Thornapple Kellogg — During an imagination warm-up activity before the new year, a room full of Thornapple Kellogg Middle School sixth-graders helped a visiting author make up a whimsical story about a boy, some pigeons and supernatural sticky mud.
“Who can tell me what happens next?” asked children’s author David Stricklen.
Author of the Blackwater Pond trilogy, Stricklen said he grew up making up stories with his grandmother based on pictures. Based on that creative exercise from his childhood, he challenged the sixth-graders to create a story prompted only by the image of a pair of muddy boots.
The students used their imaginations to tell Stricklen what happened next, without using familiar plots from existing books or movies.
“He tries to wash the mud off, but it won’t come off,” one student said.
Like the mud, Stricken helped thicken the plot.
“The mud won’t come off because it’s some kind of supernatural mud that sticks to his feet and will not move,” he said. “(The boy) thinks that’s as bad as things can get, but it gets worse. What happens next?”
Another sixth-grader decided the boy tried to wipe the mud off on a tree, but got stuck to it.
One by one, students offered their ideas for what happened next for the boy with muddy feet stuck to a tree, including pigeons surrounding him, getting mud on his hands and finally, the pigeons sticking to his hands and his friends laughing at his expense.
In addition to going over plot elements, Stricklen said one of the takeaways from the exercise was for young writers to learn how to “hook the reader right away so they want to know what happens next.”
Believing in the Magic of Storytelling
A retired airport security chief and ArtPrize artist, Stricklen told students he thinks the creative process means “there is still magic in the world.
“Creating stories in your own mind makes them real for you. … As I go through life, I see things, little rubies and diamonds become nuggets for my stories.”
He also incorporated magic tricks into his presentation to serve as memory clues for students to remember his teachings.
Sixth-graders Logan Whitt and Izzy Samayon both said the magic tricks were some of the most memorable parts.
“I learned that sometimes when people write fictional stories it can come from things that happened in their real lives,” Izzy said.
Logan said participating in Stricklen’s presentation taught him that reading books can be even better than watching movies, because books can give more detail.
Sixth-grade English language arts teacher Wanda Blair said Stricklen has visited TKMS several times over the years and always inspires a love of reading and writing.
“They did really well with the first story and the sticky mud on the shoes. That’s the fun part for me, when we make up the stories,” she said. “They’re using those sensory details in the beginning, middle and end.”
Fellow sixth-grade ELA teacher Alice Slazas said the presentation also lines up with students learning about and writing personal narratives in class.
She added: “We have some great writers this year (and) we’re trying to tap into all kids and give that little inspiration.”
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