Rodney Marshall

The Art of Creative Writing Rodney Marshall

Most children at Key Stages 2 and 3 enjoy creative writing. It allows them a freedom which other parts of the English curriculum do not. It also offers them an opportunity to express their personalities and can even be a therapeutic process. Unfortunately, it tends to be the one area which many teachers struggle with. As a pupil, I was frequently provided with a title and then asked to write a narrative. We were told to plan carefully and were provided with (artificial) techniques such as bolting on metaphors and similes every few lines, or adding lots of adjectives. This approach remains standard practice in many primary schools, but it is lazy or misguided teaching which will only produce stories which do not ring true. Professional writers research thoroughly before picking up a pen. Students need to do the same. This book guides teachers through the process, exploring a range of topics, from story starters, through genre writing, to how historical events and topical debates can be used as launching pads for story writing. The guide also contains vocabulary banks and examples of pupils' writing. Following it will result in personal narratives which children of any ability can enjoy sharing in the classroom.(Same content as other editions; larger print).