phone a friend, another character or a member of your family, explaining what has happened, how you feel and what might happen, e.g. imagine you are the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Phone your Mum!
b. Or, phone an agony aunt for advice.
Personal
Does anything in the story remind you of something that happened to you (e.g. a time of surprise, a time of fear, a time of shame, a time of violence, a time of fun)? Tell or write the anecdote.
Miming scenes
Prepare to mime a scene from a story, a poem or extract from non-fiction. Will the rest of the class be able to guess which scene?
Meetings
Prepare to hold a meeting, e.g. to discuss in role as local people what is happening in a story or poem or to debate a piece of information or viewpoint.
Gossip
Between characters or about events. These could be main characters or bystanders.
Thoughts in the head
Work in pairs - choose a place to stop in the story. In role - say aloud what the different characters might be thinking - is it the same as what they are saying? Or draw a cartoon and thought bubble for a character in a story or poem.