I: Introductions

Section I introduces three fundamental writing experiences that help students understand themselves as writers and practice basic but essential writing tasks. These experiences set the foundation for more complex writing tasks that follow.

This opening experience serves multiple purposes:

Helps students reflect on their relationship with writing
Builds metacognitive awareness of writing processes and preferences
Creates opportunities for community-building as students share their experiences
Provides you with valuable insight into your students' writing backgrounds and attitudes

The two versions offer different paths through this reflection:

V1 emphasises broader reflection and community-building
V2 focuses more on specific examples and revision. Revision is difficult in Frankenstories' it requires time to read and reflect. We suggest using the pause button to stop and discuss as needed.

This is a really nice experience for the start of the year. Students can introduce themselves and learn about each other in a way that is relevant to the class.

This experience introduces students to the challenges of clear communication while working with familiar subject matter. Key learning opportunities include:

Understanding audience needs and expectations
Recognising the importance of precise language
Learning to anticipate problems and questions
Adapting instructions for different circumstances

The three versions offer different approaches:

V1 (Personal) lets students choose their own activity, building confidence through expertise. This is good as a solo activity.
V2 (Balderdash) provides a specific activity, focusing attention on instruction techniques. This is good as a more playful group activity.
V3 (Practical) adds real-world testing, making the writing consequences visible. This can work as a group or individual activity, but you want to allow time for someone to actually follow the instructions.

The progression from simple to detailed to supportive instructions helps students understand how writing choices affect readers' experiences.

This experience introduces evaluation and persuasion through the familiar genre of reviews. Students practice:

Forming and expressing opinions
Supporting claims with evidence
Considering audience needs and interests
Adapting tone and content for specific readers

The two versions offer different structural approaches:

V1 (Reset each round) encourages breadth of experience with different topics
V2 (Stick with one) develops depth of analysis on a single topic

Both versions emphasise the importance of evidence and audience awareness in persuasive writing.

Teaching tips

These introductory experiences work well as community builders. Consider ways to share student writing that help establish a supportive classroom environment.
While these might seem like simple tasks, they introduce crucial concepts that will recur throughout more complex experiences:
- Audience awareness
- Purpose-driven writing
- Evidence-based argumentation
- Revision and refinement
- Writing as a social act
The round structure in these experiences gradually increases complexity, helping students build confidence. Pay attention to how this scaffolding works—you might want to adapt it for other writing tasks.
These experiences provide excellent opportunities to discuss how writing changes based on context and purpose. Help students notice how their writing choices shift as audience and purpose change.
Consider collecting examples of successful student writing from these experiences. They can serve as models when you return to similar writing tasks in more complex contexts.

Use the "How Do I...?" experience with content-specific instructions (e.g., solving math problems, conducting science experiments)
Combine "Should I...?" with current topics in your subject area
Use "Who Are You?" responses to form writing groups or partnerships

Frakenstories & The Writer's Practice