writing original adventures about imaginary sidekicks
This lesson was built for WritingFix after being proposed by NNWP Teacher Consultant Barbara Laber at an SBC-sponsored inservice class.
The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the picture book Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author.
Washoe County teachers, click here to search for this book at the county library.
Teacher Instructions & Lesson Resources :
Step one (sharing the published model): Tony DiTerlizzi's story Ted is about a boy's extraordinary adventures with his imaginary friend. The book's "adventures" focus on simple life experiences (haircuts, playing games, etc.) that grow into fantastic happenings by using both real and made up words. This activity is geared to help students who struggle with the belief that simple real life experiences can be a treasure trove of writing ideas. Part of the trait of idea development is to write about what we know and to make it interesting. This book and this writing assignment both aim to further that idea.
Share this story about a lovable and imaginary friend, Ted, who thinks up “fantabulous” things to do with a lonely boy. Be sure to ask students what the author has done well in writing this story: In this case DiTerlizzi uses creative word choice and an imaginary friend to turn simple kid experiences into amazing adventures. By giving the lonely boy an imaginary friend, he has given the child permission to do the unthinkable things his parents would never let him do. Be sure to also point out how Tony DiTerlizzi’s artwork makes the adventures come alive and how it fits well with the details in the adventures.
Talk with the students about the many adventures Ted takes the boy on, and whether any of your students have ever done something similar...something that could be blamed on an imaginary friend. Share with your class an experience you had as a young child that seems funny now that you are an adult. If you are adventurous, explain how it would have been better if you had an imaginary friend like Ted to take credit for your crazy ideas.
Next have your students think about something they did as a young child that they think is funny (possibly a story that is told at family gatherings), or something they would like to do if they could. Have them think about how this event could have been even funnier with an imaginary friend at their sides to take the blame or inspire the idea in the first place. Make a class brainstorm of ordinary, every-day events that they can base their extra-ordinary stories on. Tell them their job is to write about an imaginary (or real) "adventure" they had with an imaginary friend, like Ted.
Step two (introducing models of writing): In small groups, have your students read and respond to any or all of the student models that come with this lesson. The groups will certainly talk about the idea development, since that's the focus of this lesson, but you might prompt your students to talk about each model's word choice as well.
We're looking for student samples for all grade levels for this prompt! Help us get some, and we'll send you free books for your classroom! Contact us at publish@writingfix.com for details.
Step three (thinking and pre-writing):The interactive button choices on the Student Instructions Page can certainly inspire your students to begin generating ideas for this assignment, but you can certainly create a class brainstorm that accomplishes the same without being on the computer.
Each student's goal is to create a scene where a made-up imaginary friend helps the writer to complete an everyday task at his/her home. The unique (no Ted rip-offs!) imaginary friend causes nothing but trouble in the scene. Memorable details and powerful word choices should encouraged from every student.
The graphic organizer below will help your students plan, then draft, their scenes.
Step four (revising with specific trait language): Two tools for revision are provided below. You can use one or both, depending on how much time you have to spend on this assignment.
To promote response and revision to rough draft writing, attach WritingFix's Revision and Response Post-Its to your students' drafts. Make sure the students rank their use of the trait-specific skills on the Post-Its, which means they'll only have one "1" and one "5." Have them commit to ideas for revision based on their Post-It rankings. For more ideas on WritingFix's Revision & Response Post-Its, click here.
Step five (editing for conventions): After students apply their revision ideas to their drafts and re-write neatly, require them to find an editor. If you've established a "Community of Editors" among your students, have each student exchange his/her paper with multiple peers. With yellow high-lighters in hand, each peer reads for and highlights suspected errors for just one item from the Editing Post-it. The "Community of Editors" idea is just one of dozens and dozens of inspiring ideas that is talked about in detail in the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Workbook for Teachers.
Step six (publishing for the portfolio): When they are finished revising and have second drafts, invite your students to come back to this piece once more during an upcoming writer's workshop block. Their stories might become a longer story, a more detailed piece, or the beginning of a series of pieces about the story they started here. Students will probably enjoy creating an illustration for this story as they get ready to publish it for their portfolios.
Interested in publishing student work on-line? We invite student writers to post final drafts of their original at WritingFix's Community of Student Writers. This is a safe-to-use blog for students and teachers. No writing is posted until it is approved by the moderator. Contact us at publish@writingfix.com if you have questions about getting your students published.
Learn more about Tony DiTerlizzi
by clicking here!
