The Path Game

Of all the writing exercises we gave our students this past year, perhaps this one produced the most interesting results! It's called The Path Game, and students were told to write a short paragraph for each of the following seven items: (Afterwards, the responses were interpreted using the key that is printed below.)

1. You're going along a path- describe the kind of path it is.
2. You find a twig. What sort is it? What do you do with it?
3. A fallen tree trunk is blocking your path. What do you do?
4. You come to a fork in the path. What do you do?
5. You see a bear in the path. What do you do?
6. You come to a wall. Describe it.
7. You hear a sound beyond the wall- what is it?

The seven paragraphs can be interpreted using the following key:

1. The path that the students were asked to describe is meant to represent their view of life.
2. The twig that the student finds represents how one approaches small problems.
3. How they handle the tree trunk blocking their path reveals how they approach life's big problems.
4. How one reacts to the bear is supposed to represent one's attitude towards members of the opposite sex.
5. What one does when coming upon the fork in the path is meant to represent how one views politics.
6. The description of the wall is supposed to reveal how one views death.
7. The sound behind the wall reveals something of one's belief about the "after life".