Writing: mini things

This lesson raises learners’ awareness of the editing process that good writers follow and allows them develop their creative writing skills. In the lesson, learners first think about how less is sometimes more in writing by writing a mini-dialogue. Then, learners read and understand three mini-sagas (fifty-word stories) and practice editing a mini-saga which is too long. They discuss which types of words can add detail and ‘life’ to a story but do not carry essential meaning. The main productive task is for learners to write and share a mini-story. As an extension learners can look up mini-sagas online and share their favourites.

Learning outcomes

• reflect on how 'less is sometimes more' when writing
• practise editing skills in pairs by shortening a mini-saga
• practise creative writing skills by writing a mini-saga

Materials 

• Lesson plan
• Student worksheet
• Presentation
• Internet access if doing the extension

Lead-in (10 minutes)

• This activity introduces learners to the idea that writing ‘less’ often requires more skill than writing more.
• Show Slide 2 (only the first speech bubble) or write the first line of a dialogue on the board - e.g. Did you do anything interesting last night?. Ask learners to count how many words you have used (7). 
• Click to reveal the next speech bubble on Slide 2 or write the second line of the dialogue, but with a 6-word response - e.g. Not really, I was at home. Ask the class how you could continue the dialogue with a 5-word sentence - e.g. Were you at home alone? and write this on the board. Then, elicit a 4-word sentence, and so on. The mini dialogue will finish with one word.
• Put learners in pairs. Tell them they will now write a similar mini-dialogue. Both learners should write the first line of dialogue using seven words. Then they exchange papers and both learners should continue their partner's dialogue using six words, etc. Each pair is writing two mini dialogues at the same time. Point out that contractions such as don't count as two words.
• When pairs finish, check the dialogues for errors and guide learners to any necessary changes. If time, invite some pairs to ‘perform’ their dialogue.
• Explain that writing 'less' often requires more skill than writing 'more.'

Reading (15 minutes)

• This activity introduces learners to the idea of mini-sagas.
• Show Slide 3 (task 1a). This is a matching exercise. If using the student worksheet, learners work in pairs to read the three sagas and match to the description. If using the presentation, give learners time to read the first saga, discuss and choose, before moving to the next saga. 
• Show Slide 6 or read out answers: 1. C, 2. A, 3. B
• Show Slide 7 (task 1b). Put learners in groups of three and ask them choose one mini-saga each. Show Slide 8 to see all mini-sagas on one slide. Learners read their saga again and then explain the story to their group. Learners also need to say the meanings of the words in bold. Allow learners to ask each other about these words/use a dictionary. 
• Feedback on the meaning of the stories by inviting learners to explain the stories. Confirm the meaning of the words in bold, perhaps by eliciting short sentences from learners. (flew – here the verb fly is used to show the door opens very quickly; purr – the sound a cat makes; furry – adjective to describe the soft ‘hair’ of an animal; to gather – to meet as a group; – a woman who uses magic; bonfire – a large outdoor fire; wrinkled> – an adjective to describe wrinkles, the lines on an old person’s face, the lines on an elderly person’s face; puddle – a pool of rainwater; – the action of a boat)
• OPTIONAL: Show slide 9 or write up the following sentences on the bard to work on the meanign of thw words above:

1. We watched the boats _____(sail) across the lake.

2. The happy cat started to _____(purr).

3. In fairy tales, a ______(witch) often wears a black hat.

4. We made a ______(bonfire) at night in the campsite, to stay warm.

5. After the rain, there were lots of ______ (puddles) on the ground

6. When my grandmother smiles, her face is _____(wrinkled).

7. The police car _____(flew) down the street to catch the criminal.

8. The puppy is so soft and _____(furry).

• To finish this activity, tell learners that mini-sagas are stories of exactly fifty words, that have a beginning, middle and end. Ask the class which story they liked best. 

Editing (15 minutes)

• Show Slide 10 (task 2a). Tell learners they are now editors, because this mini-saga is too long (it’s 70 words, needs to be only 50).
• Do one example with the class, asking them if they can delete the word water (no) or the word wrinkled (yes). Elicit one or two more words to delete. 
• Learners work in pairs taking turns to delete one word at a time from a text until exactly fifty words remain. Monitor to check all texts still make sense and are grammatically possible.
• When learners finish show slide 11 (task 2b and c). Pairs join to make groups of four and compare their edited texts. 
• Feedback on the question with the class. Learners should identify that the words they edited out will likely be adjectives, adverbs, time linkers, for example. Learners should also identify that these types of words can add detail and ‘life’ to a longer story but do not carry essential meaning. If a writer wants to edit to be concise and very clear, this type of editing process is useful.
• Get feedback from students and then explain that all of the statements are true. Are students surprised by this? What conclusions can they draw?

Writing (20 minutes)

• Show Slide 12 (task 3). In this activity, learners work alone to write a mini saga. 
• First tell learners should spend a few minutes thinking of what they are going to write about. Write a few ideas on the board as prompts: a description of a favourite object, place, person; a joke; something funny or scary that happened to you, a synopsis of a film you have watched or a book you have read; a letter to an old teacher, friend, or relative; your views on a topic.
• Show Slide 13 or tell learners to write their first draft, which will be an 80-word story. Monitor and give help when needed. You can pause after around 5 minutes to allow learners to tell a partner their story so far. This can help with writer’s block.
• Learners now work individually or in pairs editing to 50 words. Monitor students while they work, correcting any errors and offering encouragement.
• When all learners have finished, put learners in small groups to share their mini-sagas. If time, you may want to ‘publish’ these stories on a class blog/on the classroom noticeboard.

Reflection (5 minutes)

• Show Slide 14 (task 4). Ask learners to reflect on what they have learned in today’s lesson about editing. They could either do this as a group speaking activity or as a whole-class activity. 

• Give thinking time, then elicit answers. Accept any answers, but guide learners towards the idea you introduced at the start, that sometimes less is more in writing, and that good writers edit and pay attention to every word. 

   

Extension task (20 minutes)

• As an extension/in a separate lesson/as homework, Show Slide 15 or tell learners they will now find and choose a mini-saga they want to read out to the class. Internet access is needed for this activity.
• Ask learners look up mini-sagas that others have published online, and to choose two they like. They could use https://fiftywordstories.com/ or do an online search.
• Put learners in pairs. Ask learners to share their two stories. Their partner can help them choose which one he/she will share with the class. They should practice reading the mini-saga aloud with their partner. Monitor and help with pronunciation when needed. Make sure the learners pause at any dramatic section of the story, such as before the final line.
• Invite learners to share their mini-sagas with the class. Ask the class to vote for their favourite.