Writing Myths Lesson Plans: Are you looking for a creative writing idea that involves your students writing a myth or legend?
This creative writing set includes final draft templates for students to write on that are in the shape of a knight's sword.
My students have enjoyed the challenge of writing their own myth, but when I combined this activity with these sword writing templates, they became even more engaged and excited about this creative writing assignment.
These sword templates are also an ideal resource to use along with novels that have a castle, knight, or medieval theme in them. These sword shaped templates would also work well with a Middle Ages social studies unit of study.
For students who are often reluctant about writing stories, I have found that my students enjoyed this writing topic, especially when they get to complete the final drafts of their myths or legends on templates that are shaped like a knight's sword. They enjoy coloring and designing their swords and the finished Legendary Story Swords make a colorful bulletin board display.
This Writing Myths Lesson Plans is a complete set of teaching resources that will guide your students into writing their own myth or legend.
This set of teaching resources includes:
Introducing Writing Myths and Legends Display Set (a 20 page teaching resource and display set)
Teacher Directions
Assembling Directions
Idea Swords (Idea Web)
First Draft Writing Worksheets
Final Draft Sword Templates (4)
2 Final Draft Color Sword Templates
Grading Rubric
5 Page Bulletin Board Banner
10 Helmet Bulletin Board Accent Pieces
There is a second set of these resources in this set that contain UK spelling and punctuation rules.
Introducing Writing Myths and Legends Display Set Use this resource display set to introduce writing myths to your students.
This Writing Myths lesson plans display set includes 20 pages of printable resources (5 myth display swords) that will help you introduce writing myths to your students.
You can display these writing prompt swords at the front of your classroom or make a bulletin board display using these sword displays.
There are 5 sets of display swords for you to use in introducing each aspect of a myth that you want your students to think about as they are writing their own myth.
These 5 display swords are the same size and shape as the student templates and each sword measures 31 inches in length and 9 inches in width.
Sword Display 1: Setting:
When does the story take place?
Where does the story take place?
How will your setting capture the reader's interest?
How will the setting help you set the mood for your story?
Below are smaller examples of the other 4 myth swords that are included in this Writing Myths Lesson Plans resource set.
Sword Display 2: Characters:
What is the character's name?
What does the character look like?
What does the character act like?
What are your character's strengths and weaknesses?
What special strengths or abilities does the character have?
What challenge will the character have to face?
Sword Display 3: Mythical Beast:
What will you call the beast in your story?
What will the beast look like?
What will the beast act like?
What powers will the beast have?
Where does the beast live?
What makes this beast unusual?
Sword Display 4: Story Climax:
How does the hero/heroine find the beast?
What happens when the hero/heroine finds the beast?
Describe the conflict between the beast and the hero/heroine.
Does the hero/heroine have any special help in solving the problem?
Is the climax the most exciting part of your story?
Sword Display 5: Ending:
Who wins the struggle?
How was the problem solved?
What happened to the hero/heroine?
Does the hero/heroine receive a reward?
Above is a display of these 5 Myth Display Swords that introduce the writing components that students should use in writing their own myths.
The other components included in this set of teaching resources include:
There is a set of directions and ideas for teachers to use in this Writing Myths lesson plans set. Below is a sample of the Teacher Directions page.
There is an assembling directions sheet for you to give your students on how to assemble these sword templates. There are also directions provided on each of the pages of the individual templates. Below is a sample of the Assembling 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 Swords worksheet that you will find in this Writing Myths lesson plans set. The idea webs are in the shape of a knight's sword.
I have provided writing prompts and ideas inside each of the four swords to help guide students in planning their setting, main character, mythical beast, climax, and ending of their story. These are the same prompts that are in the large display set. You will see an example of this in the first worksheet. If you do not want to use the writing prompts that I used, there is a second version of this worksheet with blank idea swords.
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 students 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 worksheets that are included in this Writing Myths lesson plans set. The lines on these 2 first draft worksheets match the lines and spaces on the final draft sword templates.
After students have edited and revised their first drafts, you should give them their final draft sword templates.
This set of Legendary Story Swords includes 4 sets of worksheet templates that are glued together to form a large medieval sword.
The sword project measures 31 inches in length and 9 inches in width.
These 4 templates have thick border lines around them, so they are easy for the students to cut and assemble their swords themselves.
Below is a sample of the final draft sword templates that you will find in this Writing Myths lesson plans set.
As I am introducing this writing topic to my students, I like to begin by sharing my myth with my students. I model my idea web and then I read my myth to my students. At the front of the classroom, I post examples of what the final draft sword templates look like. By providing a visual example at the very beginning, my students know what their myth creative writing assignments will look like when they have completed all of the steps in the writing process.
I have included 2 different colored sword templates for you to use as visual examples to show your students so that you don't have to spend time coloring these swords 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.
There are two grading rubrics in this set to choose from. The first one contains wording similar to the words inside the sword idea webs. The second grading rubric contains wording that is generic and would fit any creative writing assignment.
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.
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 Legendary Stories creative writing assignments.
In addition, this Writing Myths lesson plans set includes 10 helmet accent pieces to help you in decorating your bulletin board.
Below is a photograph of these finished myth sword projects.
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On this page, you can view a list of the other large creative writing template sets that are available on Unique Teaching Resources.
Thank you for visiting my Writing Myths Lesson Plans page. I hope that you have found some fun creative writing ideas to use with your elementary school students.
Please be sure to check out the other pages on my website for a large variety of other teaching resources that will engage your students in learning and save you valuable time.
Sincerely, Heidi McDonald
Creator and Site Manager Unique Teaching Resources
Writing Myths Lesson Plans: Are you looking for a creative writing idea that involves your students writing a myth or legend? 
