Looking for good ideas for my English class

I've decided to do a script writing class for my grade 10 English class.
Here is what I want to do to open up the class. I want them to pair into groups and try writing a short skit, or portion or opening scene of a film or tv show. Perhaps about their morning or a funny story from their lives.
So what I'm wondering is if anyone can recommend any brain storming techniques for group writing? Or some good articles about group script writing.
You guys are all fans of writing and good writers too. So any resources you could recommend would really help.
I'm just trying to make the class as fun as possible.
Fun ideas welcome!

A good one for topical sketches is ask every one to bring in a tabloid.

Ask them to find 20 funny ideas and turn one into a sketch.

Also ask them to thing of 10 settings, 10 topics, and 10 conflicts.

Then match one from each and write a sketch.

That's great! Thanks for responding Scooty. I think I will do that.
Anyone go to any script writing workshops that might have any activities like Scooty's that I could use?

The first book I got on comedy writing in ebook form

Bit simplistic but lots of nice hints.

http://diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/item/parent-9781840244656/How-to-be-a-Comedy-Writer-eBook.html

n.b. call me Scooty again and I'll assassinate your queen.

Also make sure your guys cover gag basics.

Feederline-punchline, and funny lists.

Cool guys thanks! This stuff is great! The kids will love it!
Sorry Sooty my bad I'm in Catholic ed class right now and I keep getting stared down for typing on my computer.
But please...don't let me stop you from assassinating my queen.
Here is a picture of her *hands a Canadian 25 cent piece*
Not the moose, the one of the other side.

Quote: Griff @ November 3 2008, 7:42 PM GMT

Obviously if people put in RAPIST, PRISON and INITIATION you probably wouldn't get the parrot sketch.

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But you might get a Sootyj sketch.

All writing is about 'having something to say', my advice to beginners, of however old they are - I don't understand this year business, is to steer clear of comedy, because then you have to have something to say and then make it funny - which isn't easy for a group. What you need to do is act like a stage magician seemingly take random ideas, topics etc and meld it into a "group suggested project". Make the story first and then make it funny. But make yourself the wizard of Oz.

I like Marc P's idea of the group project. You could get the story and characters by group collaboration/improvisation, and then split into sub-groups to devise the different scenes within the framework. Kind of like a school version of Curb your Enthusiasm, everyone would need to know the key things that have to happen in their scene, but how they got there could be anyhow.

I also don't know how old Grade 10 is.

(PS that's what I told the police)

Grade 10 is age 16.
I'm currently working on the project right now.

Quote: Marc P @ November 3 2008, 8:32 PM GMT

All writing is about 'having something to say', my advice to beginners, of however old they are - I don't understand this year business, is to steer clear of comedy, because then you have to have something to say and then make it funny - which isn't easy for a group.

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I disagree slightly in this situation. They'll all be in the same class writing for their immediate peers. Much easier to write something that will make your mates laugh than someone who doesn't know you.

There are plenty of techniques that might be good.

Go round the table, each saying a random word until you have 31 of them, all written down next to their number. Ask someone on another table what date their birthday is - my birthday is the 11th. The word at number 11 might be something like 'cauliflower'. Write a sketch based around the word at that number (this should come up with some hilarious discussions if nothing else!)

Write the first line for them and let them all take the sketch from there to see what different results come out of it.

Give them a list of ten words, picked at random. Get them to pick one each to write a sketch about but get them to see which group can fit most of the other 9 words into their sketch.

Depends if you want to have it as a creative writing type exercise or make something worth looking at. Comedy is never written by committee and when it is it is rubbish.

A good idea would be to tell your English class that 'fun' is a noun. That'll obviously come as news to them...

Quote: Marc P @ November 4 2008, 10:07 AM GMT

Depends if you want to have it as a creative writing type exercise or make something worth looking at. Comedy is never written by committee and when it is it is rubbish.

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Can you think of any specific examples of British shows written by comittee?

The Criminal Justice Bill circa 2003

I thank you!

Well some shows are storylined by committee - Emmerdale etc. They call it conference. But then episodes get written by one person.

I was mainly referring to this kind of exercise, let's get a gang together and write it all together. It never works. Ask Micheal J about the ease, or not, of the online team written sitcom 'Cleaners' project.

Have a plan and cheat in the manner of the stage magician as I suggested
or have clearly delineated roles with someone in creative charge.

Hard to come up with a story and make it funny as I say, but you could do something like taking a popular fairy tale/myth and updating it, sometimes just the translation of setting can make it funny. Or inverting it, what if Cinderella was male? For example.

Another thing you could do is get hold of the finish this sitcom book from the competition the Beeb ran. Break your class up into a number of small groups - maybe pairs would work best or groups of three - and give them the finish it task. Some might not be suitable for the age mind as I recall.