COLLABORATIVE WRITING PROJECT TOPICS
I.
Topical Issues - Scenarios and Role Playing: Students select a current political
or social issue, designate roles or parts, and then write and perform the script.
II.
The Mock Trial - Students designate a legal situation and then script roles for the
lawyers, judge and jury, and involved parties (group members play the key roles;
other class members can serve as supporting or 'simply present' characters).
This particular project has versatile appeal to students and strong correlation to both
writing process and persuasion: the roles played and the thinking processes
involved parallel formal persuasion nicely; the lawyer (writer) presents evidence
(writing content) which supports a verdict (thesis/main idea) which he or she hopes the
judge and jury (audience) will agree with.
III.
The Computer Guide - Students visit HCCS computer labs and access a variety
of programs, acquire a basic working knowledge, and then write an introductory
manual or guide for beginners (multimedia applications including audio/visuals may
certainly be a part of the guide for the presentation)
IV.
Career Survey - Students gather data from numerous sources (library, professional
and trade journals, interviews with individuals in the field, and so forth) to determine and
write a profile of real life contexts for a particular profession or field. This project may
be of particular interest where all the members of the group share a common career
objective (medical arts, legal or law enforcement, business management, entertainment
and arts, and so forth).
VI.
Writing a Newscast - Students monitor area news programs to identify key elements and
presentation styles. Then they write their own roles, their own news, and present the new
and improved model to the class.
VII. Creating a Newsletter- Students write a newsletter which contains the following types of
articles: news story, feature story, movie or book review, recipe or cultural emphasis story
VIII.
Travel Portfolio and Guide - Students access a variety of sources to gather data
and construct a prospectus for potential visitors. Travel guides should certainly contain
audio/visual materials, and content should be specific in addressing itineraries,
transportation, lodging, food, costs, entertainment, and other information useful to a
traveler in a real life context. (3-day itinerary)