Monday, January 26, 2015
Objective: Students will review course objectives, Reading Zone, and the Creative Workshop journal.
Agenda:
1. Discuss Syllabus
2. Reading Zone
3. Creative Writing Journal
HOMEWORK:
1. Read George Garrett's "Going to See the Elephant: Our Duty as Storytellers"
Friday, January 30, 2015
Objective: Students will review the reading and course objectives, discuss evocation, and work with Storymatic! to generate story ideas.
Agenda:
1. Review Reading Zone, Letter Essays
2. "Going to See the Elephants . . . ", evocation in writing, and Elizabeth Gilbert TED talk
3. Cookie ingredients for next week
4. Visit library for Reading Zone books
5. Storymatic! exercise
HOMEWORK:
1. Read pages 1-15 of Writing Down the Bones
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Objective: To generate ideas for their writing, students will bake cookies and participate in other 'ordinary' tasks.
Agenda:
1. Briefly review Honors option and Writing Down the Bones reading
2. Bake cookies
3. Write about experience
HOMEWORK:
1. Finish journal entries
Friday, February 6, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in Reading Zone, and continue to search for ideas for stories. Students will also recap important ideas from the Writing Down the Bones reading assignment.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Writing Down the Bones review and worksheet
3. Writing Territories
4. Storycubes entry
HOMEWORK:
1. Read pages 16-22 of Writing Down the Bones. Choose two prompts from the options on pages 20-22 and write a journal entry for each. Write two paragraphs per entry. Label these "Writing Down Entries."
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in Reading Zone, construct a writing prompt and begin "Third and Final Continent."
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Writing Prompt: idioms
3. "Third and Final Continent"
HOMEWORK:
1. Finish "Third and Final" and complete questions
Friday, February 13, 2015
Objective: Students will define what makes a story 'good', and develop ideas for stories through picture writing.
Agenda:
1. Andrew Stanton's TED video (Pixar)
2. What makes a story good? Writing prompt (w/ Lahiri's "Third and Final")
3. Writing prompts: Writing with Pictures
4. Bauer reading
HOMEWORK:
1. Read Rule and Wheeler reading
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Objective: To prepare for writing their own short stories, students will review story structure. Students will also review the Short Story assignment and begin work on their stories.
Agenda:
1. Writers Inc activity
2. Review Short Story assignment
3. Media Lab -- workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. Read Rule and Wheeler's "Writers at work"
2. Letter Essay #1 due tomorrow
Friday, February 20, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss character in fiction, assess their knowledge of the Rule and Wheeler readings, and continue work on their short stories.
Agenda:
1. Rule and Wheeler reading quiz (Reading Zone when finished)
2. Discuss character in fiction (with character sketch/activity)
3. Workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. Draft #1 of Short Story due Monday, March 2
Monday, March 2, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss peer reviews and begin reviews using the Short Story Peer-Editing Worksheet.
Agenda:
1. Peer review discussion
2. Peer reviews
HOMEWORK:
1. Reading pages 23-33 of Writing Down the Bones
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in Reading Zone, explore character, continue revisions, and begin a video on revision.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Olive K. and character
3. Revisions
4. Burroway: So, Is It Done?
HOMEWORK:
1. Bauer reading re. revision
2. Watch TV show and analyze character
Friday, March 6, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in a dialogue acitvity and complete the So, Is it Done? video.
Agenda:
1. Conversation/Dialogue Activity
2. Finish So, Is It Done?
HOMEWORK:
1. Draft #2 of Short Story due Wednesday
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in Reading Zone, complete a revision exercise and work on rewrites of their short story drafts.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Cut 200-300 words from draft and rewrite introduction or conclusion
3. Workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of Short Story #1 due Monday!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Objective: Students will begin working with The Elements of Style to reinforce their knowledge of grammar and mechanics. Students will also explore setting through a reading and their viewing and responding to a travel video.
Agenda:
1. Elements of Style Quiz 1 and Quiz 2
2. Writing Fiction: Place reading and notes
3. Journal Entry: Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe: Venice, Italy
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of Short Story due Monday
Monday, March 16, 2015
Objective: Students will deepend their understanding of setting by participating in a visual drawing activity.
Agenda:
1. Pass in Short Stories
2. Setting Activity (Parts I and II)
Setting
Place and Time:
HOMEWORK: NONE
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to develop their understanding of setting through a variety of creative writing activities.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Pictures: Happy and Sad response
3. Journal Entry: Time and Place (Arts Edge, Kennedy Center)
4. Passport to Europe: Ireland setting notes
HOMEWORK:
1. Finish journal entry
2. Read pages 35-44 of Writing Down the Bones
Friday, March 20, 2015
Objective: Students will begin to explore a foreign land to prepare for writing their second setting-focused short stories.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Goldberg Quiz (pahes 35-44)
3. Research: Countries
HOMEWORK: Continue research
Monday, March 23, 2015
Objective: Students will complete their country research to prepare for writing their second short story.
Agenda:
1. Continue research
2. Picture jounral entry: Choose a picture from your country. Using the pictures, remark on 4/9 elements of setting seen in the picture. Your response should be two paragraphs in length.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to discuss setting and review the second short story assignment.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. What If? journal exercise
3. Review second short story assignment
HOMEWORK:
1. Work on story
Friday, March 27, 2015
Objective: Students will further review setting through an analysis activity.
Agenda:
1. Song Prompt
2. Setting analysis
3. Workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. Work on Short Story #2
2. Journal Check #1 on Wednesday
Monday, March 30, 2015
Objective: To prepare for peer-reviewing their second short stories, students will work on their drafts in the Media Lab.
Agenda:
1. Review weekly objectives
2. Work time in the Media Lab
HOMEWORK:
1. Work on Short Story #2
2. Journal Check #1 on Wednesday
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Objective: To increase students' understanding of dialogue in fiction writing, students will participate in a dialogue activity using the Storymatic! cards. Students will also work on their second short stories.
Agenda:
1. Storymatic! dialogue activity
2. Workshop time and journal checks
HOMEWORK:
1. Friday draft of second short story due Friday
Friday, April 3, 2015
Objective: Students will peer review their second short stories. Students will also begin to bridge the gap between fiction and nonfiction through an analysis of Stranger Than Fiction.
Agenda:
1. Peer reviews
2. Stranger Than Fiction
HOMEWORK:
1. Continue to work on short story #2
Monday, April 6, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to discuss fiction and nonfiction through Stranger Than Fiction.
Agenda:
1. Stranger Than Fiction
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of short story #2 due Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Objective: Students will begin to explore nonfiction and memoir through a visual presentation and activities.
Agenda:
1. Nonfiction presentation: the three types of nonfiction (focus on memoir)
2. Analysis of "Thumb-Sucking Girl"
3. Meredith Hall's "Killing Chickens" from her memoir Without a Map
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of short story #2 due Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Objective: Students will complete the Stranger Than Fiction film and analysis worksheet, and they will continue to work on final revisions of Short Story #2.
Agenda:
1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Workshop time in Media Lab
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of Short Story #2 due Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to explore nonfiction by reviewing models and searching for ideas for their stories.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Moth Radio Hour: Michaela Murphy's "Eye Spy" and Mark Lukach's "No Matter What"
3. Storymatic! Rememory activity
4. Elements of Style: Elementary Rules of Usage #4 and #5 Quiz
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of Short Story #2 due Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss finding ideas for story through memory and the senses.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Reading and questions from Tell It Slant
HOMEWORK: NONE
Friday, April 17, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss the Writing Prompt assignment and review a prompt sheet in preparation for writing their own memoirs. Students will also listen to another memoir model.
Agenda:
1. Review Writing Prompt Assignment
2. Prompt Sheet
3. David Sedaris's "Get Your Ya-Ya's Out" (21:10-46:00)
HOMEWORK:
1. Letter Essay #3 due next Friday
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Objecitve: Students will continue to review nonfiction writing and stories in preparation for writing their own memoirs.
Agenda:
1. Moth Radio: Stephanie Summerville's "Life Support" and Wanda Bullard's "The Small Town Prisoner"
2. Review Memior Assignment
3. Look at Brevity essays; respond to four using handout
HOMEWORK:
1. Letter essay due on Friday
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Objective: Students will review the assignments due the week of and after we return from April vacation. Students will continue to explore the writing life through a viewing of Finding Forrester.
Agenda:
1. Review Prompt Activity and Memoir Assignments
2. Begin Finding Forrester
HOMEWORK: NONE
Friday, April 24, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to explore the writing life with Finding Forrester.
Agenda:
1. Continue Finding Forrester
HOMEWORK: NONE
Monday, May 4, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss the important themes and ideas present in Finding Forrester.
Agenda:
1. Finish film
2. Finding Forrester discussion
HOMEWORK:
1. Nonfiction reading
2. Writing prompt/activity due Friday
3. First draft of memoir due Monday, May 11
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to explore ideas for their memoirs. Students will also begin to draft their memoirs.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Coloring Book Activity and Childhood Writing Prompt
3. Workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. Writing prompt/activity due Friday
2. First draft of memoir due Monday, May 11
Friday, May 8, 2015
Objective: Students will explore the 10-Minute Play in preparation for writing their own plays.
Agenda:
1. Watch "Bedside" and "Please Have a Seat"
2. 10-Minute Play Presentation
3. Read "A No Play" and "La Mouche"
HOMEWORK:
1. Memoir due Monday
Monday, May 11, 2015
Objective: Students will peer-edit their memoir in preparation for writing their final drafts.
Agenda:
1. Peer Review
HOMEWORK: NONE
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Objective: Students will watch The Terminal to better understand script format and story told through acting.
Agenda:
1. Watch The Terminal
HOMEWORK: NONE
Friday, May 15, 2015
Objective: Students will continue watching The Terminal and compose a response to a student-generated writing prompt.
Agenda:
1. Workshop time in Media Lab
2. Student writing prompt
3. Continue The Terminal
Monday, May 18, 2015
Objective: Students will discuss the 10-minute (One Act) play assignment and will complete a student-generated writing prompt.
Agenda:
1. Student-generated writing prompt
2. Questions about the 10-minute play
3. Review 10-minute play assignment
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of memoir due Wednesday, May 20
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Objective: Students will participate in Reading Zone and begin drafting their 10-minute plays.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Workshop time
HOMEWORK:
1. First draft of 10-Minute Play due Wednesday, May 27
Friday, May 21, 2015
Objective: Students will continue to draft their 10-minute plays in preparation for peer edits.
Agenda:
1. Draft 10-minute play
HOMEWORK:
1. First draft of 10-Minute Play due Wednesday, May 27
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Objective: Students will review rules of the Elements of Style and complete peer reviews of their 10-minute plays.
Agenda:
1. Reading Zone
2. Student-generated writing prompt
3. Elements of Style
4. Read through and review of 10-minute plays
HOMEWORK:
1. Letter essay due Friday
2. Final draft of 10-minute play due Wednesday, June 3
Friday, May 29, 2015
Objective: To prepare for writing and fine-tuning their final drafts of their 10-Minute Plays, students will watch a dramatic production.
Agenda:
1. Discuss Elements of Style
2. Death of a Salesman
HOMEWORK:
1. Final draft of 10-minute play due Wednesday, June 3
2. Elements of Style Packets due Monday
Monday, June 1, 2015
Objective: Students will listen to several Moth Radio stories to prepare for the final Creative Writing piece. Students will also review the Reflection Paper and Moth Radio assignments.
Agenda:
1. Writing Prompt
2. Moth Radio
3. Review Moth Radio assignment and Reflection Paper
HOMEWORK:
1. Final Draft of 10-Min Play due Wednesday
2. Moth Radio assignment and Reflection paper due Friday, June 12
Please wait...