english
‘Ask students to create a poem, story or dialogue out of the lists of words generated by the class’
HWRKMAGAZINE.CO.UK
outcomes in mind – whether those are to do with rhythm, vocabulary, storytelling, proof-reading, or redrafting. HOW TO TEACH REDRAFTING
• Start by generating lists of words. Use
any topic as stimuli or create lists of words based on student observations. • Turn these lists of words into lines of a poem or prose or dialogue. Introduce a theme or add a tone: make it funny, or make us think, for instance. • Have students swap the lines / sentences and practise redrafting each other’s work. It helps to give them aim: make the work as short as possible, include alliteration, turn
it into slang, make it sound formal, for example. Have them swap and redraft several times and then choose some to read out. • Ask students to create a poem, story or dialogue out of the lists of words generated by the class. Tell them they have all term to do it, but they have to give in drafts along the way. To enhance this activity, have them keep scrapbooks where they collect research, thoughts, interesting words, images, ephemera or sketches to inspire them. In the end, redrafting is to do with mindset; we allow ourselves to produce imperfect work, knowing we can gradually make it better, and that getting an imperfect first draft down is how we generate words in the first place.
S u m m e r 2 0 1 9 // H W R K M AG A Z I N E // 1 3