Box of random fun

Today I had a pleasure to read several articles, like this one, for example, that suggests running a Box of Random Fun in your classroom, which is a splendid idea.


As for other ideas that I gleaned today:

1) One-word-inspired essay. As it occurs, at All Saints' College in Oxford used to have a one word entrance exam. All students would turn their exam papers at the same time and see some word. Only one. For example, innocence or tenderness or friendship. So they had then some limited amount of time to write an essay inspired only by that word.

2) Role-writing. When setting up a wiritng (or speaking activity) you can inspire and spur your students by assigning them some special role. That is, you give the same essay topic to everybody but they all have different perspectives to discuss this toipc from. It is better and more vivid to use some realia while doing this activity - that is to use hats or maybe some other attributes. There is a whole 6 thinking hats method developed by Edward de Bono, by the way. You can use it or assign your own roles: e.g., green hat is for writing from a point of view of a nature-lover, white hat is for writing from a highly moral person and so on.