Summary: Students create a long narrative story with multiple characters and plot points in the form of a personal journal.
Target grades: 6th and above.
Minimum time needed: Ten days – two weeks. Each diary entry is a separate assignment.
Materials: writing materials
Connection to Bullying: Exploring different points of view, exploring personal choices and cause and effects
Instructions:
Each student creates a fictional character whose story they will be telling. This character should be very different from the student. Brainstorming could be done as a class.
Some examples:
Diary of the Biggest Eighth Grade Loser Ever
Diary of the Class Clown
Diary of the Little Sister
Diary of ___, Superstar Soccer Champion
Diary of Cool
Diary of ______, Future President of the United States
Students will write 10 entries in the diary from the point of view of their character. These entries can span 10 consecutive days or a school year (not longer). Entries are connected – the characters live in a particular world with recurring characters. Events that happen on one day should have repercussions on the next. Each entry gets a prompt. Here are some examples:
Entry 1. “I’m starting this diary because ….”
Entry 2. “Today, everything that could have, went wrong…”
Entry 3. “I met someone new today who…”
Entry 4. “I’ve never told anyone this but…”
Entry 5. “If I can make this happen, everything will change.”
Entry 6. “I thought it was this, but it was really that…”
Entry 7. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and I have to do it.”
Entry 8. “If I fail…”
Entry 9. “Today is the day…”
Entry 10. “From here, everything changes.”
