Student Collaboration
Using Google Docs for Writing Roulette
Short Stories and Little Miss Muffet
The structure of a short story can be understood more clearly by connecting it to Little Miss Muffet.
- 1st Character- Little Miss Muffet
- Setting- sat on a tuffet
- Action- Eating her curds and whey
- 2nd Character- Along came a spider
- Conflict- Who sat down beside her
- Resolution- And frightened Miss Muffet away
Writing Roulette
In the traditional Writing Roulette, each story travels between the members of the group. In my classroom I always warned the students to avoid items that would cause problems (e.g., murder, violence of any kind, time travel, foul language, and fantasy elements like magic).
- Each person in the group starts by writing a description of the first character. Each person writes for 1 minute. (A timer is recommended).
- After the timer rings, each person hands their story to the person next to them. This time the timer is set for 3 minutes. This gives the second person time to read what the first person wrote and then to write a setting that goes with the character. This person can add detail to the character and details about the setting, but they should not add anything else. Note: If you have struggling readers, you can always add time to each section to give them time to read what others have written.
- After the timer rings, each person hands their story to the person next to them. This time the timer is set for 5 minutes. This gives the third person time to read what the first two people wrote and then to add action to the story. What is the first character doing in the setting that has been created?
- After the timer rings, each person hands their story to the person next to them. This time the timer is set for 7 minutes. This gives the fourth person time to read what the first three people wrote and then to add a second character. This person can add detail to anything that has already happened; however they should avoid writing about any conflict between the two characters.
- After the timer rings, each person hands their story to the person next to them. This time the timer is set for 9 minutes. This gives the fifth person time to read what the first four people wrote and then to add a conflict between the two characters. This person can add detail to anything that has already happened; however they should avoid resolving the conflict between the two characters.
- After the timer rings, each person hands their story to the person next to them. This time the timer is set for 11 minutes. This gives the sixth person time to read what the first five people wrote and then to add a resolution of the conflict between the two characters. This person can add detail to anything that has already happened; however their main object should be in solving the conflict and resolving the story.
Obviously you may need to adjust the times of each section to respect the needs of your students. Consider the times listed above as suggestions.
In my classroom, the day after the roulette writing, the story would be returned to the original author. It is always interesting for the original author to find out what happened to the character they created. It is up to this person to connect the various elements and see what needs to be added to make the story flow in a logical way.
Let's Use Google Docs to Digitize This Lesson!
Did You Know the WPA Used a Modified Little Miss Muffet?
According to Wikipedia, The WPA created a poster in 1940 to promote children's reading. Their version of the famous rhyme did not end with Miss Muffet running away.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Muffet
It would be interesting for students to see that the same two characters in the same setting can be written into a very different story.
Other Writing Roulette Resources
H.E.A.T. Framework Analysis
H.E.A.T. Framework
- H- Level 6: Student learning/questioning at Evaluating/Creating levels
- E- Level 4: Students collaborate to solve a teacher-directed problem with possible options
- A- Level 4: The learning experience focuses on students exploring/discussing real-world content connections
- T- Level 4: Students use teacher-directed digital and/or environmental resources to accomplish learning outcomes