Teaching Kids How to Create a Believable Villain

Kids love to read about villains! Voldemort from Harry Potter, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Ursula from the Little Mermaid, Scar from the Lion King and so many more! So, why do kids have such a hard time creating villains for their own stories? They can be the most fun to put into stories, they are the delicious ingredient that makes a story really pull us in, and care about what is going on in the story. 

So, how can teachers help students build a villain for their story that is believable? It's like making soup.

Ingredients for "Villain Soup"

1.  Give a backstory for the villain. What event or events in his past turned him evil?  This doesn't have to be pages and pages of backstory. Often a short paragraph or even a sentence or two does the trick. I'm thinking of Morgana, Ursala's sister in The Little Mermaid. There were only a couple of short statements (and nasty looks) about the fact that Morgana could never be as good as Ursula in her mother's eyes. It made her wild with jealousy.  In other words, give the villain a personality.

To practice this: Show a picture of an interesting person to your students. Ask them to get into groups of two to three and make up a back story for the person. Share with the class. A great pinterest page to use for this is:

Famous People

2.  Give the villain a good point or two.  No one is pure evil (except in monster stories). In fact, the villain sees herself as justified. Villains who are pure evil become boring and can bring a story down. Think about giving the situation from the villain's point of view. This helps the reader understand the villain better. For example, the villain loves his cat. After all, no one is a villain in their own eyes. Villains see themselves as justified. 

To practice this: Make a list of as many villains from books and movies on the board as possible.  Ask students to list something about each villain that was good. If they can't think of anything, ask students to make up a stuation in which the villain did something good. For example, fed and petted his cat. 

3. Use vivid description when writing about the villain. How does he walk? Does she have any odd small habits?  How does he smell? What does her hair look like? Are there any unusual marks on his face? Is he deceitful, jealous, vengeful, proud?  

To practice this: Find pictures of interesting people (Internet, Pinterest, magazines). Have as many pictures as you have students. Assign a picture to each student, but make sure no one else knows who has which picture. Ask students to write a very descriptive paragraph about the person in their picture. The use of colorful adjectives is most valuable for this. Next collect the descriptive paragraphs, shuffle them, and redistribute one to each student. Their task is to read the paragraph and find the picture that the description goes with.  To get the pictures (see the pinterest pages I have included here) I click on the picture I want, this takes me to the "save" page. I take a screen shot of the picture, and put it on my desktop. I then move all of the pictures I want to hand out to students in a word or PowerPoint document. I can size them as I choose.  Then print. It works best to laminate them so they last a few years.  Some pinterest pages I especially like to look through are: Disney Villains   Disney Characters   You can also google "Pinterest Villain Images" and get a number of good pictures, however you have to be careful as some are inappropriate. That's why I like to make my own set of pictures. 

4.  The villain must have a goal. What is the villain after?  This may not be apparent in the story right away, but the writer should know exactly what the villain is after. This will help the writer carry the story along. 

To practice this: Choose a fairy tale villain and write a six to eight block cartoon describing, from the villain's point of view,  what his goal is. For example, the wolf from the Three Little Pigs may tell why it is important to get pigs for the pig stew he is making for his friends. To get a number of choices for panel paper to use with students go to: Printable Comic Book Paper

Before Students begin their story, another fun activity is to make a wanted poster of their villain. By doing this they must think about what the villain looks like, describe what he or she has done, and include why the villain is wanted. 

Villains are SO much fun to create! I hope you and your students find these ideas useful!

For TONS of freeebies and ideas be sure to follow me on Pinterest at: https://www.pinterest.com/janbernard10/

Do you need a resource to help you evaluate your students' writing according to the Common Core? The first is for third grade, the second is for fourth grade.  

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6 Easy STeps to Release the Hidden Writer in Your Students!

Have you ever given a writing topic and looked at your students, only to see a herd of deer in headlights?  I know I have! I worked for years, and did a lot of research to figure out how to get rid of those "headlights" for good.  The trick is getting kids started...that pencil to paper moment.  Once they get going, things usually flow.  Before starting your next writing assignment, think about the ideas below. They sure helped me, and it wasn't long before those "deer in headlights" turned into giggly writers who could hardly wait to share their creative stories and research! They may just be the "magic" trick to nudge those reluctant writers in your classroom into putting pen to paper too!

1. Write the way you talk.  Some kids get hung-up with some mysterious "voice" in their writing. In truth, the best writing is written in the voice of the writer. It's the way they talk that makes the writing engaging. If they use the same words they use all the time, their writing will ring true.

2. Don't worry about "The rules" of spelling and grammar. Just write! A lot of kids try to edit as they go. One fun way to stop kids from doing this, is to give one minute quick-writes. For these writings push them to "Hurry, you only have a minute!" The idea isn't to get a literary masterpiece, but to free-up kids to just write, and not worry about anything else. Make it fun, this shouldn't be stressful. You might ask, "Who has a sentence they really like on their paper?" or "who wrote more than five lines?" The idea is to celebrate that words went on the paper...as many as possible.  Do this a couple of times a week, and kids will start to really enjoy it, as long as the topics are fun.  Yes, editing is important, but not at the beginning of the process! A few quick-write ideas are:

a. Describe a dog
b. Tell, in detail, what you ate for lunch today.
c. On the other side of the door was....
d.  I heard a scream!
e. The lights went out in the cafeteria!
f.  I will never do that again!
g.  Outside the window I saw...
h. I found a dragon egg in my dresser drawer.
i. I opened my door and saw a box of 50 donuts!
j. My pencil started to dance!
k. I heard the ant say, ......
l.  My favorite pizza is....
m. My mom bought a cactus....
n. Describe what your teacher does after school
o. A skunk walks into the classroom....
p.  A spaceship lands on the playground and...

and so on!

3.   Limit the topic!  Before any pencil hits paper make sure the topic is small enough. That's right! Limit writing to something that can be covered in a short amount of time. I have had students tell me they were going to write about Egypt. Well, that's nice, but to write about Egypt would take a lot of time, lots of paper (think books full) and more research than the student can do all year. I then asked them what one thing about Egypt they thought was interesting, then we went from there. The smaller the topic, the easier it is to write about. Instead of writing about "My vacation", write about riding on the roller coaster. What did you feel, smell, think as you plunged down? Small topics give themselves to more descriptive writing, and that makes more interesting writing.

4. Don't skip that prewriting stage! Many times my students would just jump into a topic and start writing without thinking. Prewriting helps them think through what they want to say, and gives them confidence that he or she knows where the writing is going. That makes writing less intimidating.  Once a topic has been decided upon, brainstorm with a friend, draw a picture, make a visual map of what you want to cover. Basically, make a writing plan.

5. Play restful music (instrumental) at a low volume. Music truly does have the power to calm the savage writing beast. Music goes right to the brain. Calm music calms students. Calm students are less stressed. Writing can happen. I always play music, and often turn the lights a little lower in the room. Yes, I know they are writing, but between the music and the lower lights a calming atmosphere sets into the room and not only do kids write like crazy, they are really quiet (gratefully).

6. If handwriting is a struggle, allow the student to write at the computer. Just being at the computer is often enough to get the creative juices flowing.

Need a couple of writing pages to nudge your students into writing? Enjoy the two below. I hope your students enjoy using them!

Check out my resources to help you test and document the writing progress of your students:

Get TONS of ideas and freebies by following me on Pinterest:

Dragons Den Curriculum on Pinterest

Teach Your Students How to Use Magic in Writing!

If you have any reluctant writers (of course you do!! LOL), you already know that to get them to write ANYTHING, they must be totally engaged in the topic. What kid isn't enthralled with magic? The Harry Potter books prove that!

Get the discussion started by grabbing their attention with a great hook! For example, the video below shows one spell after another from Harry Potter. You only need to show a few to get the discussion started. How did magic make the Harry Potter books interesting? How do you think J.K. Rowling decided on the magic to be used? Did she follow any rules? Make a list of other books that use magic. How are they alike? Different?

        

Discuss with students that authors do follow certain rules to make sure the magic seems real. It's called suspended disbelief. The reader is willing to "believe" what they read because it makes sense.  To make that magic seem real, students should think about the rules below:

1. There must be rules for the magic! As the writer constructs the story, certain magical laws need to be put into place. For example, wands are used to do magic, magic carpets fly, a magic ring makes the one who wears it invisable.  These laws are as dependable as gravity, and can not be changed on the writer's whim.  That means before the story is started, the writer should plan out the magic. Who can do it, how is it done?

2. Magic has to have limits. If a magic word can solve all problems the minute it is said, where's the story in that? Magic may need certain tools to be carried out, like a magic lamp, or certain knowledge might be needed. It may take a special person (thinking fairy godmother here) or maybe it can only be used under certain conditions. These decisions should be made before the story is begun.

3. Be inventive. If the magic is the same, old same old, it's not as interesting as a fresh take on something. For example, maybe the car is magic, or a pencil.

4. The magic has to be important to the story. If it's not important to the story, why is it there? Students need to find a way to use the magic in the plot of the story. Students should ask themselves, "If there was no magic, would the story still work?" if so, then the magic isn't really needed in the story at all.

5. Use lots of descriptive words to describe what the magic looks like, feels like, or even how it smells! That's the way to pull the reader deeper into the story.

6. While magic is important in the story, it shouldn't be more important than the characters. Their story should shine through with the support of magic.

7. Make the magic unpredictable. What are the costs, problems, affects of using the magic. What happens when the magic doesn't work, or works in an unpredictable way?

8. Have fun with it! Writing a magical story should be exciting and fun. A student's mind should be pondering the next chapter or scene before going to sleep at night, on his way to school, or even during math class. Yes, it's true, that far away look in your students' eyes during fractions might just be the plot of the next best seller. Enjoy!!

These ideas were adapted from: http://www.writing-world.com/sf/martin.shtml

Evaluating Write to match Common Core standards can be a bit tricky! Make it easy with these resources: 

The Importance of Setting in Writing

If ever there was a time to learn about describing words, it's when writing the setting of a story! It's been said many times that the setting of a story is actually another character in the story. Nothing could be more true! Think about actors of a science fiction movie acting in front of a green screen. This is a scene without a setting! It doesn't come alive until that setting is added in! The setting is the skeleton writers use to build and develop the characters and the story.

So...how can we, as teachers, help our young writers learn how to write a good setting? Below are a few practice exercises that have worked well for me. Many of the exercises below can be added to the writing notebook. That makes them available should students want to expand on them later. 

1. Show students a picture of a setting. You can use picture books, magazines or pictures you find on the Internet. How does the picture make them feel? List adjectives that dscribe that feeling when looking at the picture. Why does it make them feel that way? Ask students to brainstorm a sentence or two about the setting that could start the story.  Finally, ask students to write a paragraph describing the setting and give a hint about how it may impact the story later on. i.e. "The forest sparkled in the sun that drifted to the ground through the trees. It seemed friendly, even a welcoming place as it stretched it's arms out to meet Sarah. Little did she know what was hidden behind that welcome." 

2. Ask students to visualize their favorite place. Ask them to not only see it, but listen to sounds. What do they smell? What can they touch? Next ask students to write down what they visualized. Finally, ask students to use that setting to write the first paragraph of a story, and how a fictional character might fit into that setting. Remind them that the opening of any story needs to hook the reader and make them want to read more!

3. Give students a setting, (the hospital, the side of a mountain, deep inside a cave etc.) and ask them to use it to write one or two of the first paragraphs of a story using this setting. Allow students who want to share, to do so. I never force students to read this type of writing. Some students take time to overcome shyness. Forcing them to read stunts what they will write. Doing this type of writing at least once a week or so will become something your students look forward to, and can be the spark they need to create a great story. Another idea to use with a setting, ask students to get with a partner and write a description of the setting using what they see, hear, smell and touch. 

4. Choose a favorite fairy tale. How would it be different if it happened in a different time, or a different place? What types of things would change? Would the three pigs build different kinds of houses if they lived in the desert? What would change if Snow White was the president of the United States? Choose one fairy tale to brainstorm ideas with the class, write the ideas on the board, and the first couple of sentences the group generates. Next have students choose their own fairy tale and change the setting. Write at least one or two paragraphs to start the story.   

5. Use improv! Choose one story, movie, or fairy tale and have a group of four or five students come to the front of the class. Give them two or three changes in settings to act out in a minutes or two. It's not only fun, it really makes kids think! It is a great way to see how setting can change everything!

6.  Use a favorite movie to get them thinking.  Put students into groups of two or three.  Give them two minutes to brainstorm favorite movies.  Give them one more minute to choose just one.  Then ask students to change the setting of the movie.  List ways it would change the movie.  Then share each group's work with the class. 

Do you need writing worksheets that address the Common Core in third and fourth grade?  Check out the resources below by clicking on the picture.

Creating Better Writers

So...How do you get kids to write better?

I can't even tell you how many times I've asked myself that question! I've gone to seminars, classes, and talked to teachers who seem to have the "gift".   With the help of some very gifted teachers,  I have discovered some ideas that made a big difference in my classroom. With the Common Core standards, it's even more important to make sure kids can express themselves in writing. Here are some ideas that worked for me!

1.  Use your own writing as a model for kids. Write and think aloud as you write a sample of the new assignment in front of the class. It really helps kids to see how another writer thinks through the task. Allowing students to see you write, watch how you change your sentences around, think about grammar, and make sense while writing are all important characteristics for students to observe. Many kids have no idea how the writing process works. Watching a teacher go through the process is like a light going on.

2.  Spend a lot more time writing. Learning how to be a good writer is like learning how to do anything else well. It takes lots and lots of practice. One study found that only 15 extra writing minutes per day in grades 2-8 produced better writing. In fact, 78% of studies that tested the impact of adding extra writing minutes to a daily routine showed that writing improved. There's even a bonus for that extra writing. Many studies have found that reading comprehension gets better as students write more. That only makes sense to me. As student write they have to think about their own understanding, make sure they are making sense, and struggle to spell correctly. That's why writing in social studies, math and science is so important.

3. Do some of that writing on a computer. It's much less cumbersome than writing by hand, plus it's easy to edit. Technology has changed how we write. We text, send applications through the computer, e-mail, in fact most of our writing as adults is done on some type of device. It only makes sense to allow students to use this powerful tool as part of the writing program.

4. Use writing as an opportunity to teach grammar. Once you have read enough writing by students, it becomes obvious which grammar lessons need to be addressed. Address one area thoroughly until it is mastered.

5. Allow students to draw pictures to go with their writing. I ask for writing to be done first, then pictures can be drawn. Pictures are great motivators for kids, especially for reluctant writters.

6. Give students the opportunity to share their writing. Some students are very shy about that, so they may like to read their writing to a friend. Some students are more than ready to read to the class, they should have that opportunity when possible. I found that if I asked students to choose their best paragraph to read aloud, they really put some thought into it. That's also a good time to point out strong words used iun the writing, good use of images and the like. I never used this time to point out anything negative, after all this is in front of other students. If there is an issue it can always be addressed privately later.

Happy writing!

If you are interesting in writing resources that are fun for kids and cover the Common Core, check out the following resources by clicking on the cover.

25 Fantastic Writing Prompts!

Sometimes we all need some ideas for writing prompts for our students….Here are some great ones!

1. If I was a raindrop I would….
2. What does a chicken think about when it's inside the egg?
3. If I was invisible I would….
4. She should have never left the skunk into her house because…
5. He opened the fortune cookie and found a map, so he…
6. What if there were no clocks?
7. What would happen if we used cookies for money?
8. If I was a teacher I would…
9. If I was three inches tall I would…
10. If I was an ant…
11. Yesterday I woke up as a superhero so I…
12. What would you do if your best friend was a Martian?
13. It was one of those days when everything went wrong!
14. What would you do if a genie gave you three wishes?
15. This is my recipe for the best desert ever!
16. What would you do if you could flap your arms and fly?
17. Describe the perfect treehouse.
18. The worst thing I ever ate was…..
19. What would you do with a giraffe as a pet?
20. You wake up to see a small dinosaur in your back yard. What do you do?
21. You see a fairy sitting on your bed post. What happens?
22. You win $100 to spend any way you choose! What will you do with the money?
23. The egg you found in the yard just hatched. It's a dragon! Now what?
24. Penguins have taken over your bathroom. What's going to happen?
25. If elephants had wings...

Want some more story starters? This site gives story elements, then the kids make up the story…Love it!

Click Here

If you are interested in writing worksheets that cover the Common Core for 3rd and 4th grade writing, check out these resources by clicking the cover.

Hook Your Reader!

Getting kids to start their writing with an interesting "hook" is vital to good writing! I always start with just three of the tried and true hooks, a quote, surprising fact, or a question. (see the anchor chart below). There's many more, but this is a good place to start without overwhelming kids. Once they have the basic three down, add more!

What's a Hook?  It's something that "hooks" your reader's attention and makes them want to keep reading. When teaching hooks pull some of your class's favorite books and look at those first paragraphs. Discuss what makes them great. Get a copy of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson. The first sentence in the books says, "The Herdmans were the worst kids in the history of the world!".  How can you ever put that book down???

What are some of the primary "hooks" writers use?

1. Use a quote: It can be a literary quote, a quote from a famous person or even a quote from your favorite TV program or store. "There's nothing to fear, but fear itself."
2. Start with a question. This method is very easy for younger students to use. "Why did he go into the haunted house?"
3. Start with an exciting scene or event. The explaination can always come later, but the exciting event will make readers want to keep reading.
4. Use an surprising fact or statistic.
5. Start with a very short (no more than five words) interesting sentence. For example, "He thought it would explode."
6. Start with a metaphor or simile. "He knew he was in a pickle! Now what could he do?"
7. Use onomatopoeia, for example, "Crash!"
8. Use an interjection, for example, "Stop"!
9. Dialogue, sometimes the conversation between two people, or the person's thinking to himself can be a very compelling hook.
10. An interesting anecdote. "It was my first dive into the ocean. Little did I know what was about to happen!"

Need a good idea to help students learn the different "hooks"?  Ask students to take their favorite fairy tale and rewrite the first sentence of that fairy tale using the hooks above.  Students of any age would love this! To make it even more fun, do it in groups!! It would look something like this:

The three bears:
1. (question) What do you think would happen if a human girl broke into a bear's house?
2. (Metaphor/simile) Goldilocks knew she was in a pickle! It had started so innocently!
3. (dialogue) "I shouldn't, I really shouldn't go into the bear's house. They're not even home. I really, really shouldn't, but I will!"
Etc.


The following anchor chart is a good one to start students into thinking about how to hook their reader. Using only three techniques at first makes it easier for younger students to concentrate on exactly what they should do.

How about terrific writing prompts to get those writing juices flowing? This site has LOTS!

Happy writing!

Get Common Core writing worksheets that will help your students grow and improve their writing abilities.  Click on the covers below!