February 9th, 2014
New Health/Sport & Social Inclusion-Related Creative Writing Workshops From Gianna Hartwright
Are you a teacher or community group seeking new ways in which to engage children in literacy? Are you looking for exciting new ways to communicate messages linked to health, diet, exercise and social inclusion/exclusion that make pupils think for themselves and come to their own conclusions about the benefits of good practice/behaviour in all of these areas? Perhaps Gianna Hartwright’s Creative Writing Workshops are the answer.
Creative writing has many benefits for children. It helps them express their own ideas and emotions in a way in which they feel comfortable and gives them a sense of pride once they see the end result of their thoughts, written on a page and in a form that can be shared with others.
It helps their general development and their ability to process information and, as they develop characters, they actually communicate their own values and feelings about issues. It can greatly boost their confidence and, above all, let them have fun with paper and pencil.
Gianna Hartwright is the author of acclaimed children’s debut novel, The Befana Drama, and its sequel, Capriccia’s Conundrum, due to launch at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March 2014. In the last quarter of 2013, she visited many venues and schools with her first book and was asked to create Creative Writing Workshops, as her rapport with and ability to enthuse the children she met was greatly appreciated by teachers.
Gianna has developed Creative Writing Workshops based on her books, but can also tailor these to suit specific topics such as health, diet and exercise, so that messages on these topics, usually delivered in a more standard manner, can be explored at a deeper level by children as they express their thoughts through writing.
Two examples of tailored workshops are:
‘Out of Breath Billy’
This workshop will lead children to their own conclusions about health, diet and exercise as they focus on a young boy, Billy, who absolutely loves playing sport and wants to make it as a top ranking sportsman, but doesn’t do the right things to make his dream happen.
The workshop will begin with Billy Blanks as children fill in sentences containing blanks with negative nouns, verbs and adjectives that sum up Billy’s unhealthy lifestyle.
They will then move on to Billy Bubbles, looking at a mind map that allows them to think how Billy could change his lifestyle in as many imaginative ways as they can conjure up.
Children will be asked to focus on Billy Baddies and Buddies – people who stop him achieving his goal and those who try to help him, learning how to develop and describe characters.
They will then delve into Billy’s Bulging Boot Bag and pull out three items that they will put into a story ‘Billy’s Brilliant Boots’, where they will decide how Billy makes changes in his life, where that takes him and what inspires him to make the alterations to his lifestyle.
Gianna Hartwright will work with the children, listening to their ideas and giving them hints and suggestions that they can use to spark their imagination.
This workshop supplements the exciting Befana Drama workshops based on Gianna’s books, which allow for free expression on any topic and are less message-focused.
© Jane Hunt, February 9, 2014
The Very Different Pupil
This workshop crystallises and celebrates ‘difference’ in whatever form that may be. The focus of the workshop is a pupil who suddenly arrives from a different planet and is beamed into the classroom.
Pupils will first fill in Stranger Spaces as they fill in gaps in sentences with nouns, verbs and adjectives that describe the diversity of the stranger, coming up with a list of how a very different pupil might look, sound, speak and act.
They will then move on to Stranger Spheres, looking at a mind map that allows them to think how other pupils might react to the new pupil, in as many imaginative ways as they can conjure up.
Children will be asked to focus on Alien Allies and Anti-Heroes – people in and around the school who try to look after the new pupil and those who are nasty and cruel to him or her.
They will then delve into The Stranger’s Sack and pull out three items that they will put into a story ‘The Alien’s Anxious Arrival’, where they will tell a story about what happens when the very different pupil arrives, how they feel in the midst of strangers, what they worry about, how other people react and what happens during their first day to ensure that, by the end of the day, they are much less anxious.
Gianna Hartwright will work with the children, listening to their ideas and giving them hints and suggestions that they can use to spark their imagination.
This workshop supplements the exciting Befana Drama workshops based on Gianna’s books, which allow for free expression on any topic and are less message-focused.
© Jane Hunt February 9 2014
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Other tailored workshops can be devised to suit different themes. To find out more, or book a workshop, email giannah@me.com or call 01253 891114. A fee applies for the day which is a flat rate for organisations/schools in Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The workshops can be delivered elsewhere with the addition of travel expenses. Where possible the aim will be to book more than one workshop in an area, so these expenses can be shared.
