Hi ,

If you walked into a grocery store wanting an apple and there was only one left, would you buy it?

Probably not. It would be old, bruised and handled by hundreds.

In order to get the best, we need choice. In apples – AND in story ideas.

Unfortunately kids often panic when writing – or don't think hard enough – and they grab the first idea that comes into their head. Like the sole remaining apple, it is rarely the best.

The 2008 NAPLAN markers were dismayed at the number of stories they read that were all the same.

The 2008 topic was 'Found' and there were pictures as stimuli. A big mistake. Students immediately latched onto the picture of the puppy or the treasure chest. As one exhausted NAPLAN marker put it 'If I read one more lost puppy story I think I will throw up.'

So how can we teach students to reach beyond the Pirate and Puppy ideas?

Simple. For every topic you give, make students come up with 6-10 ideas on how to approach it. That way they will push past the first boring ideas into the realm of original thought.

Help students by getting them to work in groups. That way they can share ideas and have fun and be more relaxed and creative. This is one of the basic strategies behind all of the Seven Steps.

Let's take the topic: JUMP (I saw this on the wall of Mt Scopus College on Monday)
Get students to form groups of four.
Give them five minutes to brainstorm ideas about JUMP.

Some examples are:

• A dare – to jump off something
• A marathon 24 hour jump rope skipping contest
• Jump and try to fly
• Make a huge leap to save your life
• Bungy jump
• Jump with fear – like when you see a snake
• Jump off a cliff when rock climbing
• Jump on a trampoline
• High jump/long jump/metaphor for life jumps
• Jump for joy
• Toyota ad jump
• Parachute jump

Now there are lots of ORIGINAL ideas for kids to choose from.

Next, you get kids to choose one of those topics, then brainstorm

• problems
• settings
• character

in order to refine the story.

This can be done in less than 10 minutes with the Seven Steps training.

Creativity can be taught – and practised. Start now!

Jen McVeity

PS This is just ONE of the activities in our brand new Seven Steps NAPLAN workshop. Being held in Melbourne only, Tuesday 23rd March 2010 from 4-6pm. As with all our Seven Steps workshops, this one is practical, inspiring and FUN!

Take the stress out of NAPLAN. Get a week by week strategy for Term 2 to help your students brainstorm, plan and write for NAPLAN.

BRAND NEW – and ONLY for teachers who are already using the Seven Steps in their classrooms.

Melbourne Seminar

Fantastic Handouts – all photocopiable

• Over 6 story scaffold templates
• The blank story graph template
• List of 30 practice topics

As usual you can use the ideas in your classroom TOMORROW.

More Information
Download the NAPLAN Workshop Information Sheet

  Download a booking form now

Over 40 people missed out on our Gold Coast and Brisbane workshops. Sydney and Melbourne were booked out too. So we give you fair warning.

BOOK early for the Term 2 Seven Steps workshops!!!

• MELBOURNE – Tues 16th March 2010
  Milanos Hotel, Brighton Beach
• SYDNEY – Friday 28th May 2010
  Waterview Convention Centre, Sydney
• MELBOURNE – Mon 7th June 2010
  Milanos Hotel, Brighton Beach
• QUEENSLAND – Tues 15th June 2010
  Mantra Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast
• QUEENSLAND – Fri 18th June 2010
  TSS, Southport, Gold Coast

  Download a booking form now

'Practical.' 'Inspirational.' 'Fun.' The three most common words used to describe our Seven Steps seminars!

All workshops include:

• Classroom activities – over 30 'five minute' ideas to use in class immediately – all year levels
• Real author insights into writing skills
• PRACTICAL workshop – you talk, laugh and do
• Before and after samples of student writing
• NAPLAN Strategies Great ways to train kids to brainstorm, plan and be easily 'creative on cue'!
• 'Five, Four, Three' writing: 5 mins brainstorming + 4 people + 3 mins writing = a whole Food Fight story!
• PLUS every participant gets our fabulous Seven Steps Teacher Manual. (Normal cost for manuals alone $180)

COST
$265 per person. (Including, morning tea, lunch, certificate of attendance and Teacher Manual.)

You can use the ideas in your classroom tomorrow.

BOOK NOW: Remember most of our workshops are fully booked!!!

More Information

  Download a booking form now

The 'Grey Elephant from Denmark' Game

Kids think teachers know all, hear all and see all... Let's see if you can persuade them you can read minds too!

AND... prove that the first story idea they think of is usually NOT the best!

This game works because every number multiplied by 9 adds up to 9 when you add the value of the digits. (NOTE: The maths might be too much for Grade 3 or below students.)

Tell students you can read their minds. Then get them to do the following:

• Think of a number between 1 and 10
• Multiply it by 9
• Add the two digits. Eg 24 = 2+4 = 6
• Subtract 5
• Take corresponding letter of alphabet. A=1, B=2
• Think of country starting with that letter
• Take the second letter of country. Eg P = Spain
• Think of an animal starting with that letter
• It MUST have legs. Must NOT be Australian
• Think of a colour

Now you go into your mind reading act. Do a fake trance, hum, concentrate hard... look imposing. Then slowly, impressively, you announce the following:

'I see many people are thinking.... a grey elephant from Denmark.'

Smile and take in the gasps of astonishment. Ask who is thinking that? Many students will be.

Why?

Every number multiplied by 9 will give 9 as the final number when you add the digits.
So everyone starts on 9.
Subtract 5.
Everyone now has 4.
If A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 then 4 = D.
One of the few countries starting with D is Denmark. Under the pressure of time, kids will immediately think of that.
Next, they take the second letter = E.
In a few seconds they have to choose an animal.
Most will pick elephant.
Now they have to pick a colour.
Grey is the obvious choice.

That is how at least half the class will get a grey elephant in Denmark.

That is also how you can point out to students that the first idea they think of is the idea EVERYONE else is thinking!!! So they have to be original.

(Or of course, you just don't explain and kids will spend the rest of the year believing you can read their minds! But you wouldn't do THAT, would you?!!)

Have fun.

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