Mrs. B’s Creative Writing Course
Learn essential writing skills in this 8 week semester course and write your very own Animal Chapter Story in a supportive writing community!
Mrs. B, ELA Teacher, B.of Ed.
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(785)
What's included
8 live meetings
6 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Every class time will provide clear step by step directions and instructions for students to do the writing assignments in between meetings. Learners will be writing much of their stories as homework, but guidance will always be available from me whenever there are questions or help is needed. As with anything in life, learners will get more out of their experience with a solid effort and some extra time put into their work!Assessment
Assessment will be ongoing throughout each class. As we engage in the writing activities I will be asking various questions which will determine learner comprehension and engagement. Adjustments and communication will be made when needed to ensure each learner is reaching the above learning goals.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
Do you love animals? Here’s your chance to write your very own Animal Chapter Story! In this 8 week semester course we will pour our love of animals into story writing, all the while learning a step-by-step approach to being a young author and making a short chapter book. Every learner will come away with increased creative and practical story writing skills, starting with the extra-important pre-writing phase and ending with an edited and illustrated mini novel which will serve as a wonderful reminder of our time together. We will be meeting once a week for 8 weeks, but I will be available through the learner messages and the outschool classroom for assistance and to provide feedback whenever needed. Here is a breakdown of the skills and themes we will cover during this creative writing course: Week One: -Introductions, sharing about ourselves and the animals we love -I will share some story starter ideas and read some real life animal rescue stories, students may also share their own animal stories and experiences if they wish -Graphic Organizers will be shown and modeled to help in organizing story writing ideas, concepts of setting, characters, plot will be included here -Point of View/Narrator Lesson -Homework for next class: Finish graphic organizer and be ready to share Week Two: -Students will share graphic organizers for their Animal Stories -We will break up our plot points into short chapter sections -Lesson on Developing the setting -Lesson on Paragraphs/focus will be on opening paragraph Week Three: -Share Opening Paragraphs(learners will offer and listen to suggestions) -Revise, Revise, Revise(discussion on how good authors are always revising; learners will be given a revising checklist) -Titles Lesson(Story Title and Chapter Titles) -Cliffhanger and Suspense Lesson Week Four: -Character Development Lesson -Writing Dialogue and Quotations Lesson Week Five: -Descriptive Paragraph Lesson -Using Juicy Words(Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs Lesson) Week Six: -Images, Similes and Metaphors Lesson -Alliteration lesson -Great Endings Lesson Week Seven: -Exemplary Extras(About the Author, back of the book blurb, illustrations, dedication page, facts page) -Edit, Edit Edit! We will discuss the importance of various types of editing before publishing our novel for the class Week Eight: -Meet the young authors! We will present and share our Mini-Novels!! Learners will pretend they are at a book signing for their newly published novel and give their adoring fans a “taste” of their novel by reading parts out loud!!
Learning Goals
-learn creative writing techniques that good writers employ
-learn the steps to writing and finishing a short mini-novel with chapters
-learn the importance of revising and editing skills when writing for an audience
Other Details
Supply List
Learners need a workspace to do their writing, be that a designated desk in the home office, the kitchen table, or a quiet bedroom. Writing may be done on computer, iPad, or whatever device allows for saving and sending the writing electronically. If learners prefer pen and paper writing, that is wonderful too! Scanned images or phone pics taken of the writing are acceptable when sharing is required.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
5.0
785reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a certified teacher with over 26 years of experience in Canadian classrooms. I specialize in Middle Years English and have led hundreds of writing clubs. It is awesome for me to see children learn practical and creative writing skills in a step by step approach and then discover that they are young authors!!Reviews
Live Group Class
$120
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
50 min
Completed by 34 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-5 learners per class
