If you're tired of the same old
routine when it comes to assessing your students' narrative writing skills, and
you aren’t interested in writing narrative poetry (see the post), you're in
the right place. Today, I'm sharing
three creative narrative writing summative assessments that will make your
students excited to showcase their narrative writing skills. Bonus - you might actually enjoy grading them!
# 1 Turn the story into a Netflix Series
Turning student narratives into a Netflix show is an exciting and creative extension of their writing process. It allows them to tell a story and present that story in a creative way. Find an editable Netflix template here.
Here's a guide on how students can adapt their narratives
into a Netflix-worthy series:
Step 1: What’s the story?
·
There are a few ways to go here:
o
Have your students write their original
narrative story based on your prompt(s) or one that they choose. See a list of potential topics HERE or HERE)
o
Use a short story you’ve read in class.
o
Have students use a song, poem, work of art,
etc. and turn it into a series
Step 2: Provide a Plot Chart/Graphic Organizer
·
Help guide students in the creation of their
story by laying out the story elements BEFORE they begin! A simple plot chart will work well for this
part of the assignment. Since
a series consists of multiple episodes, students should think about how to
expand their narrative's plot to sustain viewer interest. They can introduce
subplots, twists, and additional conflicts.
Step 3: Turn the Plot into Episodes
- Divide the story into episodes. Each episode should
have a clear purpose and contribute to the overarching narrative.
Encourage students to think about cliffhangers or hooks at the end of each
episode to keep viewers coming back for more.
Step 4: Provide
the Visuals
- Once they have each episode, students will need to
find visuals for each episode. If
they are finding images/characters online, it may be difficult to keep the
character images consistent. You
can instruct students to use an object or something symbolic as the
image. Remind them that the image
should draw in the viewer and enhance the storytelling.
Step 5: Presentation/Share
·
Allow
students to present their Netflix show concepts to the class. You might even consider creating a class
"pitch day" where students present to a panel of judges.
Final
Thoughts: Adapting
student narratives into a Netflix show is a fantastic way to blend writing,
creativity, and visual storytelling. Plus,
students love that they aren’t writing yet another personal narrative essay.
# 2 Use Storybird.com
to Create Beautiful Stories
Storybird.com is an online platform designed to inspire creativity and help students create their own visual stories. I have used this platform several times over the years, and students enjoyed exploring the site and using the visuals to develop their own stories. Alternatively, students can adapt the stories they already have in mind to fit the visuals. The site is super easy to use, but you will need to sign up for a free educator’s account (and have your students sign up) so that you can manage your classes, track student progress and provide feedback and assess student work.
Here’s a Guide on how to use Storybird to create beautiful stories:
Step 1: Choose Artwork:
Students can browse through Storybird’s vast library of professionally illustrated artwork to find images that inspire their stories. It’s easy to find artwork since it is categorized by theme and style with further filters to assist in finding the artwork needed for the project assigned.
Step 2: Create the Story:
Students will have several options of types of stories to create including picture books, short stories, comics and poems. They can use the artwork as inspiration to develop each aspect of their stories.
Step 3: Add Design Elements:
Storybird offers a user-friendly text editor that provides basic formatting options like font size and style, text alignment, and text color. Students can also drag and drop text boxes onto the pages and position them as desired. Students will also have control over the layout and design of their stories. They can add pages, rearrange them, and adjust the placement of text and images. This allows for creative storytelling and visual presentation.
Step 4: Publish the Story: Once a story is complete, students can choose to publish it to share with others through a unique URL. Students can even order professionally printed copies of their books if they wish to have physical copies. This is wonderful to share (if you choose to do so).
**There are tools in place to ensure privacy that will provide a secure and safe online environment. You will have the choice to make the content private or public for sharing.
In essence, Storybird combines the power of visual art with
creative writing, making it a valuable tool to engage students in storytelling
and literacy.
# 3 Teaching Tiny
Tales with 100 Word Narratives
Teaching students how to write 100-word narratives can be a
fun and engaging activity that helps students to keep all of the narrative
elements in a concise writing format. This is a wonderful exercise for the student as
it helps to hone their --- and great for the teacher – 100 words only per
student? Yes, please!
Guidelines for teaching students to write “Tiny Tales”:
Step 1: Introduce the Concept
Begin by explaining the
concept of a 100-word narrative to your students. Let them know that they have
to tell a complete story, including characters, setting, conflict, and
resolution, all within the constraint of 100 words.
Step 2: Explore Examples
One of the best ways for
students to really “GET” how it works is to view examples. A simple Google search will turn up a multitude
of examples. The
New York Times Learning Network ran a competition on writing 100 narrative
love stories, and these are great examples.
See them here.
Step 3: Choose a Topic
Students will need to select a
topic for their story. You could choose
to assign a few prompts to choose from OR you could leave the choice up to
them.
Step 4: Brainstorm Ideas
Brainstorming for a story
that is only 100 words will be very important since every word counts. This means that they need to consider the
characters, setting, and plot elements they want to include – then, figure out
a way to condense them!
Step 5: Plan the Structure
A 100-word narrative
typically consists of three parts: an introduction that sets the scene, a middle
part that presents the conflict or challenge, and a conclusion that provides a
resolution or twist. A chart-style
graphic organizer could work well here.
Step 6: WRITE the Rough Draft
At some point, students
have to actually do the work. I often
tell students to just write without restriction at first. This may seem counter-intuitive, BUT some
students will sit there struggling to figure out how to word something in a
short way and stay stuck and do nothing.
Instead, students should write it out and THEN figure out a way to narrow
it down. They can’t edit a blank sheet
of paper!
Step 7: Revise and Edit + Peer Feedback
At this stage, I think it’s helpful for students to discuss their work and seek help from their peers in areas where they are struggling on what to do or how to narrow down a part of the story. This will help them get through the areas where they are "stuck" and may give them fresh ideas. With any written assignment when students work in class, I also make myself available for conferencing and questions as well.
These creative summative assessments not only make the
evaluation process more enjoyable for both you and your students but also allow
them to showcase their narrative skills in unique and exciting ways. So, why
not try one of these ideas in your next narrative writing unit? Your students
will thank you for the opportunity to think outside the box and unleash their
creativity!
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