What is Creative Writing ?                 
                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                           A High School WebQuest
                                                                          Created by
                                       Vanessa F. Johnson            
                      


                                                                       
INTRODUCTION
 TASKS
 PROCESS
 EVALUATION
CONCLUSION
 TEACHING GUIDE
 CREDITS
 RESOURCES

                                                                    

Introduction  - what is this all about?




        This WebQuest will introduce you to creative writing.  In this section you will review basic
         literary terms, compare and contrast a journalistic article and a poem based on the same
         historical event, and publish your own original poem.
  What is Creative Writing?
        Creative writing is a term that describes writing other than the normal academic writing
        that you do in class.  For example, a report on the southern migration of birds for science
        class is not creative writing. However, if you write a poem using the theme of  birds flying
        south that would be an example of creative writing. The poem probably would contain                 
        figurative language, imagery, metaphors, etc.  The use of of these writing techniques allows
        the writer and the reader to use their imaginations to create their own mental picture.

                                           
                                Genres of creative writing include:

  • poems
  • flash fiction
  • short stories
  • novels
  • creative nonfiction
 
TASKS - what are we going to do?


                                             In this WebQuest you will:

  • review basic literary terms  and vocabulary
  • analyze, compare, and contrast a news article with a poem
  • search the Internet for news articles on historic and current events
  • create and publish your own original poetry




 PROCESS - how are we going to do it?

  1.  Review these basic literary terms and vocabulary words by clicking on the words below.
ALLITERATION BALLAD
 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE  GENRE  IMAGERY IRONY
LITERAL LANGUAGE METAPHOR OBJECTIVE  POEM
SIMILE
 
SUBJECTIVE

   
 After reviewing these terms, play around with these prompts to check
your own writing skills! 


          
                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                    
2.  Next,  you will compare and contrast two types of writing:
a news article and a poem. Both of these pieces were written
about the same event, the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama church
bombing that killed 6 people including 4 little girls.  Read the news
article by reading by clicking here. After reading the article,
respond to the following prompts in your journal.  Print copy here.
Steps in the Writing Process

prewriting
 
3.  Now read Dudley Randall's poem "Ballad of Birmingham."  
After reading the poem, respond to the following prompts in your journal.
Print copy here.		 prewriting
4.  Now it's your turn.  Research a dramatic or history making event
using the Internet.  Find a website that contains an objective news
piece about the event. Also, find a least one picture. Multiple websites
may be used. Print the article from the Internet and read it. Make sure
the article you print has the website address either at the top or bottom
of the page. Save page for class.  Examples of events you might choose
include the death of Tupac Shakur,  the 9/11 terrorist attacks, or gang
violence in the inner city.  (click on Resources if you need help)
  		prewriting
5.  After reading the facts of the event, you are now ready to create
your own poem.  Your poem may follow a traditional ballad form like
"Ballad of Birmingham," or take a prose form in which there is no
rhyme.  Use your imagination.  This is your creation.!
Type your poem in a new Document Page using Microsoft Word and print it.
 drafting
6.  After completing these tasks, bring your journal, web article, and poem
to class.  You will peer workshop your poem with a partner and make revisions. 
The entire class will assemble the original writing pieces and pictures for publishing
either in print or as an e-zine.

 revise, edit, and publish
Congratulations!  You are a published writer and poet!




EVALUATION - how do we know how we're doing?




Use the rubric below to check your poem. 
It will be used to evaluate your final writing on this project.
If you want to print this rubric click here.
                                                                        



CATEGORY Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs Improvement
Creativity The writing contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination. The writing contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination. The poem contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the writing. The author has tried to use his imagination. There is little evidence of creativity in the writing. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Focus on Assigned Topic The entire writing is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic. Most of writing is related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic. Some of the writing is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic. No attempt has been made to relate the writing to the assigned topic.
Illustrations Illustrations are detailed, attractive, creative and relate to the text on the page. Illustrations are somewhat detailed, attractive, and relate to the text on the page. Illustrations relate to the text on the page. Illustrations are not present OR they are not original.
Writing Process Student devotes a lot of time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing). Works hard to make the writing wonderful. Student devotes sufficient time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing). Works and gets the job done. Student devotes some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does enough to get by. Student devotes little time and effort to the writing process. Doesn't seem to care.
Title Title is creative, sparks interest and is related to the writing and topic. Title is related to the writing and topic. Title is present, but does not appear to be related to the writing and topic. No title.
Requirements All of the written requirements (# of pages, # of graphics, type of graphics, etc.) were met. Almost all (about 90%) the written requirements were met. Most (about 75%) of the written requirements were met, but several were not. Many requirements were not met.
Spelling and Punctuation There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout. There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft. There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft. The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.



CONCLUSION - what else do we need to know?

        Analyzing and comparing writing styles and genres is an important part of developing
         your own writing skills.  Using your imagination transforms ordinary writing into...
                                                               creative writing!

            Please email me with any comments or questions about this WebQuest.  Thanks!