This article makes a case for the centrality of yearning in fictional representations of characters. With the help of illustrations from Adam Phillips, Olen Butler and Ted Hughes I argue that this key element may be missing from the creative work of students. This is my attempt, through exercises and other stimuli, to generate this yearning or…

This article introduces a pedagogical intervention that includes a set of creative activities designed to improve the oral and written production of students in the English classroom, especially those who have shown a lack of interest or attention. It was observed that participants initially seemed careless about studying the language. Eventually…

Discusses the use of exercises that help students learn to write poetry. (HOD)

Describes a classroom experiment in which tenth grade students read and analyzed works of romantic fiction and then wrote their own romantic novel synopsis modeled on their readings. (DD)

Describes efforts and results of teaching students to write free verse by recasting old poems, e.g., taking a poem heavy with rhyme, meter, and inversions and modernizing it freely using some of the techniques of free verse. (HOD)

Describes an activity in which students must invent graffiti that might have been written by one of the characters studied in the class's literature assignments. (HTH)

Insists upon the importance of poetry and provides a procedure for introducing both students and teachers to the writing and appreciation of poems. (JL)

Advertisements can be effective stimuli for creative writing.

Suggests several teaching techniques which encourage creative independent writing by providing needed structure. (DD)

Describes writing folders (used to hold children's personal and creative writing efforts for an entire school year) and how they may be used effectively. (FL)

Presents a sample of short writing assignments flowing from carefully prepared lessons that isolate specific learnings, guide processes closely, and appeal to student interests. (RB)