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Creative Writing: Intro to Storytelling (Self-Paced Class)

Completed by 214 learners
Ages 8-13
Self-Paced Course
Learn to become a creative writer and literary analyst by playing brain games to encourage creative thinking, learning about the key elements of a compelling story, and writing your own unique short story!
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(1,502 reviews)

4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content

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Go at your own pace
Your learner can start learning when they want and progress at the speed that works best for them.
Start when you want.
Learn at your own pace
Access course material for a full year.
Get hands-on support from teacher.

What's included

4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support
1 year access
to the content

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 6
This 4 Lesson Self-Paced class teaches the fundamentals of creative thinking and story creation and is filled with activities to supplement the Lessons. By the end, students should be comfortable planning, writing, and analyzing their own original stories from scratch.

Specifically, we'll learn:

- brain warmup games to overcome writer's block, think outside the box, and express ideas (especially helpful for reluctant students)

- character creation using the Pixar method (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Brave) 

- elements of setting: time, place, and culture

- plot archetypes (rags to riches, comedy, tragedy, the hero's journey, etc.) through the lens of the students' favorite stories

- themes like love, courage, and loyalty that tie to human emotions and morality

and students will create their own original stories over the course of the class

This is a Self-Paced class with no live meetings. Each of the 4 Lessons includes a pre-recorded Lesson Video (plus an Optional Worksheet for comprehension) with accompanying Discussion posts, where students will do activities and engage in a back-and-forth with the teacher. By the end of the Lessons, students should feel comfortable making original stories from scratch. 

Students are also welcome to use live chat messaging with me or to arrange individual video chats with me to discuss their writing, ensure comprehension of the lessons, and/or ask questions. 

I also offer this as a Live Course, if your student prefers that method of instruction: https://outschool.com/classes/creative-writing-intro-to-storytelling-7LW2lQ03#usu529M6QA

This class is also perfect for Saysa (Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award) participants. 

See you in class!

Class listing photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash

Syllabus

4 Lessons
over 4 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Character Creation
 We'll test out the Pixar method (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, etc.) of story-writing by creating characters for our short stories. Plus, we'll do fun brain warmups each Lesson to boost creativity! 
16 mins of video lessons
Lesson 2:
Setting & Plot
 We'll familiarize ourselves with the elements of setting: time, place, and culture. Then, we'll create basic outlines for our own original stories. 
13 mins of video lessons
Lesson 3:
Genre & Themes
 We'll explore the concept of genre and literary themes like love, courage, and loyalty that tie to human emotions and morality. 
15 mins of video lessons
Lesson 4:
Types of Conflict & Plot Archetypes
 We'll end by learning about plot archetypes (rags to riches, comedy, tragedy, the hero's journey, etc.) through the lens of classic stories. And we'll analyze each other's original stories for type of conflict, genre, themes, and more. 
10 mins of video lessons

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

Joined April, 2018
4.8
1502reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Education from University College London
Bachelor's Degree from Georgetown University
I teach a popular and well-reviewed live version of this course, and found that the subject lends itself perfectly to a Self-Paced class. Outside of Outschool, I'm a freelance writer. I've been published on multiple online journals based in sports, energy, finance, and technology, and currently blog about politics, culture, and entertainment on Medium. Creative writing is my passion!

Reviews

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