100 Story Building
Located in Footscray, their resources help young writers access their imaginations and experience creative safety as they learn. Their online online resources for grades 3-9 have been developed specifically to support schools and teachers deliver creative and engaging writing lessons to students in classrooms or remote learning from home.
Guided Program
Travelling Trapdoor
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Curriculum: Literacy, Literature
Grade: 1-4
Outline: The weird and wonderful creatures residing below the trapdoor of 100 Story Building got lonely and HAVE ESCAPED! Unfortunately, they are causing strange things to happen all over Melbourne. Help investigate these underground characters.
In this workshop, students will search for clues, design characters, create their home and make a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ (if you encounter them).
Students leave with:
Pictures of their creatures, the setting where they live and some rules to keep everyone safe
Comic BOOM!
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: Literature
Grade: 3-6
Outline: Remember a time when you set out to do something ‘good’ but it didn’t turn out as you planned? Students mine their own life for story starters, and turn them into exciting comics through the use of literary embellishments, story pacing and narrative arcs.
Students leave with:
A comic book of their autobiographical narrative, which can be continued in class time or used as a plan to turn into a written piece of work
Space Write
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: Literature
Grade: 3-6
Outline: They’ve received strange signals from space and need brave astronauts like your students to help plan a mission to the stars! Design a spacecraft, scan the surface of an alien planet, and make a short comic book plan for exploring this strange world.
Students leave with:
A comic booklet with a main character, a unique space vehicle, a setting and narrative plan that can be turned into a written piece.
Perilous Quest
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: Literature
Grade: 5-9 (but can be adapted for Year 3-4)
Outline: Your students are about to set off on a quest – a journey fraught with obstacles and just a little bit of danger. Don’t worry though, all heroes embark on their quests with a Hero’s Backpack, filled with objects that may prove useful in a tricky spot. Students will create a map of a strange land, profile their hero and their nemesis, fill the Hero’s Backpack, then set off on an adventure story!
Students leave with:
All the elements of a hero’s journey narrative recorded in a comic book format. This can stand alone or be developed into a detailed written work.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: Literature
Grade: 5-9
Outline: Ever wondered what would happen if a character in a book went through a different door? Or jumped out of the window? Or just turned around and walked away? Using ‘branching’ storylines that video games rely on, students plan a choose-your-own-adventure story with one beginning, two middles, and four endings!
Students leave with:
At least one story path plotted out and a planning sheet full of ideas for the rest of the story.
Craft Of The Draft
Cost: $450 (online, max class 40)
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: Literature
Grade: 5-9
Outline: Writing a story is hard. To read, review and improve it is harder, even for grown-ups! The Early Harvest program specialises in making editing fun and achievable to students. Using an engaging framework, students identify what they want to convey in the different parts of their story, and add and remove story elements to achieve that effect.
Recommended as a perfect follow-on to one of the other workshops. It can also improve any other stories that may be written in class.
Students leave with:
Students bring one written story to the workshop. They leave with a framework and all the tools to edit it.
General Activities
Learn at Home Resources
Cost: Free
Grade: 3-9
Outline: Help young writers cultivate a creative mindset with our free activities for students and resources for parents and teachers. Use these for generating ideas, moving past writing blocks, or when talking to children and young people about their work.
Resources include:
Activities and Tips
Creative Hack for Teachers and Parents
Things to watch
Things to listen to