The Whipping Boy
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This is the second page of
The Whipping Boy teaching resources.
If I Were a Knight
Helmet Shaped Creative Writing Set
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If I Were a Knight
Helmet Shaped Creative Writing Set
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This creative writing set includes final draft templates for students to write on that are in the shape of a knight's helmet. For this writing assignment, students pretend that they are a knight in medieval times.
I have included this knight's helmet creative writing set on my The Whipping Boy teaching resources page because it is an ideal resource to use with novels that have a castle, knight, or medieval theme in them. These helmet shaped templates would also work well with a Middle Ages social studies unit of study.
For students who are often reluctant about writing, I have found that my students enjoy this writing topic, especially when they get to complete their final drafts on templates that are shaped like a knight's helmet. They enjoy coloring and designing the front covers of their helmet booklets and the finished If I Were A Knight projects make a colorful bulletin board display.
This If I Was a Knight creative writing set of teaching resources includes:
- Teacher Directions
- Idea Web
- First Draft Worksheet
- Final Draft Helmet Template
- Helmet Cover Sheet Template
- 4 Helmet Cover Sheet Templates in Color
- Grading Rubric
- 5 Page Bulletin Board Banner
- 4 Helmet Bulletin Board Accent Pieces
There is a second set of these resources in this set that contain UK spelling and punctuation rules.
Below is a sample of the Teacher Directions page.
I have found that it is helpful for my students to start their creative writing assignments by beginning with an idea web. My students do not have to write in complete sentences in their idea webs, they are just concerned with mapping out the major elements of their story. By using an idea web, this also helps my students to break their stories into paragraphs. Below is a sample of the Idea Web worksheet that you will find in this If I Were a Knight creative writing lesson plan set. The idea webs are in the shape of a knight's shield.
For creative writing assignments, I believe that it is important for students to go through the writing process. This process begins with their idea webs and is completed when they publish their work on their final draft templates.For this reason, my students never begin their creative writing assignments by writing on their final draft templates, instead they write on first draft worksheets. Then, they edit and revise their work on their own, with a partner, or in individual writing conferences with me.
Below is an example of the first draft writing worksheet that is included in this If I Was a Knight creative writing set. The lines on this first draft worksheet match the lines and spaces on the final draft helmet templates. Depending on how long your students' stories are, they may need an second copy of this worksheet.
After students have edited and revised their first drafts, you should give them their final draft templates. This set of Knight's Helmets is designed to be a flip book that is stapled together at the top of the helmet. There is a cover sheet for students to color and design. The second sheet contains the same size and shaped template with writing lines. If your students have written long stories, they will need an additional copy of the template with the writing lines.
Both of these templates have thick border lines around them, so they are easy for the students to cut out their helmets themselves.
Below is a sample of the final draft helmet templates that you will find in this creative writing set.
As I am introducing this writing topic to my students, I like to begin by sharing my story with them. I model my idea web and then I read my story to my students. At the front of the classroom, I post examples of what the final draft templates look like. By providing a visual example at the very beginning, my students know what their creative writing assignments will look like when they have completed all of the steps in the writing process.I have included 4 different helmet cover sheets for you to use as visual examples to show your students so that you don't have to spend time coloring these helmets yourself.
This set includes a creative writing grading rubric. 
I believe that it is important for students to evaluate their own work, so my grading rubric contains both a student assessment and a teacher assessment component.
When the students grade their work, they color in the faces. When the teacher grades the work, the teacher circles the small numbers in each box beside the faces. I often find that my students are harsher on themselves than I am, and that the grade that I give them is higher than they have scored themselves.
Finally, I know that it takes teachers a lot of valuable time to assemble their bulletin board displays. Many teachers spend hours of time cutting out large display letters or making a banner on their own at home on their computer. This time is valuable and better spent on developing your classroom curriculum and grading papers, so I have designed a matching 5 page banner for your bulletin board display. In addition, I have included 4 helmet accent pieces to help you in decorating your bulletin board.
If you have access to a laminating machine, you can laminate your banner so that it is durable and you can use it year after year for bulletin board displays of these If I Were a Knight creative writing assignments.
I used these knight helmet creative writing templates with my students when we read The Knight at Dawn, a Magic Tree House novel. Below is a photograph of my students' finished projects. These templates are exactly the same size and shape as this creative writing set, but I changed the title inside the helmet's visor for this particular activity.
I hope that you have found some The Whipping Boy teaching resources on this page that have given you some new ideas for extension projects that you can use with your own students.
May 17, 2010 Update: I am currently working on adding
additional resources to this page, so please check back on this page
in the near future to see the new resources that I will be posting.
Thank you for visiting my The Whipping Boy teaching resources page.
I hope to see you back here at Unique Teaching Resources!
Heidi McDonald
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