Playful Paragraphs

A one-hour creative writing workshop
for KS2 and KS3

Intended to build confidence in young writers by showing them how to assemble a sequence of sentences that builds a picture in a reader’s head and hooks them into a story.

what happens in this workshop?

ice-breaker
After briefly introducing myself I read a short section of SeaBEAN aloud and ask the class what made them feel curious to know more.

topic
Exploring how fictional adventures start, and what is needed to make the reader want to keep going.

activity
We brainstorm ideas about how to mix physical sensations and resulting feelings, then pupils write what happens when their version of Alice enters the time-travel device.

support & feedback
I help individual pupils, and at the end I invite a few to read their work aloud and I offer feedback to support what they’ve learned.

resources
Whiteboards, pencil and plain paper work best, thesauruses are also a handy extra sometimes.

success criteria
When classmates can visualise the scene playing out in their heads like a little mind movie.