Posts Tagged ‘writing assignment’

Homeschooling Reluctant Writers #1: Message in a Bottle

Friday, January 4th, 2013

Homeschooling Reluctant Writers
(A series of 10 fun writing assignments given by a pirate)

Aaaaarggh! This is Dread Pirate Susan Evans, here to give you some tips on homeschooling reluctant writers.

Writing Idea #1: Message in a Bottle

  • First get yourself a fort or something similar, where you can stand up on it.
  • Next, you write a message on a sheet of paper, roll it up, and put it into a bottle. The bottle should be a plastic bottle and not glass, so that when you throw it overboard, it doesn’t crack on someone’s head and shatter glass everywhere.
  • Unbeknownst to you, someone will then find it after it’s been splashed in the water. “Please get me out of this ship. I’m in chains, and a mutiny is happening. Yours truly, Captain Bradwell.”

So you see, you can even throw it off a bunk bed or any other high place and get the same effect. Just make sure you don’t bonk someone on the head as they’re passing by.

Here is another example of a pirate letter Message in a Bottle. It says: “Jimmy, nice try! We won’t give up! We will take the treasure if it’s the last thing we do! …”

This is Dread Pirate Susan Evans, signing off. Aaaaaarrrrggh!

homeschooling-reluctant-writersCalling all homeschooled kids! I dare you to make a video response to this pirate video on YouTube:

  • Write a full one-page message in a bottle.
  • Dress up as a pirate.
  • Read your message in a bottle into a video camera and upload it to YouTube.
  • Come back here and comment under this blog post, including the link to your video, and I will go watch it and comment!
  • After watching it, I will embed it right here on this page!

Romeo and Juliet Poem for Kids

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

romeo-and-juliet-poem-for-kids

I assigned my children to write a summary of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. My 12-year-old son Bryan asked if he could write it as a poem. I said, “Sure.” The result was a beautiful Romeo and Juliet poem for kids:

I will tell you a tragic love story;
Two families were in a fight.
The Montagues and the Capulets
Couldn’t stand each other’s sight.

Romeo of the Montagues
Arrived at a Capulet ball.
He fell in love with Juliet,
And later he climbed her wall.

To Juliet’s window he loudly proclaimed,
“What light through yonder window breaks?
Let us go to Friar Lawrence’s cell
To be married for both of our sakes!”

The next day they secretly married.
Tybalt killed an innocent man.
Romeo revenged him by killing Tybalt
And was banished, so off he ran.

Juliet’s father told her, “Marry Paris.”
But sadly, she was already wed.
She ran to Friar Lawrence who said,
“Drink this potion and go to bed.”

Presuming that Juliet was dead,
Her family buried her with sorrow deep.
Romeo never got the message
That Juliet was only asleep.

So he entered Juliet’s tomb,
And his life he brought to an end.
Juliet woke up and killed herself,
And their families did finally amend.

Related product: Romeo and Juliet Unit Study

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