Creative Writing in School: A Lost Art?

My son came home the other day and was so excited because he was going to be able to write a short story in his ELA class. Then, we got to talking about why he was so excited about this. And, sadly, the reason was because this is the first time in years he has gotten to write creatively.

This seems to be a growing trend over the last several years. Mostly because students are forced to write responses to other writing to prepare for state testing. In South Carolina, we call it the TDW, or text-dependent writing, formerly know as the TDA, or text-dependent analysis. Students practice it all year long, snuffing out any opportunities for students to write for the pleasure of writing.

I do not agree with this being the only type of writing students are participating in during the school day. This type of writing will rarely be used outside of school, if at all. It, also, sucks the joy out of writing, making students dislike writing. Furthermore, with reading and writing going hand-in-hand, we want students to write. Otherwise, literacy skills will continue to drop. Writing is, in fact, a core component of the science of reading. Writing helps us become better readers and vice versa.

How to Get Students Interested in Writing

One way to get students interested and excited about writing is by bringing creative writing back into the classroom. Writing where students get to write about what they want to write about, without having to analyze a text to answer a predetermined question. This occurs some in early elementary when students write personal narratives, do opinion writing, or get to choose a research topic to do a report on. However, it’s not the same as writing a story.

And writing a story isn’t just writing a story. Students can learn about the mechanics of writing, enrich their vocabulary, learn about story elements, and more. Guidelines can be given for students to follow or a focus for their writing can be given. You can, also, include poetry. That was a unit I enjoyed in school, but I haven’t seen either of my children bring home any poems recently.

If you’re not sure how to add creative writing into your classroom, here are some ideas!

Creative Writing Ideas for K-2

1. Writing Prompts- A writing prompt could be shared on the board each morning for students to respond to. This could be in a notebook to contain their writing because handwriting is best, especially at this age. For more on handwriting, check out my post What Happened to Handwriting? Writing is a calm way to start the day with no copies involved. Here is a list of creative writing topics to get you started from Waterford.org.

2. Anthropomorphic Writing- Define this large vocabulary word for your young students. Read some examples of anthropomorphic books like Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, or The Day the Crayons Quit. Then, have your students write their own anthropomorphic story. Have them start by brainstorming and using a graphic organizer to organize their story. Then, have your students follow the steps in the writing process to write their story!

3. Acrostic Poems- Teach students what an acrostic poem is and share some examples. Then, have your students write their own. They could use their name, a preselected word, a word from a provided list, or any other way you choose for them to pick their word.

4. Shared Writing- This is especially good for kindergarten! This is when the teacher starts the writing on chart paper and students add their own ideas. This models for students what writing should look like and how to add ideas to a piece of writing.

5. Use a Published Book as a Model- Select a book with an easily copied pattern, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Then, read the book to your students and discuss the pattern. Then, students can write a story that follows the pattern used in the book.

Creative Writing Ideas for 3-5

1. Write to a theme- Select a theme, possibly a theme from a novel study, for students to write about. You could add a page limit, if you think one is needed.

2. Write an alternate ending to a story or write the story from a different perspective- After reading a book to your students, have them write an alternate ending for the book or write the story from a different perspective. An example of where this is already done are the books The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

3. Writing More Advanced Poetry- Students can write poetry slightly more advanced than an acrostic poem. A favorite of mine was a cinquain. It’s a five line poem that follows a rule for each line. Read more about cinquains and other types of poetry in this post from Teaching Made Practical, 9 Different Types of Poems: Writing Poetry in Upper Elementary.

4. Work on the Craft of Fiction Writing- Students can focus on a specific component that is important to writing a narrative. They could focus on character development, descriptive writing, or creating a setting.

5. Write a Story From an Image- Post an interesting photo or picture. Then, have students write a short story about it.

How to Set Up Creative Writing

You may decide to have a writing center in your classroom. Students can go there during independent work time. This area would have everything the students need to create a piece of writing, such as writing paper, pencils, erasers, a stapler, and colored pencils (for illustrations). You may want to add some paper trays to keep the center organized.

Another option is to have a writing nook where writing materials are kept, but students bring the items back to their seat for use.

Still another option is to use notebooks or pass out writing supplies, as needed.

Celebrating Creative Writing

Be sure to take the time to celebrate the hard work your students put into their writing. There are several ways this could be done.

1. Author’s Chair- Students get to sit in the “Author’s Chair” and read their writing or part of their writing to the class.

2. Partner Share-Students will either read their writing to a partner or exchange their writing with a partner, so the partner can read it. You could have students switch partners multiple times, if time allows.

3. Display Writing- Display students’ writing in the classroom or in the hall for others to read.

4. Invite Visitors- Invite visitors in to read your students’ writing. Students could read it aloud or pieces could be placed throughout the room for visitors to read on their own. Visitors could include families, other school staff, or members of the community.

5. Enter Writing into Writing Contests- If you can find a contest, have your students enter their finished pieces. Scholastic Storyworks is a good place to start!

6. Publish Student Writing- Students can publish their writing into a finished product by typing it up or rewriting it neatly. Students could add illustrations. Another amazing option is Studentreasures Publishing! It is free for teachers because families purchase the completed books. I have used them in the past and the experience was easy and the results were fantastic!

Final Notes

We could have the next J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, or Emily Dickinson sitting in our classroom right now! If we don’t foster creativity and imagination in our students through creative writing, that writer may never emerge. Many worry about AI taking over the writing industry and if students don’t engage in creative writing tasks, that is a very real possibility. And who wants a computer writing the next best-seller?

I know it may feel impossible to add creative writing into an already over-burdened curriculum-driven school day, but it is imperative to do so! It doesn’t have to be every day, just include it. Whether as a center, a mini-unit, or morning work, fit it in somewhere. And if you’re unsure of grading writing, check out my post How to Create a Writing Rubric that Works. You may find that by adding creative writing into your classroom more of your students will fall in love with writing!