Creative Writing + AI Game-Building Workshop Curriculum Overview

Executive Summary

The Creative Writing + AI Game-Building Workshop is a hands-on creative technology program for students ages 9-14. The workshop helps students understand how storytelling, clear writing, safe AI habits, web-page basics, and beginner interaction design can work together.

This program is designed as a foundation workshop. It does not assume that every student has coding experience or even strong computer experience. Instead, it introduces core ideas in a welcoming, practical way: what AI chat is, how prompts work, why privacy and safety matter, how a web page reaches a browser, what HTML does, and how a written character idea can become the beginning of an interactive digital project.

Students work in small teams. Each team creates an original character, describes that character clearly, and uses guided instruction to help turn the character into a simple interactive web page.

Creative Writing AI Literacy Prompting AI Safety HTML Basics Interaction Design

Program Positioning

This workshop is not a generic coding class, AI demo, or screen-time activity. It is a guided creative technology experience that helps students connect language, imagination, problem-solving, and digital tools.

The class is especially well suited for libraries, bookstores, homeschool groups, community centers, enrichment programs, youth organizations, and school-adjacent learning events.

What Students Will Learn

AI chat is a helpful tool, not a person or authority.
Clear prompts and clear writing lead to better results.
Safe AI habits matter, especially around privacy and personal information.
AI can be useful, but it can also be wrong, overconfident, or too agreeable.
A web page is made from files that a browser receives and displays.
HTML provides the basic structure of a web page.
A character description can become the starting point for an interactive digital project.

Student Requirements

Students do not need prior coding experience and do not need to bring a laptop, tablet, phone, iPad, or other device. Mooresville Codebreakers Academy provides the class technology, workstations, printed materials, and guided worksheets needed for the workshop.

Parent-facing note:

Students do not need prior coding experience and do not need to bring a laptop, tablet, phone, or other device. All workshop materials and needed class technology will be provided.

Host Site Setup Needs

Four team tables or work areas.
Chairs for up to 20 students.
Instructor area at the front or side of the room.
Access to power for instructor-provided laptops/workstations.
Wi-Fi access if web-based AI or coding tools are used.

Workshop Flow

Welcome, Expectations, And Team Setup

Students are welcomed and introduced to the workshop goal: turning a creative character idea into the beginning of an interactive digital project. Students are divided into small teams, ideally four teams of about five students.

Human AI Prompt Game

Students play a physical team activity that demonstrates how literal instructions can be. One student acts as "the AI," while the rest of the team gives instructions to complete a simple task.

The lesson is simple: vague instructions can lead to surprising results, while clear and specific instructions make better outcomes more likely.

What Is AI Chat? And How Do We Use It Safely?

Students receive a simple, age-appropriate explanation of AI chat and large language models.

AI chat is like a very fast word-and-idea helper. It can answer questions, brainstorm, explain things, rewrite things, and help us create. But it is not a person, not a parent, not a teacher, and not always right. We still have to think, check, and decide.

The safety discussion includes privacy, hallucinations, bad advice, overconfident answers, and why serious or personal questions should go to a trusted adult.

How A Web Page Works

Students learn that a browser asks for a page, the request travels across the internet, a server sends back files, and the browser reads those files to display the page.

What Is HTML?

Students are introduced to HTML as the structure of a web page. The goal is recognition and understanding, not memorizing syntax.

Team Character Design

Each team creates an original character by answering guided prompts about the character's name, traits, setting, goal, and what should happen when someone clicks the character.

Build The Interactive Character Page

Teams use their character description to help create or customize a simple interactive HTML page with one character, one click interaction, and one result message, movement, or change.

Team Share-Out And Wrap-Up

Each team briefly shares its character and interaction. The instructor closes by explaining that this interactive character is the beginning of a game.

What Students Should Leave With

A basic understanding of what AI chat is.
A practical understanding that prompts are instructions.
Several important AI safety rules.
A simple understanding of how web pages reach a browser.
A beginner understanding of HTML as page structure.
A team-created character concept.
A simple interactive character page or a clearly planned interactive character page.
More confidence that creative ideas can become digital projects.

Natural Follow-Up Class

A natural follow-up class can build on this foundation: Story-To-Game Workshop: Build Your First Game Scene.

In that second class, students can take the character concept further by adding a player goal, obstacle, setting or level, choices/actions, and a result or win condition.

Customization Options

Creative writing focus for bookstores, libraries, and literacy programs.
AI safety and digital literacy focus for parent groups or schools.
Game-building focus for enrichment programs and STEM groups.
Homeschool/co-op format with a stronger project-based learning angle.
Follow-up series format where students continue into simple game scenes.

Items To Confirm With Each Host

Date and time.
Exact location and room setup.
Whether Wi-Fi is available.
Drop-off, parent-stay, or either.
Registration/ticket link.
Final class size.
Any host-specific image, flyer, or listing requirements.

Next step: Families, homeschool groups, and host organizations can use the program details page to compare options, or send an availability request to discuss dates, class size, and format.

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