10 In-Class Writing Activities

1. Characterization

List all the things you know about the main character of your book.

2. Point of View

Rewrite a scene in which a secondary character appears, but now tell it from this character’s point of view.

3. Climax

Identify the climax in the story. List all the crises that led to this moment.

4. Symbolism

a) Identify a recurring image in the story. Consider what that image represents, and why it was used more than one time.
b) Write a poem, using that image in your first line.

5. Diction

a) Copy your favorite line from the reading.
b) Memorize it.
c) Rewrite it, saying the same thing with entirely different words.

6. Vocabulary

Find three words from the reading that are new to you. Write the definition of the word and then write a sentence that appropriately uses the word.

7. Theme

Compare and contrast the ways [name two authors] talk about [name theme] in the stories we read in class.

8. Reading Response

Discuss what you see as the most striking, powerful, problematic, or detrimental features of the story. Explain your reaction to the text with specific examples.

9. Setting

Think about a setting of the story. Write a descriptive paragraph in first person, pretending that you are in that scene. What do you see, hear, smell, feel?

10. Dialogue

Insert dialogue tags and description into the following conversation:

“My mom is coming over.”

“When?”

“You don’t need to get upset. She’s just coming for a few nights.”

“When?”

“I hate it when you do this. If you just gave her a chance, you’d see that she’s a good person. You might even like her.”

“When is she coming?”

“I told her you’d pick her up at four.”

“Ok.”