Writing and Story Telling

Overview:

Using different activities and group work, the group will be encouraged to write about their lives, experiences, communities, and take some time to acknowledge and contemplate their thoughts.

Plan:

Two workshop activities; each will run about 10-30 minutes, depending on the size of the group.

Word Association & Writing Your Thoughts

Girls can form 2 person groups.

Each girl will have several sheets of paper and pens.

Each girl will be given a list of 5 words. The words I chose were:

Outside

Scarborough

Friends

School

Flight

One girl will read the words, the other will say the first word that comes to their mind & write it down on their sheet of paper. Then they will switch roles & word associate again.

At the end, each girl will have 5 words that have come from her own thoughts.

The girls will be encouraged to write a short poem that includes 1 word per line = 5 line poem.

The girls can share their poems or keep them for themselves.

Group Story

The girls will sit back in a circle, and the group story will be described: one girl will say a sentence, to which the girl beside her will add one sentence, continuing until the entire group has gone and the story is finished.

There can be a theme given before the story starts - for example, the story must be about two sisters, or about a girl who can read minds - or be left open.

The story can then be told the other way around to see what kind of story develops when the group order changes.

Discussion Questions:

What happened for you when you did free association?

Why do you think you said the specific words you said?

What did you write about with your words?

Was it hard to write with your 5 words?

Would you ever want to try writing poems again?

Why do you think we told that specific story in our Group Story telling?

What were your feelings when we were doing Group Story telling - what did you think when your turn was coming?

What would you