Creative Writing: Finding Your Next Character (Ages 8-10)
In this one-time class, students will collaboratively create a fictional character through a series of short writing prompts and then start using those prompts to create new characters individually.
Megan Philippi
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(45)
What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hoursClass Experience
In this class, students will examine what makes a character interesting and then respond to writing prompts to create original characters. We will start with introductions and a brief discussion of favorite characters. Then we will work through a series of short prompts to create one character collaboratively as a class. The second half of the class will give students time to write independently, responding to one or two of the writing prompts from the first half of the class. At the end of class, students will have the opportunity to share a bit of their writing with the group. I will post the prompts in the classroom after class so that the students can continue writing if they wish.
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2020
5.0
45reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am an educator and theater artist with experience teaching literature, writing, and theater. I graduated with honors from the University of Chicago, where I majored in Theater and Performance Studies, which involved extensive coursework in literature and creative writing as well as performance theory and practice. I have tutored students of all ages in writing, taught literature classes to middle and high school students at the Great Books Summer Program, and co-directed student theater/film ensembles with Voices of Now as an Allen Lee Hughes Fellow at Arena Stage. I am passionate about getting to know my students and teaching classes that are both fun and rigorous. It is important to me to make my classroom inclusive, supportive, and comfortable for everyone, so that learners can push themselves to explore new ideas and take creative risks.
Literature – I love guiding students to think deeply and critically about what they read, especially through Socratic discussion. I teach students tools to interpret literature and to back up their interpretations with evidence from the text.
Writing – I believe everyone has stories to tell. I love teaching students who share my passion for writing, as well as those who don’t yet feel confident putting their stories on paper. I have experience tutoring creative nonfiction, persuasive writing, and fiction.
Theater – My theater experience is primarily in directing, dramaturgy, and education. As a dramaturg, I have evaluated and offered feedback on plays by professional playwrights in the literary departments of the Goodman Theatre and Court Theatre. I am passionate about devised theater and have worked with students to create autobiographical devised theater and film. I also love poetic plays and have experience coaching actors to speak naturally in verse.
Fun facts:
I wrote a monologue from the perspective of the brachiosaurus skeleton in my profile picture and it was recorded by Statue Stories Chicago and voiced by Brian Dennehy!
The film I worked on at Arena Stage is called "Inside Voices" and you can watch it here: https://www.arenastage.org/tickets/von-film-launch/
You can follow my Facebook or Instagram pages for literary quotes, class discounts, and other updates: https://www.facebook.com/PhilippiTeaching, https://www.instagram.com/philippiteaching/
Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$10
per classMeets once
60 min
Completed by 14 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-10
2-9 learners per class
