GIVING WORDS TO IMAGINATION

Short Story Examples for School Writing Assignment

Writing Short Stories for School Project

3 Short Story Examples For School Project

 

Assignment 1: You have discovered a treasure map in an old library book. What is the treasure and where is it located? Write a story explaining all about your adventure and what was in the treasure box.

 

Title: Adventurous Treasure Hunt

 

Raman found a piece of wrinkled paper in an old book in the school library. I looked at it carefully and we deduced that it was a map of some hidden treasure. We consulted Riya who was good at geography and she explained the path to the treasure. “Let’s go for a treasure hunt this Sunday,” I suggested. Raman and Riya agreed.

 

We packed our backpacks with rope, chocolate bars, water bottles, and torch lights. I also took my father’s Swiss knife for protection. We started at 7 in the morning from the backyard of our school. It was a forest area and we were scared of wild animals. Raman said, “Don’t worry! I have gone on a trek with the Boy Scouts Group. I will lead you.” I felt relieved. After an hour of walking, we were all hungry. Riya took out sandwiches from her bag and it was the most delicious sandwich I had ever eaten. We started again and this time we reached the place where the treasure was hidden according to the map. However, there was nothing but a small pond. “What if the treasure is inside the pond?” I asked. Both of them nodded and I went inside the water because I was the only one good at swimming. I took a deep breath and dived into the pond. I looked inside the water for a minute and saw a box. I tried moving it but it was heavy. I asked Raman to throw me the rope. He did so and I managed to tie the rope around the box in three dives. Riya and Raman dragged the box out of the pond while I swam towards them. My left leg got stuck in the weeds. Luckily I had my father’s Swiss knife. In no time, I got free. The box had a big lock. Raman took a big stone and hit it. The lock opened.

 

What we saw inside was not a treasure but a piece of paper. It had a quote on it, ‘The treasure is hidden inside you. All you need to do is find it.’ I understood that I learned many things in this adventure and found out my ability to tackle difficulties. After all, the treasure was real. (378 words)

 

Assignment 2: Your dad was baking his famous chocolate chip banana nut cake, but something went terribly wrong. Write a story about what happened to the cake and what it tasted like.

 

Title: Emma’s Birthday Cake

 

It was my friend Emma’s birthday and I wanted to gift her my Dad’s special chocolate chip banana nut cake. Everybody at school knew that he was a big chef at Hotel Armitage. The crucial part was convincing my dad because he had a busy schedule that day. I never thought he would agree easily but he promised me he would bake it for Emma a day before her birthday. I was sure I would be giving the best gift to Emma.

A girl with a crown on her head is cutting a birthday cake.
Emma’s Birthday Cake (Image by Freepik)

After coming home at 10, Dad baked the cake till 12 left it in the oven and went to sleep. The next day, Mom packed the cake in a decorative cake box and I reached school knowing what I had to do first. I headed straightway towards Emma and wished her and gifted the cake box. Everyone in the class was waiting for recess when Emma would cut the cake and they could get a piece. As soon as Emma took a bite, her face twitched. This was an unexpected reaction. I quickly tasted a little and it was not the same. It was hard and not spongy. It tasted like a sweet brick. I apologized for the mess and promised Emma that I would bring her another cake on Monday. “What went wrong?” I kept thinking till I reached home. I told everything to Mom who instantly realized what had gone wrong. She cleaned the kitchen cabinet the previous day and put chalk powder in the jar of baking powder but forgot to label it. At night, I told my Dad about what happened at school. He could not believe it. “Even the best chef can make a mistake,” he laughed. I asked him if he was not worried about his image as a chef. He said, “It’s okay to make mistakes because not making mistakes means not trying.”

 

I learned an important lesson that day and Dad baked two chocolate chip banana nut cakes for my entire class on Monday. We all enjoyed the delicious cake during recess and Emma thanked me for the best gift she got on her eleventh birthday. (356 words)

 

Assignment 3: Start your story with the below-given opening lines.

It was a cold winter night, I walked into my mom’s room. I heard the door slam. There was a storm outside, everything was dark and gloomy and the clock had just struck 12…

 

Title: The Third Bathroom

 

It was a cold winter night, I walked into my mom’s room. I heard the door slam. There was a storm outside, everything was dark and gloomy and the clock had just struck 12. My mom was watching the Umbrella Academy peacefully, while my bladder was overflowing. 

 

THUD. The door slammed louder. THUD. Even louder. It was the bathroom door. It instantly reminded me of the Japanese tale of Hanakusan, the child ghost who haunts the third bathroom stall of the third floor of the school.

Girl in the third bathroom of a house
The Third Bathroom (Image by DeviantArt)

Our house was practically a school, we lived on the third floor and my mom’s bathroom which was still slamming was the third bathroom of my house. I gulped, but I had to do it, for my bladder’s sake, for the reputation’s sake. Or else my mom would make me clean my pee and talk about this till my last breath. Just talking about it sent sweat down my face. I grabbed the bathroom door’s handle. There was an eerie silence. I closed my eyes and opened the door.

 

When I opened it again, I saw something blood-curdling. I wanted to faint. Everything spun around me. The figure had the most menacing smile. It was the devil herself, Sidhakshi — my little sister. (209 words)

 

About the English teacher and writing coach:

Sneha Goel is a British Council–certified IELTS trainer and Scholastic India–mentored short story writer. She is a published author, poet and diarist. Her reviews, blogs, poems, stories and thoughts are appreciated by writers of international repute. Apart from writing, she is passionate about teaching English to children. She teaches English grammar, literature, creative writing, academic writing, story writing, poetry writing and Spoken English to students from class 1 up to grown-ups. To know more about her writing training workshops and English language teaching services click here.

 

Assignment 3 is attempted by Pahael Goel in the classroom of Young Story Weavers by Sneha Goel.

Pahael Goel is an avid reader who grew up listening to bedtime stories from her mother. At the age of 6, she could read English and Hindi with ease. She is an eighth grader studying at Maria’s Public School, located in the beautiful city of Guwahati. She has inherited her love for drawing and reading from her mother. She says, “My mother helped me become what I am today —a published writer, co-author of anthologies ‘The Bag of Diversity’ and ‘Frozen Frames’ published by Scholastic Writer’s Academy. I am a co-author of the novella, ‘The Land of Mourns’, which was published under the mentorship of Young Story Weavers by Sneha Goel. Her first poem ‘Life’ was published in the children’s anthology ‘Kaleidoscope’. She was in the Scholastic Book Reviewer Committee from July 2022 to July 2023. She bagged the ‘Deen-Chaki Youngest Author Award 2022, Assam’ for her contribution in the field of literature. Pahael’s love for literature, history and animals gives her inspiration to write.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top