Creative talking

   For students that don't feel good about school,creative writing can be a frightening experience.  Those kids may have some great ideas and may be able to express them verbally.  But, the idea of putting the ideas down on paper with correct mechanics and organization, is scary!  They may think, "What if it's wrong and someone sees it?"  Kids could be teased and, on social media ..... brutal!!
   Here's an idea that might get your student's creative juices flowing.  I would cut out pictures from magazines that I thought were interesting.  The picture might be a child shoveling snow or an older man playing the piano.  I would have a variety of people and places and then laminate them.  It should be something that you could build a story around. 
   Before I handed out the pictures, I would model how I wanted them to make up the stories.  I covered the 5 W's (who,what,where,what,why) and add some interesting vocabulary - voice.  I gave some back round, what's happening in the picture and what might happen in the future.  
   I would give the students the pictures and about 5 minutes to form some ideas for their stories.  They would come up in front of the class, show the picture and tell the story.  While someone was telling their story, all other pictures had to be turned over.  
   Some students had trouble getting started.  For them, I would ask them questions about the picture and, often, this would help the story get started.  Then there were students who really got into storytelling.  I had to help them wrap up the story because they could go on for awhile.  
   It's always an interesting experience for students and teachers.  You could tape the presentation and play it back to show various styles.  This hits that public speaking goal.  And, for students who have difficulty with the written word, this could be an opportunity to shine!