Title: Creative Writing Through D & D

A creative writing course using D & D as a framework for teaching narrative skills. This version uses embedded content that can be updated centrally.

Here's what's inside:

✅ UDL principles
✅ SEL frameworks
✅ AI guidance + AI-resistant assignments
✅ SPED accommodations + ELL support
✅ Common Core ELA alignment
✅ WCAG accessibility
✅ NSQ Online Course Standards
✅ Teacher slideshows for synchronous lessons
✅ Teacher guidance and support documents

Standards Alignment

Attribution

This curriculum uses the storytelling concepts of the Dungeons & Dragons™ game system as a creative writing lens. Specifically, it aligns with the 2024 Player's Handbook (often called "5.5e" or "5e 2024"), as published by Wizards of the Coast in System Reference Document v5.2 (SRD 5.2) under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The earlier SRD 5.1, covering the 2014 Player's Handbook ("5e"), remains publicly available; both can be found on Wizards of the Coast's SRD page (5.2 appears first; 5.1 follows below). Where the two editions differ — for example, "species" (5.5e) versus "races" (5e), or which fields appear on the official character sheet — this course follows 5.5e. Game references in the course are drawn only from the SRD; named factions, NPCs, settings, and creatures unique to Wizards of the Coast products do not appear in the curriculum.

"Dungeons & Dragons" is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This curriculum is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. Participants need no D&D experience to complete the activities within this course.

Creative Writing: D & D was developed by Jon Fila using AI tools (Claude Cowork & Code) for instructional design support, framework alignment and review. Icon images purchased for use from The Noun Project. Additional course images developed in Midjourney. For Terms of Use outside the scope of this license contact jon.fila@inclusiveaistrategies.com If you would like Jon to develop a course you can book a consultation.

Creative Writing Through D & D © 2026 by Jon Fila is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Section 1
  ATTRIBUTION This curriculum refers to the Dungeons...
  Attribution
  00.00.00 - Course Orientation
  00.00.01 - Parent/Guardian Information
  00.00.02 - Standards Alignment
  00.00.02 - Standards Alignment
  00.00.03 - Link to Course Presentations Folders
  00.00.03 - Link to Course Presentations Folders
  The Unwritten Realm RPG Game Info
  00.00.04 - The Unwritten Realm - RPG for course content
  HTML Page Index
  dnd_question_bank
  Note on Teacher Support Resources and Answer Keys
  Announcements
Unit 1: World-Building Foundations
  01.01.00 - Unit Overview
  01.01.01 - Lesson: What is D&D?
  01.01.01a - Check: D&D Foundations
  01.01.02 - Lesson: Power of Setting
  01.01.02a - Activity: Mentor Text
  01.01.02b - Check: Setting Concepts
  01.01.03 - Assignment: Hometown Fantasy
  01.01.03 - Assignment: Hometown Fantasy
  01.01.04 - Lesson: Sensory Worldbuilding
  01.01.04a - Activity: Sensory Practice
  01.01.04b - Check: Sensory Writing
  01.01.05 - Assignment: Trading Post Description
  01.01.05 - Assignment: Trading Post Description
  01.01.05a - Activity: Peer Review Trading Post
  01.01.06 - Lesson: Maps and Storytelling
  01.01.06a - Activity: Geography Brainstorm
  01.01.07 - Assignment: Region Creation
  01.01.07 - Assignment: Region Creation
  01.01.08 - Activity: AI Evaluation
  01.01.09 - Unit Reflection
  01.01.10 - Quiz: World Building
  01.01.10 - Quiz: World Building
  01.01.10 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  01.01.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  01.01.T2 - Teacher: Special Education
  01.01.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key
Unit 2: Character Development
  02.02.00 - Unit Overview
  02.02.01 - Lesson: Character Building Blocks
  02.02.01a - Check: Character Foundations
  02.02.02 - Lesson: Archetypes and Beyond
  02.02.02a - Activity: Mentor Text Archetype Analysis
  02.02.02b - Check: Archetypes
  02.02.03 - Assignment: Archetype Analysis
  02.02.03 - Assignment: Archetype Analysis
  02.02.04 - Lesson: Power of Backstory
  02.02.04a - Activity: Backstory Brainstorm
  02.02.04b - Check: Backstory
  02.02.05 - Assignment: Character Backstory
  02.02.05 - Assignment: Character Backstory
  02.02.05a - Activity: Peer Review Backstory
  02.02.06 - Lesson: Motivation and Goals
  02.02.06a - Check: Motivation
  02.02.07 - Assignment: Motivation Web
  02.02.07 - Assignment: Motivation Web
  02.02.08 - Lesson: Flaws and Growth
  02.02.08a - Check: Flaws and Growth
  02.02.09 - Assignment: Character Sheet Narrative
  02.02.09 - Assignment: Character Sheet Narrative
  02.02.09a - Activity: Peer Review Character Sheet
  02.02.10 - Activity: AI Character Evaluation
  02.02.11 - Unit Reflection
  02.02.12 - Quiz: Character Development
  02.02.12 - Quiz: Character Development
  02.02.12 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  02.02.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  02.02.T2 - Teacher: Special Education Support
  02.02.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key
Unit 3: Narrative Structure
  03.03.00 - Unit Overview
  03.03.01 - Lesson: Story Structure Foundations
  03.03.01a - Check: Story Structure
  03.03.02 - Lesson: Conflict Types
  03.03.02a - Activity: Conflict in Diverse Narratives
  03.03.02b - Check: Conflict
  03.03.03 - Assignment: Encounter Conflict Design
  03.03.03 - Assignment: Encounter Conflict Design
  03.03.04 - Lesson: Rising Action and Tension
  03.03.04a - Activity: Tension Building Practice
  03.03.04b - Check: Rising Action
  03.03.05 - Lesson: Climax and Resolution
  03.03.05a - Assignment: Tension Scene
  03.03.05a - Assignment: Tension Scene
  03.03.05b - Activity: Peer Review Tension Scene
  03.03.06 - Lesson: Pacing and Momentum
  03.03.06a - Activity: Pacing Analysis
  03.03.07 - Lesson: Narrative Hooks
  03.03.07a - Activity: AI Narrative Evaluation
  03.03.08 - Unit Reflection
  03.03.09 - Quiz: Narrative Structure
  03.03.09 - Quiz: Narrative Structure
  03.03.09 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  03.03.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  03.03.T2 - Teacher: Special Education Support
  03.03.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key
Unit 4: Dialogue and Voice
  04.04.00 - Unit Overview
  04.04.01 - Lesson: Voice Fundamentals
  04.04.01a - Check: Voice Concepts
  04.04.02 - Lesson: Dialogue Writing
  04.04.02a - Activity: Dialogue Practice
  04.04.02b - Check: Dialogue
  04.04.03 - Assignment: Character Voice Profile
  04.04.03 - Assignment: Character Voice Profile
  04.04.04 - Lesson: Subtext
  04.04.04a - Activity: Subtext Mentor Text Analysis
  04.04.04b - Check: Subtext
  04.04.05 - Lesson: Group Dynamics
  04.04.06 - Lesson: Nonverbal Communication
  04.04.07 - Assignment: Subtext Scene
  04.04.07 - Assignment: Subtext Scene
  04.04.07a - Activity: Peer Review Subtext Scene
  04.04.08 - Lesson: Dialect and Speech Patterns
  04.04.08a - Activity: AI Dialogue Evaluation
  04.04.09 - Assignment: Culminating Multi-Voice Scene
  04.04.09 - Assignment: Culminating Multi-Voice Scene
  04.04.10 - Unit Reflection
  04.04.11 - Quiz: Dialogue and Voice
  04.04.11 - Quiz: Dialogue and Voice
  04.04.11 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  04.04.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  04.04.T2 - Teacher: Special Education Support
  04.04.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key
Unit 5: Campaign Design
  05.05.00 - Unit Overview
  05.05.01 - Lesson: Campaign Structure
  05.05.01a - Check: Campaign Basics
  05.05.02 - Lesson: NPC Creation
  05.05.02a - Activity: NPC Quick Method Practice
  05.05.02a - Activity: NPC Quick Method Practice
  05.05.02b - Check: NPC Design
  05.05.03 - Lesson: Quest Design
  05.05.03a - Activity: Quest Structure Practice
  05.05.03b - Check: Quest Design
  05.05.04 - Lesson: Branching Narratives
  05.05.04a - Assignment: Branching Scenario
  05.05.04a - Assignment: Branching Scenario
  05.05.04b - Activity: Peer Review Branching
  05.05.05 - Lesson: Player Agency
  05.05.05a - Activity: AI DM Evaluation
  05.05.06 - Lesson: Session Prep
  05.05.06a - Assignment: NPC Gallery
  05.05.06a - Assignment: NPC Gallery
  05.05.07 - Unit Reflection
  05.05.08 - Quiz: Campaign Design
  05.05.08 - Quiz: Campaign Design
  05.05.08 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  05.05.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  05.05.T2 - Teacher: Special Education Support
  05.05.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key
Unit 6: Collaborative Storytelling & Capstone
  06.06.00 - Unit Overview
  06.06.01 - Lesson: Synthesis and Reflection
  06.06.01a - Activity: Skill Synthesis Map
  06.06.01b - Check: Synthesis
  06.06.02 - Lesson: Your Creative Voice
  06.06.02a - Activity: Voice Discovery Portfolio
  06.06.02b - Check: Creative Voice
  06.06.03 - Lesson: Collaborative Storytelling
  06.06.03a - Activity: Collaborative Scene Building
  06.06.03b - Check: Collaboration
  06.06.04 - Lesson: Campaign Pitches
  06.06.04a - Assignment: Campaign Pitch
  06.06.04a - Assignment: Campaign Pitch
  06.06.05 - Lesson: Capstone Preparation
  06.06.05a - Activity: Capstone Planning Workshop
  06.06.06 - Assignment: Capstone Project
  06.06.06 - Assignment: Capstone Project
  06.06.07 - Activity: AI Collaborative Writing Evaluation
  06.06.08 - Unit Reflection
  06.06.09 - Quiz: Collaborative Storytelling
  06.06.09 - Quiz: Collaborative Storytelling
  06.06.09 - Teacher: Quiz Answer Key
  06.06.10 - Course Conclusion
  06.06.T1 - Teacher: Instructional Support
  06.06.T2 - Teacher: Special Education Support
  06.06.T3 - Teacher: Answer Key