| Body | This activity was designed for Novice and Intermediate Learners, but it is also appropriate as a scaffolding activity for Advanced learners who are new to fanfiction. The activity was inspired by the FanTALES Teacher Handbook, and a brief overview of approaching writing fanfiction with learners is available in the creating fanfiction video.
Learning Objectives:
Learners will be able to:
- Contribute 1-2 creative sentences (per turn) to a collaboratively written creative story
- Evaluate the quality of their emerging narratives
Mode(s): Interpretive, Presentational
Materials: source text, digital space for writing or paper, introduction to fanfiction video (optional)
Procedure:
- Provide learners with an overview of fanfiction, if necessary, by using the introduction to fanfiction video.
- Next, survey learners about their favorite narrative-based media (e.g. movies). If you need an idea of what questions to ask, check out the appendix of the FanTALES Teacher Handbook.
- Use the survey responses to select a source text for the class. You could pick one text for the whole class to use or a series of texts for different groups of learners.
- If the text is not already well-known by learners, make sure to take time to read it, watch it, or play it in class.
- After learners become familiar with the source text, ask that they work in groups of 4-5 people to collaboratively write their own fanfiction inspired by the source text. The type of fanfiction (e.g., prequels, sequels, and fix-it fiction) is up to you and your learners. Decide which type will be written before moving to Step 6.
- To begin, the first group member will write 1-2 sentences to start the story. The story then passes to the next group member, who will also add 1-2 sentences that build off what was already written. For a brief example, see the creating fanfiction video. This process repeats until all have had at least one turn.
- Learners will evaluate their story as a group.
- Learners will complete their story in the same format described in Step 6. You may choose to require that the story be completed in a set amount of time or in a certain number of turns.
- Ask learners to read their stories together. As a group, they should pick their favorite plot point and share it with the class.
Notes:
- Educators working in online contexts may use a variety of platforms to complete Pass the Story. Discussion boards, Padlet, Google Jamboard, or any other collaborative digital space for creation would work well.
- During Step 7, learners may need some guiding questions:
- What sentences were the most intriguing or interesting to read?
- What plot points were surprising?
- What’s still missing (e.g. the resolution to the conflict)?
- Are we staying true to the norms of our fanfiction? If not, is that a purposeful choice? Should we change our goals?
Reference:
The FanTALES Group. (2020). Teacher Handbook. FanTALES Project Publication, Leuven. Available from https://www.fantales.eu/download/1007/
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