The Psychology of What Makes a Great Story “Stories,” Neil Gaiman asserted in his wonderful lecture on what makes stories last, “are genuinely symbiotic organisms that we live with, that allow human beings to advance.” But what is the natural selection of these organisms — what makes the ones that endure fit for survival? What, in other words, makes a great story? That’s what the great Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner (October 1, 1915–June 6, 2016), who revolutionized cognitive psychology and pioneered the modern study of creativity in the 1960s, explores in his 1986 essay collection Actual Minds, Possible Worlds (public library). In an immensely insightful piece titled “Two Modes of Thought,” Bruner writes: There are two modes of cognitive functioning, two modes of thought, each providing distinctive ways of ordering experience, of constructing reality. Bruner calls these two contrasting modes the paradigmatic or logico-scientific, characterized by a mathematical framework of analysis and explanation, and the narrative.
How to find your writing voice When you’re a writer or a blogger, you’re putting your voice out there. It’s a lot like standing on stage singing your heart out for all the world to see. But figuring out your writing voice isn’t easy. It’s especially hard for new writers to find their writing voice, because they already feel awkward having their work in the spotlight and subject to public approval. Maybe you’ve struggled with finding your writing voice yourself. This doesn’t feel right. Let’s start at the beginning: What is Writing Voice? That’s a good question. People can “hear” your writing voice subconsciously as they read your text through a process called sub-vocalization. Your writing voice is important, no doubt about it. Why We Struggle to Find our Voice Writers worry. We worry people might think we don’t sound professional, or smart, or expert, or friendly. One of the problems is that writers write in ways that fit our beliefs, not the reality. Why Are We Writing in the First Place? Forget that. Enjoy yourself.
CPE sample writings: CPE/CAE Writing to impress the examiner When it comes to the CPE and CAEwriting exams, showing off your high level of English by using a wide range of vocabulary and the most complicated grammar structures you learnt at school is not only ok but a have-to-do. No time nor place for being simple and humble, really! You need to demonstrate how good you are and how much you deserve to pass the exam by doing your very best. Here there are some tips on how to enhance your text and make an excellent impression on the examiner: 1. Instead of writing "It is an interesting book with a nice argument." 2. Instead of: "She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. Try: "She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. For example: Little did I know of was about to happen that dark and stormy night... Had I listened to my heart, I would have known that...( he was not a good man...)
Collaborative writing activities Collaborative writing Some teachers tend to avoid writing in class, perhaps feeling that as it is something which learners do individually and in silence, it is better done for homework. However, when writing is done as a collaborative activity, it can have many of the same benefits of a group speaking activity: Discussing the writing process obviously provides more opportunities for learners to interact in English, a benefit in itself. It can also help learners to develop their communicative competence by forcing the negotiation of meaning. According to Vygostsky’s theory of ZPD (zone of proximal development), working with others can provide the opportunity for learners to work at a level slightly above their usual capacity, as co-operating with others who know a little more can boost achievement. Collaborative writing has been shown to lower anxiety and foster self-confidence, compared with completing tasks individually (Johnson and Johnson 1998) Planning collaboratively Like this:
To Teach Effective Writing, Model Effective Writing I strive to teach my high school students the value of criticism, especially when it comes to improving their writing. To do so, I model how criticism continues to help me become a better writer. Earlier this year, for example, I shared a draft of one of my education feature articles, which included detailed feedback from an editor at a prominent media company. I asked my classes for advice on how to address several edits, dealing with sources, transitions, terminology, and structure. I want my students to feel secure in the knowledge that nobody is beyond criticism (even their teacher), and that the bigger challenge is developing the good sense to acknowledge and successfully respond to feedback. Along those lines, I also offer the suggestions below about teaching writing: 1. To teach effective writing, we must be effective writers ourselves. 2. No matter what you teach, share your written work. 3. No matter what you teach, write in front of students. 4. 5. 6.
Vocabulary Words for Writing Scary Stories | Pen and the Pad Description is one of the four main forms of discourse, according to David Grambs’ “The Describer’s Dictionary.” When writing scary stories, use a thesaurus or other vocabulary reference book to enhance your description of events, places and characters. The more interesting your vocabulary, the better your readers will be able to imagine themselves in the story. 1. Utilize Words That Set the Mood A truly horrifying story establishes an eerie atmosphere right from the beginning. An effective writer will send signals to the reader that the story will be scary and depressing using such vocabulary. Examples include: gloomy, somber, dreary, forbidding and creepy You can also ascribe scary characteristics to inanimate objects to heighten the mood. Buildings can appear “intimidating" A forest can look “menacing" 2. A tale is even scarier when readers can see, hear, touch, taste and smell things in the story. A place can exude an “acrid,” “pungent” or “choking” stench. 3. H. 4.
Creative writing in the classroom: five top tips for teachers | Teacher Network 1. The rules of writing I always tell students that there are no set rules for writing and they can write whatever they like. I don't subscribe to the notion that all good stories must have, for example, an attention-grabbing opening, a turning point, a twist at the end and an extended metaphor. Incorporating these into writing doesn't automatically mean a story works, and you will read wonderful writing follows none of these rules. That said, there are two rules of writing that I encourage them to follow. For "show, don't tell", I display a selection of sentences that tell the reader something and ask the pupils to rewrite them in a way that shows the same information. When teaching "all adverbs must die", I concentrate on the importance of giving the power to the verb. 2. Not the most original method I'll wager, but this is tried and tested. 3. There's something a bit weird about the idea of being a writer; it's a vague, wishy-washy concept for students. 4. 5.
Att lära av gamla prov för att lyfta nivån på skrivandet Jag har letat fram gamla nationella prov i engelska för C-delen och elevlösningar som är bedöma i det röda häftet för att kunna använda i undervisningen. Jag har lyckats hitta fyra olika prov som inte har sekretess längre. Dessa kommer vi att titta på efter påsklovet fram till elevernas egna skrivande av texter på de nationella proven i engelska vilket blir ganska precis tre veckor. Vad är en article? Innan vi tittar på dem har jag satt ihop en presentation som inledning. I den tänkte jag visa på vad som menas med article och essay då det kan skapa lite förvirring i instruktionen de sedan kommer att få titta på. Att arbeta med strukturen I presentationens del 2 finns en kortare repetition av det ovan med hjälp av några flashcards och instruktionsfilmer, samt en genomgång av hur man bygger upp en text. Du hittar presentationen här! När jag har gått igenom hela presentationen har jag tänk att eleverna ska få analysera gamla elevlösningar från de röda häftena jag nämnde ovan. Ord och begrepp
Scary Words | Scary Website A list of scary five and six word stories and a list of creepy words, nouns and adjectives that you can use if you are writing a horror story. Scary Stories in 5 Words You awake suddenly, buried alive. Last person alive hears knocking. Her heart stopped. She didn’t. Scary Stories in 6 Words Human slaves. Scary Words to use in a Story tomb, crypt, vault dead body, corpse, cadaver Scary Anagrams In The Shining, a little boy writes the word “Redrum” which is backwards for “Murder”. In an Anthony Horrowitz story, a character is named “Rellik” which is backwards for “Killer”. In the British horror comedy series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, “Garth marenghi” is an anagram of “Argh! In The Watcher in the Woods, a girl names her puppy “Nerak”, which is backwards for Karen, a girl who mysteriously disappeared 30 years before. In the werewolf movie The Howling III, the town is called “Flow” which is backwards for “Wolf”. A number of books and movies use the name “Nilbog” which is backwards for “Goblin”.
Story Starters Teaching Guide Overview Ready to get students excited about writing? Scholastic Story Starters activity serves up hundreds of creative combinations that take the writer's block out of creative writing for students. Set young writers loose with prompts that explore the themes of Adventure, Fantasy, or Sci-Fi. Animated Help Guide For a step-by-step view of how Scholastic Story Starters works, click the help button on the activity home page. Objectives Students will: Discuss and identify what makes a story compelling. Scholastic Story Starters is a flexible teaching tool that can be used in a variety of ways to fit your classroom schedule and teaching style. Morning Activity Have Story Starters ready to go when students arrive in your classroom in the morning. Computer Lab Story Starters is an ideal computer lab activity because it can be easily modified to fit a short amount of time or a longer period, is highly engaging for students, and sharpens essential student writing skills. Writing Time
As fresh as a daisy: using similes in English. | About Words - Cambridge Dictionaries Online blog by Liz Walter There are two ways of forming similes. The first is with as … as: The countryside here is as flat as a pancake. I knew Polly was scared because she was as white as a sheet. These similes have the structure: as + adjective + as a/an + noun. We use them to emphasize the adjective. Here are a few more very common similes: as stubborn as a mule as light as a feather as different as chalk and cheese The second way of forming similes is with like. He has eyes like a hawk. (= he notices everything) She eats like a bird. (= she hardly eats anything) He’s like a kid in a sweet shop. (= he’s very excited about things he can have) These similes have the structure: do something + like + a/an + noun or be + like +a/an + noun. Similes are often used in a humorous way. As much use as a chocolate teapot. As much use as an underwater hair dryer. As much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. In the same way, many similes with like use images that are humorous: Like this: Like Loading... Related It’s not bad.
Why History Matters We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details. ACCEPT COOKIES What are cookies? Why History Matters Why does history matter? Examining the past to better understand the present? History connects the past with the present History develops a sense of respectful empathy History as a discipline History and informed leadership History and informed and active citizenship Winston Churchill In The Second World War, Churchill at the microphone in the Cabinet Office making his 'VE Day' broadcast to the nation that the war with Germany had been won, 8 May 1945.