Writing in Role





I love using writing in role with my students, it is good for all of them and always fun for me to read. There are several ways you can do writing in role, and I feel like I've tried them all. I've asked students to write a letter home telling their parents what it's like in a situation. I've asked students to write short pieces talking about a specific event from the text and how there character feels about it. I've asked students to write as a character who is a part of the story but not actually a part of the plot (i.e. a Nazi in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak).

When students write in role, they are doing more than just writing something on a piece of paper. They are making inferences, they are testing their comprehension of a story, they are exploring characterization, and sometimes they are identifying themes and nuances within the story. Their writing shows you how well they are actually understanding the text.

Below are a few examples from students past and present. Not all of the writers are strong writers, but each was able to achieve the goal of writing in role.

The first two are from reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding with a sophomore class. The students were asked to write as a character from the novel and explain how that character feels about life on the island.

 

The next example is from a senior class several years ago that had read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This writer had always had a wonderful imagination, but had often struggled with the conventions of writing. In this piece, she speaks as each of the three primary characters in the novel.

You'll see that none of the pieces is perfect, that is not the point of writing in role. The goal of writing in role is to help students explore a text and share their ideas about it. The goal is also to give you the chance to really see how well they are understanding the text.

Writing in role is one of my favorite writing assignments to do with students and can be done with ANY text.

As we near the end of the semester and the testing season (at least in Texas), I recommend you try some writing in role with your students. I can almost guarantee you will have high engagement from them!

For more information or ideas, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Channeling-Ms-Frizzle