Creative writing is a form of writing which allows students to explore their feelings and imagination in order to produce a work which is both inventive and coherent.
However, not all students will be able to express themselves in the same way, which can make learning English as an additional language difficult. A common problem among students who struggle with English is having too much difficulty with the vocabulary that they are learning, leading them to avoid writing entirely.
If you are a creative writing teacher and want to improve your students’ vocabularies, then this article is for you. It will teach you how you can do so effectively and efficiently while also boosting your students’ confidence in their writing skills.
Vocabulary Lists
The most effective way of increasing your students’ vocabularies is by using multiple choice exercises and games. These allow them to explore different words and their meaning while also encouraging them to look for the right answer. However, the most difficult part of creative writing is finding the right words for the situation which you are describing. When you are stuck, it can be difficult to know where to look for the right ones, which can deter students who are discovering English as a second language from entering the field.
To get around this problem, you can create a list of commonly used words in your class which you know your students will struggle with. For example, let’s say there is a list of words relating to music, and your students frequently use words like ‘jazz’ or ‘avant garde’ in their writing. A good list to have would be ‘music’, ‘jazz’, ‘piano’, ‘string quartet’ and ‘opera’.
Once you have your list, you can create a short video explaining the meaning of each word. To create these videos, you will need to search for the right footage on YouTube and then edit it together using software like iMovie or Final Cut.
Short Stories And Novels To Study
The problem with creative writing is there is no right or wrong way to write. This means that when you are teaching your students, there is always going to be someone who believes they have written the perfect piece even though it might be completely unreadable for anyone else. This can make it difficult for learners to find their voice within the chaos which is creative writing, leading to low levels of engagement and productivity while also increasing the chance of injuries from falling off chairs or banging one’s head against the desk.
To get around this, you can use short stories and novels written by famous authors. Students can then compare their work to that of a master and see how they have improved. By doing this frequently, you will encourage students to keep trying even when they feel like their work isn’t good enough, leading to higher levels of engagement and productivity while also decreasing the chance of injuries caused by improper use of seating furniture.
Make It A Sub-topic
When we teach English as an additional language, we usually do so as part of a curriculum where students study a variety of texts in English. For example, they might study the short stories of William Shakespeare, the works of Edgar Allan Poe, or the poetry of John Keats. When we teach writing, we often use these same texts but in different forms, like essays or narrative poems. However, teaching vocabulary during these times isn’t practical since the texts are already known by the students. This is why it’s important to find times when you can specifically work on building their vocabularies.
For example, say you are teaching a music-related vocabulary list and want to give your students an comprehension exercise. Instead of simply asking them to explain the meaning of a word, you can ask them to compose a short piece of music using that word as the title. In this way, they will learn the meaning of the word while also exploring their creativity and musical ability.
Music is an important part of everyone’s life, so it can be a useful starting point when you want to build vocabulary as a teaching point. This is just one example of how you can make use of known texts in a way which helps your students and builds on familiar topics. When you want your students to engage with a text, you can use this technique of sub-topics to allow them to explore a new concept while also increasing their knowledge of the subject matter.
Extension Activities
To finish this article, I would like to suggest a few activities which you might want to try with your students. First, what is the significance of the music list which you created? Did you learn new words which you can apply to your life? Did you discover a better way of describing your feelings? Did you write something which expressed yourself more creatively?
There are many different answers to this question, and this is what makes creative writing and vocabulary learning so fun. You can help your students find their answers by encouraging them to explore and think for themselves. During this process, you might discover a better way of presenting your topic which will improve the quality of your students’ work. This is what makes it a worthwhile exercise for both you and your students.