Special Features

Printable Version

Four (can use more) pictures from magazines or books that could tell a good story.
Four pieces of classical music that have a different mood (ex: find songs that could be happy, calm, angry, and foreboding).

Split the class into groups of 4 or 5 students each. (I do 4 groups) Give each group a picture. Tell them that they will need to listen to the music and then write for about the picture for 30 seconds while the music plays. Play the first music piece while students write. Stop music and move pictures to new groups. Play second kind of music while students write about second picture. Repeat until the students have written to all four kinds of music.

I make a chart on the board for each picture for discussion purposes.

"Who wrote about this picture (hold up a picture) with the first music?"
"How would you describe the mood of that music?"
"What were your stories about?"

I write plots in the chart for that particular picture and music combination. Then ask who wrote about that picture with the second music. Describe mood and fill in plots. Continue until all picture plots are gone through with all music selections.

Point out the different plots for each picture story with the different music. (ex - a boy by a lake could be happy to be going fishing with happy music, while he's sad he lost a friend with the foreboding music) Point out that how we're feeling, the music we listen to, the shows that we watch, etc... can affect how we express ourselves in our stories.

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