The Theatre Classroom — A Fun Creative Writing Assignment

February 13th, 2012

A short classroom assignment to get the creative juices flowing

Here is another one of my favorite lessons when I wanted my students to do something creative and fun that needed only one class period. I have no idea where I originally got this, but I made up the answer key, added some of my own, and also wrote the example. This can be a great vocabulary lesson as well as a creative writing/report of journalistic composition.

Each of these imaginary newspaper headlines describes a well-known children’s story, verse, or song. Have your students go through the list and try to figure out which verse, song, or story each headline refers to.  Then have the class, as a whole, share their answers.

After everyone has the correct answers, let your students select one of the headlines or make up one of their own and on the back of the paper write a news story that might have accompanied the headline.  It can only be four to six sentences long, but must explain the headline.

Headlines (answers in parenthesis)

1. Youngster Vanishes in Freak Storm (The Wizard of Oz)
2. Clever Builder Outwits Sly Adversary (The Three Little Pigs)
3. Poor Bargain Brings Ultimate Wealth (Jack and the Beanstalk)
4. Hoodlum Osculates Unwilling Maiden (Georgie Porgie)
5. Friends Eager to Assist in Painting Project (Tom Sawyer)
6. Girl Disappears on Mercy Visit to Grandparent (Little Red Riding Hood)
7. Bronco Buster Rides Twister (Pecos Bill)
8. Remote Country Home Vandalized by Blonde (Goldilocks and the Three Bears)
9. Continued Prevarication Elongates Proboscis (Pinocchio)
10. Friendless Waif Adopted by Group of Miners (Snow White)
11. Faithful Pachyderm Lives in a Tree (Horton the Elephant)
12. Enormous Woodsman Performs Astonishing Feats (Paul Bunyan)
13. Browbeaten Girl Courted by Royal Heir (Cinderella)
14. Serious Overcrowding Discovered in Unique Dwelling (Old Woman in the Shoe)
15. Couple Suffering Dietary Allergies Reach Agreement (Jack Sprat)
16. Two Youngsters Involved in Accident, One Sustains Injury (Jack and Jill)
17. Foolish Youth Encounters Pastry Vendor (Simple Simon Met a Pie Man)
18. Musical Feline, Amused Canine Witness Lunar Leap (Hey Diddle, Diddle)
19. Rural Homemaker Terrorized by Sightless Rodents (Three Blind Mice)
20. Lovely Somnambulist Wakened by Royal Caress (Sleeping Beauty)
21. Lengthy Tresses Aid Lovers (Rapunzel)
22. Verbose Hare Hoodwinked by Asphalt Contrivance (Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby)
23. Shepherdess Proves Derelict in Duty (Little Bo Peep)
24. Fugitive Pair Flees on Raft (Huckleberry Finn)
25. Elderly Housewife and Canine Pet Face Starvation (Old Mother Hubbard)
26. One-handed Pirate Bested by Eternal Youth (Peter Pan)
27. Parents Strike Raw Deal with Rapacious Spinner (Rumpelstiltskin)
28. Bewildered Minor Attends Bizarre Tea Party (Alice in Wonderland)
29. Woman Expires in Oven as Adolescents Flee Sweet (Hansel and Gretel)
30. Terrified Maiden Absconds in Face of Arachnid (Little Miss Muffet)

 

News Story Example

Unique Individual Mortally Injured in Fall
Eggville — Saturday afternoon tragedy struck the small community of Eggville. Longtime resident Humpty Dumpty, 78, was killed when he fell to his death. Dumpty sat on the eighteen-foot wall every Saturday to observe his grandson’s soccer games. Bystanders say that Mr. Dumpty was always egging his team to victory, but on this particular day, he got too excited and fell. There will be a memorial service on Saturday after the game. Please wear yellow and white.