The Disgusting Creative Writing Challenge is a free download from Teachers Pay Teachers. The assignment is geared toward students in middle in high school, particularly students who might get a kick out of an unusually gross writing assignment.
The assignment is in two parts. In the first part, students read and analyze two prepared pieces for their “disgustingness," noting words that evoke each of the five senses and marking phrases that are appealing. Students are then tasked with writing their own disgusting story.
A major benefit of this lesson is the opportunity it gives for students to analyze good creative writing. Having two separate essays to demonstrate the assignment will be an effective way of teaching students about how to incorporate all five senses into their writing. Disgust is a strongly felt, easily recognized emotional response, so students will be able analyze the introductory pieces effectively and should then be able to develop more strength in their own writing.
This particular assignment is a little bit unconventional, what with the disgustingness and all, but it also has a lot of merit without major drawbacks. The “disgusting" topics are about a particularly hard hit during a football game that leads to a disjointed shoulder and a surprise element in a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Neither of these topics is something that parents are likely to find objectionable, and students may find the novelty of the essays to be more engaging than the average literary analysis.
You can download your own copy of the Disgusting Creative Writing Challenge here.
You may also enjoy the following TeachersPayTeachers products:
- Second Grade Writing Prompts for Seasons
- Fourth Grade Writing Prompts for Holidays
- The Writing Prompts Workbook: Grades 3-4
- Fifth Grade Writing Prompts for Holidays
- 50 Writing Prompts for Homeschoolers (free)
If you’re interested in opening your own TeachersPayTeachers shop, click here to find out more.
Done with this review? Go back to Teachers Pay Teachers.
Use the above prompts or article as inspiration to write a story or other short piece.
