Introduction

“I believe in the power of the imagination to remake the world, to release the truth within us, to hold back the night, to transcend death, to charm motorways, to ingratiate ourselves with birds, to enlist the confidences of madmen.”

― J.G. Ballard

If you ask anybody about the purpose of studying at school, they will probably answer that school is necessary to learn mathematics, languages, and science. These subjects, they'll say, will help you to survive in the real world. Probably, you won't hear them say you'll also need imagination. But, think about it, imagination is the source of all knowledge. Science and literature were born when the first human beings started to make up stories and technological devices using their imagination. In addition, creativity has been always associated to intelligent people. A life without imagination is harder and way more boring than a life full of fantasy and creativity. So let's imagine.

In this blog, you will find information about a project based on creative writing and imagination: the creation of a short encyclopedia about a fantastic world, made up by English learners. Of course, depending on the teacher's needs and motivations, the ideas of this blog can be put into practice in many different ways. But here are some ideas that can serve as a guideline:

• The students choose the setting of the world (a legendary past, a parallel world, the distant future...). After all, it will be their world.
• The whole class can create a single world in detail, or small groups can create simpler worlds. An interesting idea is that new students can expand worlds already made by older students, creating this way a huge, complex universe over the years.
• The encyclopedia must be divided into diverse sections. Different students, alone or gathered in small groups, are responsible for writing them using their imagination.
• Some students might be in charge of the visual part of the encyclopedia (drawing or decorating the pages) while others can work on the format as well.
• The authors of each section will be mentioned at the end of the encyclopedia. This way, their work will be always recognized. Although it is the teacher who conducts this project, the worlds belong to their creators: the students. At the end of the project, they will get a copy of the final version of the encyclopedia.

In the next sections of the blog, you can find examples and information about the different sections of the encyclopedia and other elements of the project.