Creative Writing: Build a Portfolio!
In this semester long course students will write, edit, and workshop creative writing pieces. By the end of the course students will have a completed portfolio of fully revised works showcasing their abilities as a writer!
Ms. Jenna
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(34)
What's included
24 live meetings
20 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. This class requires a fair amount of work done outside of class, as a brick and mortar class would. Works produced should be short-form writing, such as short stories (maximum 3,000 words/10 pages), flash fiction, or poetry. Students will need to write outside of class each week, and submit their work before their assigned deadline. Students are also responsible for reading their classmates' work once uploaded to Google Drive, and recording feedback. Class time will be spent sharing this feedback and workshopping the piece to work out anything that needs to be revised. Starting in Week 9, students should begin revising their work outside of class, using the feedback that was given to them when their writing was workshopped. On the last day of class, completed portfolios will be due, and students will have a chance to discuss the class and their favorite story they produced.Assessment
Students will send their completed portfolios to me at the end of the course for evaluation, and I will then give each student a personalized informal assessment of their work, their revisions, and their overall progress over the 12 weeks.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 11
This 12 week high school level course is designed to challenge young writers and build their confidence level through peer based interaction and feedback. During the semester they will improve upon their skills as a writer, learning how to identify and fix common writing problems such as issues with pacing, plot, character development, dialogue, and sentence structure. By the end of the course students will have a portfolio of 10 completed (and revised) works that showcase their unique abilities as a writer! Sharing work and giving feedback will be required aspects of this workshop focused class. The classroom environment will be encouraging and based on constructive criticism. Students should feel comfortable sharing their work and commenting on the work of their classmates. Writing time will take place outside of class, and students will be given a day each week to turn in their story via Google Drive. Their fellow students will then read and write down their feedback before it is workshopped in class. For example: -Student A is assigned to the first group. They will upload their work into Google Drive by Friday. When class meets on the following Tuesday, Student A’s work will be workshopped. -Student B is assigned to the second group, and they will upload their work into Google Drive by Monday. Their work will be workshopped that Thursday. It will be made clear to each student what group they are in and what specific dates their work will be due. The basic structure of the class will be as follows: Week 1 will cover how to find inspiration to write (including compiling a list of prompts, genres, and types of writing the students are interested in), and how to give constructive criticism and feedback. Week 2 - Week 11 will be focused on workshopping student work. In Week 12 we will discuss how to organize portfolios and address any revision based questions. On the last day of class, completed portfolios will be due. Throughout the course, students will have as much support from me as they need outside of class time, and are always free to message me with questions or concerns.
Learning Goals
During the course students will improve upon their skills as a writer, learning how to identify and fix common writing problems such as issues with pacing, plot, character development, dialogue, and sentence structure. In addition, they will learn how to workshop with their peers, give constructive criticism, and use feedback to revise their work.
By the end of the course students will have a completed portfolio showcasing their abilities as a writer.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
I cannot predict what writing students will bring or create in class, but students are advised to share work (and give feedback) that is YA appropriate.
Supply List
Students should take this class on a device that has access to a camera, microphone, and word processing application. Any reading material will be provided by the teacher. Google Drive will be used to share work amongst the students for workshopping purposes.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
- Google Drive
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in English from Emerson College
BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College
Minor in Journalism from Emerson College
Co facilitator of the Young Critics Program at Glasgow Women’s Library, where I mentored young women in order to help them gain confidence in their writing and reviewing abilities.Reviews
Live Group Class
$250
for 24 classes2x per week, 12 weeks
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-17
4-8 learners per class
