Setting: My last lesson before Easter break
My tenth-graders were supposed to talk about their favourite book. However, some time earlier they informed me that reading books was not one of their favourite activities. Sadly, it did not come as a surprise to me. I talk to my students a lot and I more or less know what they enjoy doing. Reading books takes time and, busy as our life is, they often feel they would miss something important if they spent some time detached from the world out there. ’OK,’ I thought. ’You want a short activity. You want to have fun. Guess what! Me, too.’
An amusing writing activity came to my mind. A short while ago, one of the most enthusiastic and creative teachers in my PLN, Hana Ticha, ran a project with her students. It was based on the well-known Hemingway’s six-word story – For sale: baby shoes, never worn. I did not have time either to prepare or start a series of lessons like she did, so I just focused on the six-word pattern. I asked them to write a message, a personal motto, a story or a joke – anything that comes to their mind, following one rule: they have to use only six words. (Naturally, I provided a few more examples to get them going.)
My tenth-graders were supposed to talk about their favourite book. However, some time earlier they informed me that reading books was not one of their favourite activities. Sadly, it did not come as a surprise to me. I talk to my students a lot and I more or less know what they enjoy doing. Reading books takes time and, busy as our life is, they often feel they would miss something important if they spent some time detached from the world out there. ’OK,’ I thought. ’You want a short activity. You want to have fun. Guess what! Me, too.’
An amusing writing activity came to my mind. A short while ago, one of the most enthusiastic and creative teachers in my PLN, Hana Ticha, ran a project with her students. It was based on the well-known Hemingway’s six-word story – For sale: baby shoes, never worn. I did not have time either to prepare or start a series of lessons like she did, so I just focused on the six-word pattern. I asked them to write a message, a personal motto, a story or a joke – anything that comes to their mind, following one rule: they have to use only six words. (Naturally, I provided a few more examples to get them going.)
Some of them were glad to accept the challenge, some struggled, some complained. And we did have fun. Furthermore, the sentences they came up with were not bad at all, I must say. Take a look at some of them.
“Unless you try, you’ll never know.” – Marija
# # #
‘’People say I’m a comedian. Funny!” – Bogdan
# # #
‘’Limits are only in your head.” & ‘’You have the wings – why walking?”– Lazar
# # #
‘’Be positive in a negative world.” – Jovana
# # #
‘’Drawing comics makes me feel alive.” – Nataša
# # #
‘’Music, books and food – my life.” – Aleksandra
“Unless you try, you’ll never know.” – Marija
# # #
‘’People say I’m a comedian. Funny!” – Bogdan
# # #
‘’Limits are only in your head.” & ‘’You have the wings – why walking?”– Lazar
# # #
‘’Be positive in a negative world.” – Jovana
# # #
‘’Drawing comics makes me feel alive.” – Nataša
# # #
‘’Music, books and food – my life.” – Aleksandra
A note to self: By all means, use this activity in other classes as well.
(Hopefully, I will end up with an entire collection of six-word memoirs, messages…)
(Hopefully, I will end up with an entire collection of six-word memoirs, messages…)