Use LLM AI Like ChatGPT and Bard to Write Better Essays -- Ongoing Course
This ongoing course will show learners how to use ChatGPT to write better essays. #writing #ai
Roman's Writing Workshop
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. HW as needed, as wanted.Assessment
Learners will be given formative feedback from the teacher throughout the writing process.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 9
This class will use the ChatGPT engine to explore ways to bootstrap learning using AI generated prose as a model. Everybody now knows that you can have a computer write your papers for you. Now what? I think it’s an exciting time to be a writer! Look at all these powerful tools we have at our disposal. What gifts! But how does AI fit into that toolkit now? I’ll show your learner a systematic process for deconstructing AI generated material. We will then use those pieces to reconstruct a new draft and make it our own. This will allow us a new way to explore tone, voice, style, diction, and syntax. Along the way, we will learn to write expository, argumentative, persuasive, and narrative essays. Join me on an exciting journey and be among the first humans EVER -- and perhaps the first beings in OUR ENTIRE GALAXY -- to collaborate with an AI to write a better essay. What a special time to be alive! Week of 3 April: Using ChatGPT to bootstrap our expository writing. We will start with an explanation of body paragraph structure and define the different kinds of sentences in an expository body paragraph -- topic sentence, FRED statement (fact, reason, example, detail), So What? statement -- and the jobs they do moving an idea from one place to another. We will use a graphic organizer that will scaffold the outlining process. Learners will draw this graphic organizer on a piece of paper so they can reproduce it on demand. Every class, learners will outline, draft, and revise while getting feedback from the teacher. Week of 10 April: Using ChatGPT to bootstrap our argumentative writing. We will learn the difference between explaining and arguing and practice writing argumentative essays. Week of 17 April: Using ChatGPT to bootstrap our persuasive writing. We will learn the difference between arguing and persuading and how to use ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos to move an audience to a course of action. Week of 24 April: Using ChatGPT to bootstrap our narrative writing. We will learn the difference between narrative writing and academic writing and write personal essays that will pave the way to the college admissions essay. Week of 1 May and beyond: we will continue to cycle through the different essay modes.
Learning Goals
Students will learn a research-based and systematic approach to developing their essay writing. In addition, we will use ChatGPT to create drafts of our work to learn from. By the end of the course students will be able to confidently write expository, argumentative, persuasive, and narrative essays.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The teacher will be "driving" when we use ChatGPT and the learner will only receive text cut and pasted from ChatGPT by the teacher. Your learner will obviously be exposed to AI generated text, but it will go through a human filter. The scope of our conversations with ChatGPT will be limited to generating prose in response to our writing prompts. Students do NOT need a ChatGPT account for this class.
In addition, the class format involves regular cold-calling to support engagement and retention. If your learner is neuro-divergent and requires accommodation, please reach out before class starts to discuss back-channeling options.
Supply List
A couple pencils, an eraser, a notebook, and the standard Outschool tools. Headsets are preferred but not required. Students are encouraged to write their work by hand, but accommodations can be made for those who feel strongly about typing.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Roman's Writing Workshop
Joined March, 2023
4.9
41reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree from Boston University
I have been a writer for 25+ years and a teacher since 2004. The approach that I teach is informed by my work as a graduate student at Boston University, a technical writer and editor at Clemson University, and many professional development courses and workshops, most notably the Institute for Writing and Thinking at Bard College and the EmPower Method from Architects for Learning. As far as ChatGPT goes, I am a novice user.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$26
weekly1x per week
50 min
Completed by 33 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
1-8 learners per class