Here are three writing examples. If you have examples yourself please mail them so that we can publish it on the website.
Examples of writing exercises
Here are some short writing exercises that you could use during your workshop on the 3rd of May. You can change and adjust the exercises to your class and program.
1. One poem made together
Time: 15 min.
Aim: to together write one poem (perhaps about freedom of speech). This is a good exercise to start with, so the participants can get into the writing and set their creativity free.
Preparation: white paper sheets and pens
Exercise: The participants should sit in a circle around a table. Not more than fifteen participants around one table are recommendable. Everyone gets one paper. You tell them to make up a title of a poem and write it on top of the page. You could suggest a theme, like freedom of speech, or leave it open. Then they should fold the paper under what they wrote and pass in on to the person on their right. This person writes the first line of the poem (without knowing the title) and folds her/his paper again. On the visible part of the paper the same person writes the last word that she/he has written and passes it on to her/his neighbor on the right. The next person should write a short line that rimes with this word and afterwards fold the paper. Then you repeat the last steps until you think the poem is long enough (around 8 lines). Finish the exercise with letting the participants read the poems out loud.
2. Reaction on an article
Time: 55 min. (10 min. explanation time; 10 min. to choose an article; 5 min. to read the article; 20 min. to write; 10 min. to read out loud)
Aim: To form and express your own opinion about current news in connection to freedom of speech. These readers' letters can then be sent into the newspaper.
Preparation: Collect interesting articles from newspapers about the topic and copy them.
You also can take an look on the following websites to find good articles: www.zmag.org ; www.bbcworld.com ; www.iht.org ; www.washingtonpost.com
Exercise: Everyone can choose one article that they like or that provokes them. Then they will write a readers letter/letter to the press to react on the article.
They could use the following approaches:
Formal What do they think about this article; let them explain their opinion with arguments.
Creative If the article is about a problem, how would they solve it?
Personal Why did they choose this article, do they recognize the matter, how does this connect to their own lives?
Topic How important is freedom of speech and why? What happens if we don't have this right any more and how can we get this freedom everywhere?
How and when do you use freedom of speech? How far may you go with this right (linking to freedom of press)? What is the border between freedom of speech and insulting other people? (Here the Danish Mohammed cartoons can be used as aexample). How can you use your freedom of speech or other creative ways to spread your ideas?
3. Use your freedom of speech
Time: 30 min.
Aim: to write their own article
Preparation: white paper sheets and pens. Choose a warming-up and prepare this.
Exercise: Tell the participants they have the opportunity that their article could be published in a book about freedom of speech, so now they should use their freedom of speech. It's not about what freedom of speech is, but that they get the possibility to use it. They can write about anything they want to share. Maybe things they hate, like or things they never get the chance to talk about. You also can encourage them to make a drawing, cartoon or what they want; they have the chance to use their freedom of expression. To make it easier to start you can use an article, cartoon, movie, discussion, game or mind map as a warming-up about the topic. Or you can ask them to describe their ideal society.
Loesje
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