Creative Writing! Let's Use Pictures to Spark Stories! FLEX

In this four-week creative writing course, students will engage in the writing process as they write a story from beginning to end. Pictures are used at the beginning of the course to inspire your child's imagination - no ideas or topics to write about? No problem! The photographs included in lesson ones video will help your child find the inspiration they need to begin writing. 

Students will learn about the writing process throughout the four weeks as they practice each step and apply what they learn to their own writing piece. 

Each week, students will learn a key writing skill. They will apply that skill to their story and work through a step in the writing process. Students will take their stories from start to finish in this four-week course! They will be working on brainstorming, pre-writing, writing rough drafts, revising and editing for clarity and organization, developing characters, and more! 



Class Structure: 
Class 1: During our first class, students will be given interesting images to look at for inspiration. They will choose their favorite picture, and this will serve as their story starter.  Students will watch a mini-lesson video about "mapping ideas" and will begin the prewriting phase of the writing process. Next, your child will create characters for their story and will work on developing those characters, thinking beyond just their names and physical descriptions. They will work on character development by identifying their character's traits, features, and "back story". 

Class 2: In our second class, students will watch a teacher-created mini-lesson about "plot". They will work on identifying the problem, climax, and solution for their story. This week, students will take their brainstorming notes and character charts and will begin writing a rough draft of their story. 

Class 3: In our third meeting, students will watch a mini-lesson about "show, don't tell: using the five senses to enhance writing". They will find areas in their story to edit, using this strategy to make their writing shine. This week, they will continue to write their drafts, will edit and revise for interesting details, and may turn in their writing pieces for additional help and feedback. 

Class 4: During our final week, students will learn more about editing and revising. After watching this week's mini-lesson, they will work through the editing checklist and will write their final draft. Students may turn in their completed drafts to the teacher for feedback and guidance if they'd like. 

Throughout the process, each student will submit their weekly work to the teacher by posting to the classroom, messaging with the teacher, and using the interactive tools provided. They will be able to receive personalized feedback throughout the writing process based on their individual needs.