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Creative writing, like any other writing skill, takes time and practice to improve. I believe using creative writing to teach grammar benefits both teacher and student. The teacher must engage with prompts to write a unique story or exercise to highlight a certain topic. The students get to see the importance of grammar from a more lighthearted but equally important perspective. 

At the end of the chapter on modals, Larsen-Freeman and Celce-Murcia give two ideas (suggestions number five and six) that use creative writing to practice the correct use of modals (2016, p.154). The first is to use modals to solve a mystery. The students are given a police report that tells the story of a crime. As the teacher, this is where I can have some fun. I can create a report that tells of a robbery from a local bank where the only two witnesses were leaders/teachers from the school. I can put details from the town and leave clues that point to someone at the school. The students will then be broken into teams, and they will have a set amount of time to come up with five questions that ask questions using ability, tendency, probability, or negation modals. The teams will get a set amount of time to interrogate the witnesses. The team will then compile their notes, and give three to five statements that give advice or request next steps from the police officer on the case. 

Another way to teach modals would be to instruct students to write a “Dear Abby” column. The day before this lesson, I could have my students write down common problems they feel like peers their own age face. I will review their suggestions, and then choose three to five of the most common or compelling struggles. At the beginning of class the next day, the students will be given those three to five dilemmas. The problems could be situations like: 

·

I never have enough time to get my homework down after practice.

·

I am having trouble making friends. I am new. 

·

My big brother/sister never wants me around.

I will ask them to write a small paragraph for each problem using modals correctly. Then, towards the end of class, the students will get into small groups and read their different answers before turning the assignment in to me. 

As the teacher, this will not only take creativity but a significant amount of coordination and communication. All of the leaders/teachers involved in the pretend crime case would need to give their consent to participate. However, I believe the students would enjoy and remember these creative activities. 

 

Reference

 

Larsen-Freeman, D. & Celce-Murcia, M. (2016). The grammar book. National Geographic 

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