Teaching with Frankenstories

What can you do with Frankenstories?

Frankenstories is an online, multiplayer writing game that you can use in class to:

  • Build interest and enthusiasm in writing
  • Practice skills in narrative & persuasive writing
  • Develop creativity & collaboration

You can write narratives...

Screenshot Sinister Occurrences at the Mannequin Hospital Frankenstories
A narrative game (Source)

Or arguments...

Screenshot Buff Pikachu Pauses Warmongering Frankenstories
An argument game (Source)

Practice sentence mechanics...

Screenshot Signs of the Times Frankenstories
A game focusing on pointers in noun groups (Source)

Engage with texts...

Screenshot Annemarie's Last Story Frankenstories
A game that engages imaginatively with a text (Source)

And much more—it's really only limited by your imagination!

Setting up a game about mitochondrion
Creating a custom science writing game

Frankenstories is a fun, flexible, collaborative writing tool.

You can use it in any subject—English, history, languages, art, science, anything.

And it'll work for any age group, provided players have basic literacy and typing skills (though a teacher could take dictation from younger players).

The challenge is knowing how to use it

That's what this guide is about.

Franky Classroom Teacher pointing 500px

The two tools complement each other:

  • Writelike is great for sentence and paragraph-level skills, genre conventions, style and voice.
  • Frankenstories is great for structural skills, fluency, creativity, flexibility, and collaboration.

They share the same account system:

  • If you create a Writelike/Frankenstories account, you can log into both sites.
  • If you create a class in Frankenstories, it will also appear in Writelike (and vice versa).

So you can use one or the other, or both, it's up to you.

Some possible approaches

  • Start in Frankenstories to build engagement and enthusiasm. Begin with open-ended games, then move to scaffolded skill prompts, and then, as students develop interest and stamina, incorporate Writelike lessons to deepen their skills.
  • Alternatively, you could start in Writelike to build foundational skills and use Frankenstories as a way for consolidation, reward, and practice with writing for an audience.
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