Creative Writing Lesson Plan

Robin Keenan
Second Grade – Language Arts

Common Core Standards:

Key Ideas and Details:

- RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
- RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Craft and Structure:
- RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces
the story and the ending concludes the action.
- RL.2.6 Distinguish between points of view when referring to narrators and characters, recognizing
when the narrator is a character in the story
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
- RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to
demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

Lesson Summary:

This lesson is designed to help students understand what a story is composed of to keep readers engaged. We
will break down familiar stories and movies to see what components they all have in common. Seeing these
shared elements in a variety of stories will demonstrate the basics for writing composition. Students will be
arranged in groups of 4-5 (depending on class size) and will write and stories using developed characters, a
setting, and a thought-out plot that has a challenge with a conclusion. We will create online quizzes using
Kahoot!, share our stories with other groups, and quiz our classmates. In conclusion of the lesson, we will
have a class discussion about writing elements, what we learned, and how to be better story writers in the
future.

Estimated Duration:

Five 45-minute class periods. Approximately 225 minutes for the entire lesson.

Commentary:

Many students are not thrilled by reading and often struggle to make the connections between reading and
writing composition. To engage the students, we will be using current movies, and cartoons to grab their
interest. After analyzing some of these texts, we will see all the essential elements of a good story. Utilizing
the writing standards and elements, the students will work in groups to strengthen communication and team
building skills, while they write their short story together. We will incorporate technology by using our
classroom Chromebooks/iPads, create online quizzes using Kahoot!, then post these quizzes to our
classroom Google page.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
First 5 minutes: I will explain that we will be watching a short cartoon, an 11-minute episode of We Bare
Bears. I will explain that I want the children to look for some of the building blocks of a good story. I will
write these “blocks” on the whiteboard. (Ex: who, what, where, why, when, and how?)
11-12 minutes: Using a streaming program and the classroom’s drop-down screen, students will watch an
eleven-minute episode of this child friendly cartoon, We Bare Bears from Cartoon Network.
15 minutes: I will raise the drop-down screen and return to the previously written elements on the board.
Through class participation and the student’s raising their hands, or answering when called upon, we will
find the building blocks of the cartoon episode.
Final 15 minutes: We will have a class discussion about other popular shows, movies, and books. Texts like
Lion King, Frozen, and previous books we have read in class. I will write some of the basic elements of
these stories on the whiteboard. We will answer questions like, “What elements do they have in common?”
and “Would the story of Frozen work if it was in a dessert?” or “If there is never a challenge and a resolution
in a story, would you be bored?”

Day 2:
First 10 minutes: We will have a refresher discussion of the topics we learned about yesterday. I will explain
why those building blocks are so important in stories and how we will be using them to create our own
stories. We will discuss that in yesterday’s class we talked about cartoons and movies, but where do they
come from? Someone had to think of them and write them down. These writers all use the same building
blocks we will be using. I will briefly mention, and write, the names of movies that were originally books.
(Ex: Harry Potter, Charlotte’s Web, Wizard of Oz, and Shrek.) I will ask the students if they can thing of any
other books that became movies.
10-15 minutes: The students will be assigned to groups of 4-5 people per group, depending on the class size.
I will provide each student a piece of paper that has a 2-3 paragraph short story printed on it. Each group will
have a different story. Students will read silently for 10-15 minutes. I will be preparing the next part of the
lesson and answering any questions, or helping with any words the students may be stuck on. After the silent
reading is complete, I will pass out a second worksheet that has questions about the elements of the story.
10 minutes: As a group, the students will take a vote for who will be the recorder (who writes down the
answers), and who will be the reporter (who will read the answers to the class). As a group they will be
answering and identifying the core elements of their assigned story. (Ex: Who is the main character? Where
does the story take place? What did the main character have to do?) I will be assisting any groups that need
help.
10 minutes: One at a time, when called upon, each group’s reporter will address the class from their seat and
read the answers on the worksheet. (Ex: “Our story is called “The Flat Tire”. The main character is Diana.
She lives in Boston. She hit a pothole and now she has to fix her flat tire.” etc.).
The last 5 minutes will be us circling back and discussing the theme and common bonds of all the stories,
movies, and cartoons we have mentioned the last two class periods.

Day 3:
5-10 minutes: Students will gather in their assigned groups from the previous day. The group will brainstorm
ideas for their own short story that will consist of 2-3 paragraphs. For this activity, the group will nominate a
group manager who will keep track of key elements with a check list. The group recorder will write down
key points and ideas of interest. I will be walking from group to group and guiding them, answering
questions, and help to keep them on track.
20-35 minutes: During this time the students will be taking turns writing the story. The first student will
write 1-3 sentences that will introduce the story and main character. The second student will add on to that
with another 2-3 sentences, and so on. Each student should be mindful of what was previously written and
make sure that what they are contributing to the story matches the existing story, plot, and building blocks.
This will boost on the spot creative and imaginative writing, as well as collaboration with peers. The group
manager will also be making sure that the building blocks are present and follow down their check list. I will
be assisting the groups if they have questions, seem to be off track, or suffer from “writers block”. This
group exercise will continue to help the students in their creative writing abilities, communication skills in a
group environment, diplomacy, and time management. Once the group is finished, the reporter will raise
their hand and I will come over to proof-read their story, as well as add comments and feedback.

Day 4:
10-15 minutes: Again, the students will gather in their assigned groups. We will resume this lesson where we
left off the previous day with the proofreading. The group will have this time to make any last-minute
changes such as: sprucing up their writing with colorful adjectives, correcting any spelling mistakes. The
final task will be to assign their story a title. A second recorder will be nominated, and the two recorders will
switch on and off writing the newly revised story.
20-30 minutes. While the reporters are writing down their final draft, the remaining group members will be
logging into Kahoot! using a classroom computer/Chromebook/iPad to create a 4-question mini quiz. The
students have the option to use multiple choice or true or false questions, or aa mix of both. The students will
be able to “decorate” or “illustrate” each question from the numerous provided stock images in Kahoot!.
(Sidenote: The reporters are still able to assist in this activity as they write the final draft.) I will be circling
the room and helping the students select images, assist with any technical difficulties, and helping them
brainstorm any questions for their quizzes. The title of their quiz should be the same title of their story. Once
the quiz is complete, we will upload them, be assigned a QR code and passcode. We can now “host” a quiz
or share the quizzes.
Note: After this lesson is completed, I will be scanning and uploading the stories to our Google Classroom
page. This assignment will have its own link called “Creative Writing”. This is where all group stories will
be uploaded to, as well as all the quizzes. They will be arranged in alphabetical order by title of the story.
Day 5:
5-10 minutes: I will address the class about the upcoming lesson. I will utilize the whiteboard and write
simple steps on how to guide the children to the already familiar Google Classroom site. These instructions
will include: turn on and open iPad/Chromebook/computer to our classroom site, where to find the new link
for our stories, that each group will be assigned one story from another group, and we are to read the stories
independently from our own seat.
10-15 minutes: This time will be for students to silently read their assigned stories. I will be preparing the
whiteboard with the next set of instructions for how to access the corresponding Kahoots! quiz. I will also be
assisting if there are any technical issues, or if a student needs help with words they do not yet know.
10-15 minutes: The pre-assigned, already existing, groups will gather. Once they are settled, I will instruct
the class on how to access the quiz that corresponds with their assigned reading. I will verbally say and point
to the instructions on the board. Once each student has arrived at the correct location, they will begin
collectively reading, discussing, and answering the quiz questions. Each student will be using their own
iPad/Chromebook to answer the quiz questions, but they will be discussing the questions and answering
them as a group effort.
5 minutes: We will spend the remaining minutes of the period to discuss what we have learned over the
course of this lesson and activity. Why does each story need an introduction, middle, and end? Why is a plot
important? Why do we use adjectives in creative writing? What was the most important thing we learned?

Pre-Assessment:
Day 1 will be on a Monday. This lesion plan is designed to be weeklong. The Friday before, we will utilize
some pre-assessment tools on www.khanacademy.com. There is a specific area for assessing 2nd grade
language arts knowledge. This pre-assessment will help me gauge the comprehension of the students. A lot
of the elements we will be focusing on have been previously addressed in class with other lesson plans (Ex:
adjectives, working in groups, Kahoot!, basic structure of a story: beginning, middle, and end, etc.).
Adjustments may be necessary if the teacher deems more instruction on the “building blocks” is needed.
Scoring Guidelines:
During the informal pre-assessment the teacher will keep notes on what issues the class as a whole is
struggling with, or any particular students who are not quite grasping the concepts. Notes will consist of a
checklist with items such as story body, main character, setting, adjectives, and plot. If any of the items on
the checklist appear to be a weak point, extra emphasis will be given during the lesson plan. Teacher will
look for participation and engagement during discussion and assist with any issues/questions/concerns on the
Khan Academy activity.

Post-Assessment:
Each day of the Creative Writing Lesson the teacher will be assessing how well the groups work together,
comprehension of the state standards and how they are being applied to the daily tasks and assignments. Day
5 will assist in how well students are comprehending what they read and how it applies to the elements. The
Kahoots! quiz will highlight some of these strengths and weaknesses. If needed, teacher may need to create a
Day 6 to create more discussion, take a quiz, or circle back on some of the key points of the Creative Writing
Lesson Plan.

Scoring Guidelines:
Each day of the lesson will be worth 20 points. These 20 points will be made up of class participation,
effectively working and contributing to the group tasks, following instructions, and comprehension of state
standards and creative writing elements. This will be a total of 100 points for the Creative Writing Lesson
Plan. Student’s Kahoots! scores will be recorded and be a part of their 20 points for Day 5. If a Day 6 is
needed, an additional quiz will be available to make up some lost points, or potentially earn extra credit. This
assignment incorporates the state standards as well as communication, teamwork, and use of digital
platforms.

Differentiated Instructional Support

If the class has any gifted or accelerated students, this lesson plan could be beneficial to them as well as any
student who may be struggling with the concepts. A gifted student will be assigned to a group (or bounce
from group to group as needed) that includes a struggling student. This will be an opportunity for the gifted
student to peer-tutor. The gifted student will be assessed on their effective tutoring skills, involvement with
the groups and their peers, as well as a comprehension of the state standards. Depending on the gifted
student’s ability, the option may be given for them to go to the Google Classroom site and read all the stories
and complete all the Kahoots! quizzes.
In group projects, many students benefit from peer assistance and are receptive to idea presented from fellow
students. If a student(s) is still struggling with the lesson material after the conclusion of the lesson the
teacher will provide sessions of reading short stories/books, give quizzes (potentially use Kahoots!) for each
story, and ask informal questions about the elements of a story. Upon mastering these topics, the student can
then write their own short story incorporating the learned building blocks.

Extension
https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/cc-2nd-reading-vocab
The Khan Academy website provides areas based on grades and topics. The above link directs one to a 2nd
grade language arts section. Its description is “2nd grade ELA practice and instruction covering reading
comprehension and vocabulary, around the topic "fairy tales retold". Aligned to Common Core State
Standards for Reading: Literature; Reading: Informational Text, and Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. In this
section a student can focus on some things they may be struggling with that coincide with what we are
learning in class.

Homework Options and Home Connections

This Creative Writing Lesson Plan will not include any homework, as it is a group effort project. If needed, a
student can visit www.getepic.com and read free books and answer quizzes directly related to the stories
they have just read.
Interdisciplinary Connections
This lesson plan can be integrated with current events such as elections, the pandemic, or a volcanic
eruption. The students have creative freedom with this project, but we will be involved in other lessons that
involve humanities and diversity. The groups are free to incorporate some of the current, or past, topics into
this creative writing project.
For example: A group could decide to write a short story involving a Ukrainian boy and his family having to
evacuate to Poland. The conflict is the invading Russians, and how does he and his family safely travel to
Poland where his uncle lives. The resolution could be the boy and family finally arriving to warm beds,
hugs, and a hearty meal full of their favorite Ukrainian recipes. This would involve current political events
and celebrate diversity, kindness, and acceptance.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers -Streaming platform, Hulu, to watch We Bare Bears.

-Chromebooks/iPads
-Whiteboard
-Google Classroom website
-Kahoot! online quiz program
-Scanner
-Printed worksheets

For students -Chromebook/iPad

-Pencils and erasers
-Kahoot! login linked to their student account
-Google Classroom access linked to their student account

Key Vocabulary
Main character, adjective, plot, introduction, conclusion/resolution, “building blocks” of creative writing.