Researched and created by Dr. Jeff Cheng, the 5-Finger Kingdom Writing Technique is a powerful tool to guide how students think and write. The concept of this writing technique is based on the 5 different characters who live in the 5-Finger Kingdom, namely the King (thumbkin), the Queen (pointer), the Prince (tall man), the Princess (ring man), and the Genie (pinkie). All characters have their unique and distinct personalities: the king is a jolly praiser, the queen is a judgmental critic, the prince is a data collector, the princess is a sentimental artist, and the Genie is the major problem-solver for the royal family. Writing through role-play, students will get to act out the king who always gives people the thumb-ups, or the queen who likes to point her nicely manicured finger at people to show her disapproval, etc. The advantage of such process is that it can guide students to think out of the box, and switch to a new thinking mode when they write using the viewpoints of different characters. Moreover, since fingers give the most direct visual clues to students, they will no longer fear of losing focus or missing the big pictures when writing under stress, because the 5-Finger Kingdom Writing Technique is so highly effective. |
Another benefit of combining role play and writing is that students can sharpen their critical thinking and analytical skills. Equipped with these abilities, they can expand their writing with supporting concepts and concrete details substantially. Most importantly, the 5-finger Kingdom Writing Technique can greatly raise students' interest and motive to write, transforming their dull and routine homework assignment into a fun and interactive role play game. |
