Case Study: Using The 100 Word Challenge To Foster A Love of Storytelling
Trystan Russell, ICT Co-ordinator and 5th Class Teacher at St. Stephen’s De La Salle primary school for boys in Waterford, Ireland, recalls how adopting the 100 Word Challenge as part of his weekly class routine inspired some of his pupils to become aspiring George Lucases… When did you first begin using the 100 Word Challenge […]
Trystan Russell, ICT Co-ordinator and 5th Class Teacher at St. Stephen’s De La Salle primary school for boys in Waterford, Ireland, recalls how adopting the 100 Word Challenge as part of his weekly class routine inspired some of his pupils to become aspiring George Lucases…
When did you first begin using the 100 Word Challenge in your English teaching? I started using the 100 Word Challenge in September last year. I’d seen many tweets and compliments about it from other classes on Twitter, but always felt it was maybe a bit much to take on. But with the move to 5th Class, I decided to give it a go.
What form do your 100 Word Challenge tasks and activities take? The tasks are weekly. It’s just my class involved here at St. Stephen’s De La Salle, but I’d hope that with the huge success it’s been, others might consider taking it on. It is a big commitment, but I’ve found it to be very worthwhile.
It’s very simple – Julia [Skinner, deviser of the 100 Word Challenge] releases the prompt for the week on a Sunday evening, and the participants then have until the following Friday to get their entries in. It can be a word prompt, such as “…it was too high…”, which has to be included in the 100 words that the pupils write, or it could be a picture. Julia posts two or three questions to help think about the prompt, but everything after that is down to individual classes and teachers.
In my class, it’s generally a mixture of being completed at home or in class, as not all the pupils have access to computers, tablets and so forth at home. It began being 100% in class, but has since evolved to being perhaps 70% done at home early in the week. The boys love to get comments on their writing, and they know that the earlier that their submission is in, the more comments they can receive!
Where did the idea for the Wall come from, and how do you go about choosing which pieces of writing are featured? We’ve had two 100 Word Challenge Showcase Winners, but there’s some natural disappointment among those in the class who haven’t made the Showcase. The Wall was inspired by an Mrs. Boyce’s 5th and 6th Class in Kanturk, Co. Cork, and her ‘Gems of the Week‘ approach to choosing and highlighting well-written stories. I decided to do something similar and now have a ‘class showcase’ of sorts each week. That way, every member of the class will be featured on a showcase at some stage.
To choose, I look at how the prompt was used, for use of vocabulary that we may have brainstormed for that week’s prompt, for originality – and I look for effort. A story that might appear to be ‘average’ in the eyes of some, might have taken a huge effort from that pupil. It’s good to encourage effort, but also to show that there is an audience for writing, that it’s not just some boring written work confined to the classroom that never sees the light of day for another’s eyes.
What impact has your use of the 100 Word Challenge had on your pupils’ English engagement and performance so far? I’ve found an increased range of vocabulary being used in writing, which in turn is spilling over to oral work, as well more planning and thought being put into stories. It can be a challenge keeping things to 100 words, as the boys often want to write more.
Some of them have begun to plan out story arcs, twisting the prompt for use in their overall story. Much as George Lucas did with his original six Star Wars movies, they tell part of a story, while also acting as a self-contained story too.
Every Monday, the first things I hear now are “Did you read my 100 Word Challenge?” or “What is this week’s prompt, and when can we write about it?”
You can find more information about the 100 Word Challenge at 100wc.net or by following @100word; you can follow Mr Russell’s Class at @MrRussellsClass
Have you successfully used a particular initiative or service in your classes? Want to share your experiences with others? If so, email callum@teachwire.net or message us via @teachwire
