Programs: Mark Twain Today: Resources: Stories On The Spot

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This activity works best with students in Grades 3 through 8.

Students will use the writing process, as did Mark Twain, to create stories using a given set of objects. This lesson can be supplemented with mini lessons on sentence types, parts of speech, capitalization, punctuation, writing compound/complex sentences, how to avoid fragments and run-on sentences and the use of transition words.

Background Information: When Mark Twain lived in Hartford, Connecticut, with his wife, Olivia, and their young daughters, he liked to spend evenings sitting in a cozy chair next to the fireplace. On the mantel were several objects that the little girls loved to rearrange. They'd beg their father to tell them stories using the myriad objects.

Most evenings before their bedtime, Mr. Twain would create a story using the objects. The girls insisted that he mention each object in the order in which it appeared on the mantel and they'd change the arrangement of the objects each evening. This was a challenge, even for a well-known author like Mark Twain.

Invite your students to try this activity and then share their stories with their classmates.

Materials: Teacher provides small items of the sort Mark Twain could have had on his mantel. Suggested items are sea shells, an old framed photo, trinkets and souvenirs from travels, figurines, a small book of poetry.

Students will need paper and pencil. If you are doing this as a whole-class activity, you'll need a chalk/whiteboard or chart/butcher paper.

Activity: This activity can be done as an individual writing assignment for older students or as a small or large group activity.

Generate interest in the activity by sharing each item with the class and tell them how you acquired it or the story behind it.

Next tell students the story of how Twain shared impromptu stories with his children. It wasn't an easy task. Ask what skills students think they'll need to create a story using the objects on the "mantel" you've created.

Some of their answers might be: sentence writing, creativity, sense of humor, cooperation, perseverance, patience, effort, organization, curiosity, common sense.

If students are working in groups, have each student write a beginning sentence, share in groups and choose the best opening sentence from the group. One from each group will be shared with the class so the class can vote on the one they want to use to write a group story. Or, students can work in small groups, choose the best opening sentence in their group. Older students can choose their own opening sentences and write individual stories.

Assign students to think about how to tie all the objects together to create a story, remembering that Twain had to introduce each object in the order in which it appeared on the mantel.

If you are doing this as a whole-class activity, hold up the first object and ask for suggestions, statements that would make a story, keeping in mind that all objects must be tied together in the end. Once your group has settled on a statement or two about the first object and you've written it on the board or on a large sheet of butcher paper, hold up the second object and ask for suggestions. This continues until all objects are included in the story.

Usually the story is not finished. If this happens, assign students to copy and finish the story for homework or to write an ending during their writing workshop or other study time.

This writing activity can be followed up with an editing session and if students have written their own endings, they will probably want to share those personal pieces with the group.

Stories can be put together in a booklet to keep in the classroom or library for students to read.

If you use this activity, please let us know. We'd like to publish some of your students' creations on this website.

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