Using the Pandemic as a Catalyst for Writing Projects

How Our Current Circumstance can Create Purpose for Writing

Take a moment to think about the hard times you have faced in your life. Loss, heartbreak, social isolation...a pandemic. In these tough moments, how did you cope? Did you call a loved one to share your circumstance? Did you meet a friend over drinks to vent? Did you scour the internet to find others that have gone through a similar experience? Did you write?

No matter how you have dealt with these tough experiences, I am guessing that at some point you reached out to someone, something, for reassurance. You reached out to be able to share with others that would listen. Or if you are lucky enough, you were able to connect with someone that has experienced something similar before. 

The desire we have to share and connect with others is no different for our students. They want the opportunity to share, to look for reassurance, to connect with others. And lucky for us as teachers, we can teach into the perfect medium to help our kids do just that...writing. 

I have been thinking of a few ways that we can get kids to share their thoughts and feelings as they journey through this unique and unprecedented time; ways that are not too daunting, but hopefully will provide that avenue that we all need. 

Reporting 

Kids are curious by nature. They want to know more about what, why, and how things are happening in their lives. Capitalize on this curiosity by launching a special news writing project. Have your students:

• Think about questions to ask (brainstorm these with your kids)
• Interview people in their homes or by phone or email
• Write down the information learned
• Create a news report centered around findings such as
• Answers to a single question
• Answers to a variety of questions
• Photographs or videos that capture what they are finding

Most importantly, make sure you students have an audience that they can share their report with. Audience is a key element of a successful writing project!

A Class Book

Nothing creates community like a project that each member of the class has worked on together. Create this feeling of togetherness by writing a class book. In these times, the books we write will provide a window into what our lives were like during the Covid-19 pandemic (a historical event, I am sure). One idea might be to create a story about how our lives in the pandemic have changed. Each page of the book would be written by a different student and might start with a repeating line such as, "In this pandemic...". Have your students:

• Think about how life has changed since we have faced this pandemic (brainstorm these ideas with your kids)
• What did you do before that you can't do now?
• What did you do before but it looks different now?
• How are you different than you were before?
• Write down ideas that you could write about
• Pick one and begin telling more
• Make a statement about your idea 
• Add a description that shows your audience what that is like for you
• Remember to add your thoughts and feelings
• Add a picture to match what you wrote about. This could be:
• an illustration
• a photograph
• anything else that you believe captures your idea

As a teacher, you will want to provide a model of this work. An example might be:

In this pandemic, I teach online. My classroom sits empty. My students are far away. I miss their physical presence. Our lessons are on Zoom or in writing. I wish I could have them gathered before me like we were last month. 

Or

In this pandemic, I grocery shop with a mask on. A guard tells me when I can enter the store. I have to keep a six-foot distance from other shoppers. I feel nervous doing a job that I never thought twice about before. 

But know that as a teacher and writing community, you can make this book look like anything you would like. Use it as a reason to build community and document our times.

A Story in Photos or Video

Storytelling is not always done through written text. Stories can be shared through a series of pictures or a video. Ask your kids to capture their "new lives" in a visual way. Have your students:

• Think about how life has changed since we have faced this pandemic (brainstorm these ideas with your kids)
• What did you do before that you can't do now?
• What did you do before but it looks different now?
• How are you different than you were before?
• Write down ideas that they would like to visually create a story with
• Pick one and begin capturing that idea in photographs or video

Be sure to share an example and talk through your process before giving this assignment. Encourage students to think about the elements of writing that they know- especially how a piece is structured.

Using something as monumental as this pandemic to spur writing can be a powerful thing. Hopefully one of these ideas feels like a good fit for you and your class or has inspired you in a whole new direction.
If you have any other ideas related to this post, I would love to hear them!