Hilariously Serious Reviews for Boring Things | Descriptive & Persuasive Writing
Can you make paperclips sound exciting? What about a litter box scoop? Write reviews for everyday objects to convince people to buy them--or not. Prepare to persuade! Create some criticism! One new item per week. Max of 5 learners.
Teacher Lauren, MAT
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(258)
Star Educator
What's included
1 live meeting
25 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
In this class, we will be writing item reviews for normal, boring, everyday objects in order to make them sound much more exciting. This exercise will help you write descriptively, persuasively, and creatively. One of you will be randomly chosen to think of an item. It doesn't need to be one you own, but it should be something you can actually buy--either online or at a store. It needs to be something kind of boring. A video game would not be a good example. A cardboard box to put games in though? Perfect. Next, decide whether you want to write a positive or negative review. (Or both if you have time!) For a positive review, imagine you are trying to get someone else to purchase this product, so you'll want to share how it's truly amazing. Be over the top! "Your life will never be the same" is a good start. For a negative review, you're trying to spare others from wasting their money. Why should they NOT buy this thing? Again, be dramatic with things like, "my life is ruined." If you're undecided, you could try a neutral review instead and include pros and cons of the item. Let me give you an example: Our item is a stapler. For your positive review, you could mention how you used to glue paper together before buying a stapler, and this is so much faster! You could mention how aesthetically pleasing it looks on your desk. As for the negative review, you might say how it jams constantly or you got a hand cramp because it isn't designed properly or the color is so horrible, it literally hurts to look at it. Have fun with it! Despite the title of this class, you don't need to be a comedian. Simply writing a review of something like a fork? THAT is funny. Reviews are generally short, so a simple paragraph is fine. It's not how much you say, but how you say it. Remember, your goal is to either convince someone to buy this item or run far away from it. We'll share our reviews at the end of class--but only if you want! You can either read it or post it in the chat for us to read ourselves. You can also post it after class if you didn't quite finish. ***Schedule*** The items for this class are randomly chosen during classtime, so there is no set schedule. It's time to make the mundane sound amazing. See you in class! Any questions, please ask! Cancel anytime. No refunds for past payments. Most recent payment can be refunded within 24 hours of purchase and prior to the first meeting of the payment period.
Learning Goals
Learners will practice the following skills:
*descriptive writing: give item details
*persuasive writing: convince readers they must have this item
*creative writing: making something not awesome sound awesome will take some creativity
*public speaking: if they choose to share
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2020
4.9
258reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
🚨 New Class Alert! 🚨 Use code LAURENTZONE15 for $15 off my class "Literary Twists & Turns of The Twilight Zone | A Self-Paced ELA Course"
Check it out here: https://outschool.com/classes/literary-twists-turns-of-the-twilight-zone-mrvYyVrW
Hello, Outschool! My name is Teacher Lauren, and I'm so happy to meet you.
My Outschool schedule includes a variety of English classes. Want to learn some literary terms? Try The Literary Twists and Turns of the Twilight Zone! Want to write something weird? Try Weird Writing Weekly or One Weird Writing. Want to write about your cat? Try Cat Tales! Or maybe you're looking for more of a challenge? Try a class in the Write Now, Right Now Series! Whichever class you choose, you are sure to have fun and learn something new in the process.
Most of my classes are 5 learners or less, especially for my writing classes. I prefer smaller groups for a more personalized class, where your voice matters. I want you to feel like you're part of a writing club, not lost in a sea of students. I encourage interaction and sharing ideas, all in a friendly and laid-back space.
*All About Me*
⭐️I'm an public school English teacher turned online educator wanting to nurture a love of reading & writing in young people in a fun and creative way.
*Education*
🎓 Master of Arts in Teaching
🎓 Bachelor of Science in English
🎓 Minor in Film Studies
*Teaching Experience*
📚 English Language Arts public school teacher: grades 6-10, 12 (2008-2016)
🇨🇳 ESL Teacher (2018-2021)
✏️ Outschool Teacher (2020-present)
👩🏫 Outschool ACE Educator & Star Educator (2024)
Other than a teacher, I'm also a...
✔️cat mom to a spoiled tabby named Mocha
✔️backyard pumpkin grower
✔️music lover
✔️YouTube content creator
✔️writer
✔️chocolate enthusiast
*All About My Classes*
⭐️ Featured Classes: 2 New Self-Paced Courses! ⭐️
-The Shockingly Grim World of Grimm's Fairy Tales (self-paced): listen to 6 dark tales, then get creative with accompanying writing activities ($10 off with code LAURENGRIMM10)
☀️Summer Fun 2024☀️
-Spend this summer in The Twilight Zone! A new self-paced class exploring a variety of literary terms. ($15 off with code LAURENTZONE15)
📝Weekly Writing Classes📝
-Weird Writing Weekly: My most popular and longest running class! Write a story made up of a random combination of character, setting, conflict, and random things.
-Cat Tales: Your cat is now the main character in a short story with a variety of topics, chosen by you! Cats welcome!
-The "Write Now, Right Now" Series: 3 different classes of seven minute writing challenges (Creative Writing, Journal Prompts, and Grammar Practice)
📝One Time Writing Classes📝
-Randomly Scary Stories for Writers Who Wish Halloween Lasted All Year: Put random Halloween inspired ideas together to create a scary story
-One Weird Story: the one week version of Weird Writing Weekly!
📺 Movie/TV Themed Classes 📺
-Horror or Horror-ble Movie Night! (meets weekly): Come watch an old horror/sci-fi film (during class!) & discuss
-Literary Twists & Turns of the Twilight Zone (new! self-paced): Learn 10 literary terms from 10 episodes of this classic tv show
Coming This August!
-Weird Grammar Weekly: Practice parts of speech while you learn weird and random facts about weird and random things.
⏱️Coming Eventually⏱️
-Solving Unsolved Mysteries (self-paced): See if you can solve true crime mysteries by writing your own theories
Please contact me with any questions. The calendar below is far from accurate, so just ignore it. Class listings will have the most up to date information. If you have class ideas/requests, I'm certainly open to those! Feel free to send a message any time of day. I'm a bit of a night owl, so don't be surprised if you get a reply at 10 pm.
I hope to see you in my classroom soon. Thank you! -Teacher LaurenReviews
Live Group Class
$11
weekly1x per week
25 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-15
1-5 learners per class
