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51 Thinking Creatively

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451
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Write on Course 20-20

Thinking Creatively Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

Display the “Think About It” quotation. Ask students to brainstorm ways that a conflict of ideas produces creativity. What are some examples that demonstrate Versace's point?

Point out that Versace, a fashion designer, reveals this idea in her clothing designs, which use colors and shapes that seem out of place on their own but when combined produce unexpected beauty. Tell students that this chapter provides strategies for sparking creativity through a conflict of ideas. 

Think About It

“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.”

—Donatella Versace

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.10

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.6.W.4.10

LAFS.7.W.4.10

LAFS.8.W.4.10

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.22.b.10

110.22.b.11

110.22.b.12

110.23.b.10

110.23.b.11

110.24.b.10

110.24.b.11

110.24.b.12

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 452 from Write on Course 20-20

Becoming a Creative Thinker

Have everyone stand and take a deep breath. Ask students what it feels like physically to inhale. After a number of them have responded, ask them to inhale deeply again. Then challenge them to find similarities between breathing in and thinking creatively. Here are some possible observations:

  • Both feel refreshing.
  • Both bring in fuel (oxygen and ideas) that you didn't have inside you before.
  • Breathing expands your lungs, and creative thinking expands your mind.

Point out that the word inspire means to trigger creative thought but also to breathe in. Ask students why that one word would mean both things. (The root spir means both "breath" and "spirit.")

After students sit down, ask volunteers to read each of the tips for “Becoming a Creative Thinker.” Ask students to share examples of things they have done in the past to inspire their creativity. 

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Creative Writing
21st Century Skills:
Creative Thinking

Page 453 from Write on Course 20-20

Using Creative Thinking

Review the eight strategies that Peter Elbow suggests for thinking creatively. The first four strategies appear on this page, with the rest on the next. Have students practice one or more of the strategies based on something they are reading or writing in class. The related minilessons share additional ways to write and think creatively. 

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.4.10
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10, 110.22.b.11, 110.22.b.12
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.1.g, LA 6.2.2

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
Fictionalized Journal EntryJournalStoryPoem
21st Century Skills:
Creative Thinking
English Language Arts:
Writing

Page 454 from Write on Course 20-20

Using Creative Thinking (Continued)

Lead students through four other ways to trigger creative thinking: explaining, experimenting, exploring, and asking. Use the related minilessons from this page and the last to help students practice creative thinking.

Use this creative thinking activity to help students experiment with similes and personification: 

  1. Ask a simile question about a topic you are interested in or are learning about in school. Use the following formula. Then answer the question in as many ways as you can. 

How is ____(my topic)____ like _____ (something else)______?

  1. Ask a personification question about the same topic, using one of the formulas. Then answer the question in as many ways as you can.

How is ___(my topic)____ like _____ (person)______?

Who is ___(your topic)____ like and why? 


​

Downloads:
Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.4.10
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10, 110.22.b.11, 110.22.b.12
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.1.g, LA 6.2.2

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Creative Writing
Form:
StoryPoemFictionalized Journal EntryJournal
21st Century Skills:
Creative Thinking
English Language Arts:
Precise WordsWriting

Page 455 from Write on Course 20-20

Asking Creative Questions

Have a different volunteer read each category of creative questions. After each category, ask students to brainstorm additional examples of questions for that category. Complete the brainstorming exercises in small groups or as a class. 

Related Minilesson:

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Creative Writing
21st Century Skills:
Creative ThinkingCreatingQuestioning

Page 456 from Write on Course 20-20

Checking Your Creative Thinking

Have students use the creative-thinking checklist to evaluate their thinking. Afterward, challenge them to suggest specific strategies they could use to improve their creative thinking.

Downloads:

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
21st Century Skills:
Creative Thinking