Worldbuilding takes a research-based approach to crafting the elements necessary to convincingly set a game or story in a fictitious setting. Students investigate existing worlds to find patterns and features that distinguish one world from another, as well as descriptions that provide a lively encounter with that world.
Students craft the elements of their own world using research, art, writing, and cartography. They decide important features in the areas of plot, geography, history, mythology, ethnic groups, government, leaders, religion, laws, professions, magic, and technology. These decisions require a subtle understanding of societal undergirding and what defines a culture.
Syllabus
Week One
Time for a worldbuilding treasure hunt! Students explore different types of worlds to see what makes them tick. They also start a “worldbuilding information hub” to gather sources, ideas, and bits of writing to use in their own worlds.
Week Two
A skilled worldbuilder can introduce details about the world naturally through storytelling, avoiding the need for long, drawn-out explanations. Students practice this skill and also map out their world’s geography.
Week Three
Students unleash their inner historians as they make a timeline of important history/mythology for their world.
Week Four
This week leads to the secret sauce of every living, breathing world—the “people” who inhabit it! Students create individual character drawings and profiles that represent the different groups and factions that populate their world.
Common Core and Academic Standards Support
What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.
Word Bank
- Analysis
- Character
- Outlining
- Perspective
- Plot
- Scene
- Sequencing
- Setting
- Structure
- Vivid detail
- Visual storytelling
- Worldbuilding
- Writing craft
Core Skills
- Analyze elements of society that define societal identity
- Analyze existing worlds to find elements to compare and contrast
- Create a map to represent the geography of the world
- Create a timeline of key events in the world
- Design rules for the magic system of the world
- Describe cultural groups in vivid detail
- Freewrite a scene to detail routines in the world
- Outline elements of the world’s structure (geography, history, groups, leaders, religion, laws, professions, magic, technology)
- Write detailed, organized, structured original narratives
