PBS Wisconsin Education, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, has released a new creative writing resource for educators designed to help students in grades 3-5 build confidence, write unique stories and celebrate their accomplishments.

The series, Whoopensocker, takes its name from an old Wisconsin word meaning “something extraordinary of its kind.” This arts-integration program uses improv and theater as tools to spark creativity and strengthen writing skills. Through games, writing and performance, students discover just how extraordinary their ideas are.

The collection includes student-facing videos that introduce warm-up games and group brainstorming to build comfort and creativity. A teacher-facing video and educator guide share implementation tips from program creators and educators who have successfully used Whoopensocker in their classrooms.

“One of the reasons we've made this collection is that we found that a lot of educators don't feel equipped to build these connections between what's required in literacy standards and this kind of creative practice,” said Erica Halverson, professor of curriculum and instructional design at the UW-Madison School of Education. “So we've developed this collection with the idea that we are supporting educators in being able to engage in this sort of asset-based creative production with their students, and hopefully along the way come to see their students differently.”

Explore the new collection now at pbswisconsineducation.org/whoopensocker.

Whoopensocker was made possible through a grant from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment.

PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PBS Wisconsin is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.

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