Images

• Gather as many striking, or interesting photographs and images as you can. These photographs should be collected from various magazines, newspapers and whatever else you can get your hands on. It is advised that you gather more photos than twice the amount of students that are taking part in your class. Bring them into the classroom and put them on display for the students to see. Ask each student to pick a photo that really captures her attention, an image that moves her or speaks to her in some way. Each student should be assigned the task of writing a narrative story in 30 minutes, based on her photograph. Tell students to write about the possible background of the image, the story of the image and further details pertaining to the photograph.
  
  

Prompts

• Ask your students to form a circle around the classroom, or ask them to separate into groups and form smaller circles depending on the class size. Each circle should be given a prompt with which to work. The prompt might be "A man and a woman are walking in the park." Once the prompt has been decided, each member of the circle should be assigned one minute to add to the story. The prompt is handed around each member, until everybody has had a go. By the time they have finished, they should be left with an encapsulating narrative. Gather each narrative in, assess it, and reward the group that has produced the most interesting situation.
  
  

Lyrics

• Listen to "The Times They Are-A-Changing" by Bob Dylan. Hand out a sheet with the lyrics of the song to each member of your class. The song relates to the Civil Rights Movement in America in the 1960s. The themes of the song are change, discrimination and revolution. Ask each student to go home and collect a number of different photographs depicting discrimination, or some form of major change in history. Tell the students to bring the photographs into class the next day and write a story, intertwining the different images. Give them an hour each to come up with the best narrative they can.
  
  

Characters

• Ask each student to pick out a character in his head. This character does not have to be imagined. A real-life character works just as well. Ask the students to close their eyes and build up a clear image of the character. They should think about what the character might be wearing, the color of his hair, his size, weight and movements. Give every student five minutes to visualize this character. Ask the students to imagine what this person might do with a single day. Ask your students to write down a day in the life of their own characters, in whatever situation they wish. Give them an hour to write this down on paper.