The Detective Story Machine (by Alan Peat Ltd)
The Detective Story Machine helps both pupils and busy classroom teachers to plan Detective stories (over a million combinations are possible...and thats no exaggeration!).
The machine has eight parts:
1 Opening
2 Main character/s
3 Other character/s
4 Setting
5 Dilemma
6 Random Language Feature
7 Objects
8 Ending
Pupils spin each of the eight parts of the machine (up to three times) to reveal a HUGE range of genre-appropriate ideas.
When ALL eight parts have been spun the story machine collates all of the ideas into one printable sheet which can be used as a stimulus for a detective story.
Its NOT prescriptive - pupils can include as many of the ideas as they wish but they dont have to include all of them. Whether they include a few or every one they certainly will be learning a great deal about the genre.
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