Carousel Writing: An engaging, no-prep ELA classroom activity
Every teacher needs a solid arsenal of engaging, no-prep classroom activities for those hard-to-plan-for days. Think half days, the chaotic buzz before or right after a break, or any time your usual schedule is off-kilter.
Carousel writing is a favorite of mine for these occasions. It’s engaging, adaptable to almost any time frame, and requires virtually no prep whatsoever. I’ll call that a win.
What is Carousel Writing?
Arranged in circular groups or long tables, students choose a random topic and have 1-2 minutes to begin writing a story on that topic. When the timer goes off, students pass their papers, choose a new topic, and continue the story. At the end, students' original stories are returned and celebration ensues.
How to Structure Carousel Writing In Your Classroom:
Step 1: Brainstorm topics
First, have students arrange their tables or desks in a long circular row. I’ve found this works best with about 8-12 students in each group.
Give students two scrap pieces of paper and have them write down two topics of their choice. It can be anything from pizza to Star Wars to flying squirrels. Communicate that topics must be school appropriate (of course) and must not include the names of anyone they know in real life. Alternatively, you can assign a theme for your topic if you want to connect it to something you’re currently studying.
Students fold the pieces when done and place them in a container.
Step 2: GETTING STARTED
Have a student from each group choose a topic from the container at random. That person is responsible for communicating the topic to their group. Make sure to emphasize this — otherwise you'll have a chorus of students repeating, "Wait, what's the topic again?" and it gets annoying pretty quickly. 😂
Set a timer for 1-2 minutes and have students begin a story using the chosen topic as inspiration. I've experimented with different timing on this, and 1 minute 30 seconds seems to work best. 1 minute is often too short, while 2 minutes can be a bit too long for reluctant writers. Of course, you can adjust the timing throughout the activity as needed.
Step 3: ROTATE + REPEAT
When the timer goes off, students pass their paper in one direction.
The next student in line from each group chooses a new topic from the topic container.
Give students about 10-15 seconds to read through the story so far before starting the timer again. Then, students continue the story while incorporating the new topic in some way.
Stress that while the story will ultimately contain a certain level of randomness, it should still follow a cohesive storyline. This forces students to think more carefully about what they are writing, rather than just writing a string of goofy nonsense.
You also may want to introduce specific literary device requirements, such as a description of the setting, the development of character conflict, and the sporadic use of dialogue to help stories stay on track.
Step 4: reTURN TO Original OWNER
Repeat these steps until the papers are returned to their original owners. Give students the opportunity to choose one last topic and finish up their own stories.
Step 5: Read & Enjoy
Lastly, students spend some time reading through their stories. Depending on timing, I’ll sometimes have them choose the “best” story from each group to share out with the class. If we’re short on time, they just read them out loud in their groups.
Carousel Writing Variations
The best part about this activity is that it’s easily adaptable. Below are some variations you might consider:
Instead of students selecting new topics each round, you can assign a specific topic for everyone to use for the entire round of carousel writing. This topic could be based on a novel you’re reading or a topic you’re studying.
Students could stand and rotate for each round rather than passing their papers. For this, you may want to have smaller groups or give a longer writing time frame; otherwise, the constant switching may get a little chaotic.
Incorporate a specific element as an added challenge, such as a vocabulary word or a literary device you’re studying.
Rotate the papers multiple steps to the right or left randomly, adding an extra layer of surprise and complexity.
Have you tried carousel writing? I’d love to hear your tips!