Word by Word writing activity

On the board, write ‘Yesterday something strange happened. I …’.

Then each student has to add one word to the story. They can also add full stops, commas, etc. You can continue until you have one paragraph minimum. It can be a good idea to choose the students randomly (maybe using http://www.triptico.co.uk). This way students will concentrate on what they would like to say all the time, much more than if they know it will be their turn next time.