8 Session-Writing on the Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Adventure
Katy Zia, Reading Jedi Master (M.ED)
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(16)
Write a Choose Your Own Adventure style book about the Oregon Trail! Discover how to communicate and organize your ideas. Hook your readers with creative writing. Design problem solving challenges to survive the journey out West!
Class experience
US Grade 3 - 6
Strap on your boots and join the writing journey! Create a Choose Your Own Adventure style book about the Oregon Trail. Great authors find a way to create something that others want to read. You will use new writing skills to choose different problems for your readers and complete a full book with different possible endings! Just like the pioneers on the Oregon Trail made a plan for success, built their skills along the way, and persevered through difficulties, you too will do HARD THINGS....
This class is for... *Kids who love choice and creativity *Kids who want to build skills of communication and organization *Kids who thrive with challenge and group encouragement You will build your writing skills by... *Planning and writing a Choose Your Own Adventure books with multiple endings *Hooking your reader *Using descriptive details to introduce characters and setting *Creating multiple problems and solutions PARENT NOTE: Meets Common Core: Language Arts Standards: Grade 5: Writing 5. W. 4, 5, 6: Writing a Narrative to develop real or imagined experience or events using narrative technique, descriptive detail, and clear event sequence.
Katy Zia is an Oregonian herself and has long been fascinated with the people and places of significance on the Oregon Trail. Katy Zia has experience teaching in public and private schools in Oregon for 17 years. She is a certified teacher and currently holds a Masters of Education degree in Oregon State.
Homework Offered
In the first 4 weeks of class, you will be challenged to read through each of the 4 Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail books by Jesse Wiley with one possible ending. This will be approximately 50-60 pages per week. This should take 1-2 hours depending on independent reading ability. Younger students or those who struggle with reading independently are encouraged to read the 4 books with parent support to help gather background information about the Oregon Trail and this style of Choose Your Own Adventure writing. Kids are welcome to read though the books again to choose different endings, but this is not required. In weeks 1-2, you will also complete a quick journal prompt and complete a brainstorm map for their Choose Your Own Adventure style book. It will lay out your plan for multiple choices and possible endings. You may use the "Oregon Trail Map Poster and Trail Guide: Challenges You'll Face Along the Way" booklet included in the book series set as reference. In weeks 3-6, you will a rough draft with... Chapter 1 with 2 choices Chapters for... Choice 1 and 2 Choice 3 and 4 Choice 5 and 6 The writing homework assignments should take 1-2 hours per week. You may choose to hand write or type written work. You may choose to complete written assignments at once or spread out your writing on various days of the week depending on your learning style and how you best focus. Spelling, grammar and punctuation can be addressed with parent support. I would advise parents to allow students to write ideas freely and not interrupt creative flow. It is most helpful to edit and revise at the end rather than during the writing process. In week 7, you will edit and revise your book. You will post your final draft on Padlet for the teacher and other students to review. You will write a compliment for at least one other student's work on Padlet. PARENT NOTE: For younger or reluctant writers, students may choose to write an Oregon Trail narrative story with only one ending. The teacher will communicate directly with families regarding this modification as needed. All students will be able to write a narrative story about the Oregon Trail and find challenge and success in building their writing skills.1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Each class will focus on student and teacher discussion. We will learn new writing styles and techniques to make our writing stronger and find out voice to communicate clearly. We will also spend time sharing our written work and giving compliments and feedback to one another. Final drafts of the completed Choose Your Own Adventure books will be shared digitally on Padlet. Only the students and teacher in this class will have access to this link. Each student will give compliments to one another through Padlet. The teacher will also give public compliments and will also give private messages with constructive feedback.Grades Offered
Students in this course will need... *4 Book Paperback Book Set: The Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail by Jesse Wiley (published 2018) *Lined writing paper or a lined journal if you choose to hand write your Choose Your Own Adventure style book *You may also choose to type your book in a Word Document This book series is appropriate for independent readers aged 8-12, grades 3rd-7th. Younger or struggling readers may benefit from reading with parent support. Families will need to purchase this book set as it also includes a Poster Map and Trail Guide Challenges that will be used as a reference throughout this course. This 4 book set is readily available on Amazon and other online sources. A private link to our class's Padlet website will also be shared with families. Only the teacher and students in this course will have access to the Padlet link as a tool to digitally share our final draft of the Choose Your Own Adventure style books. Families may choose to submit photos of handwritten work or upload Word Documents onto Padlet. Parents may need to support students who may not be familiar with this process.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
The Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail books may discuss real life historical dangers of sickness, death, violence and bandits in an age appropriate way. These books discuss Native Americans, but are culturally sensitive and do not include violence between different people groups. Families are encouraged to research more on their own about the historical impact of this time period. Students will be encouraged to be respectful of different people groups in their own writing.
4 Book Paperback Book Set: The Oregon Trail: Choose Your Own Trail by Jesse Wiley (published 2018) The Poster Map and Trail Guide Challenges included in this book set will also be used as a reference throughout this course. These books are readily available on Amazon and other online sources. A link will be shared with families when they register for this class.
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(16)
My classes focus on building communities and creating real-life challenges for elementary age students in the area of reading and math. Students in the primary grades can learn how to fail and bounce back, be confident, and be independent. I am a...
Group Class
$200
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
55 min
Completed by 11 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
4-8 learners per class
