What's included
5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentMastery Evaluation
1-2 hours per week. Students will receive constructive feedback designed to build confidence and strengthen skills on any submitted stories.Assessment
includedClass Experience
US Grade 5 - 9
What is special and unique about the world around you? And how would life look different if it all went wrong - just like in your favorite dystopian novels? In this five-week class, we'll explore these questions and more as students build toward creating their own worlds filled with dark threats. Each prerecorded lesson in this SELF-PACED version of the course will build on the previous lessons as students develop skills and confidence to compose their own dystopian flash fiction pieces with well-developed settings and characters. Some weeks will include worksheets to help expand ideas. Students can submit their ideas and stories as they progress through the course for constructive feedback that will be framed in positive ways to increase confidence and strengthen the final story.
Learning Goals
Students will hone their creative writing skills and complete a short dystopian story.
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Love and Threats
We will discuss what a dystopian society looks like, the threats that could affect a city, and how what we love about a place can make those threats even more frightening.
1 assignment
Lesson 2:
Dystopian Worldbuilding
We'll dive into dystopian worldbuilding by analyzing "Autumntime" by Anthony Lentini and students will begin to explore what kind of worlds they want to create.
Lesson 3:
Who Lives Here?
Stories need characters and that's what we'll discuss in this lesson. We'll talk about how the planned dystopian world affects their choices and work on developing engaging characters that readers will feel invested in.
Lesson 4:
The Plot Thickens
We'll talk about how to increase tension in their dystopian stories to advance the plot and students will get feedback on their planned stories.
Other Details
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Week 2: "Autumtime" by Anthony Lentini: https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/autumntime
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in English Language and Literature from American Public University System
I have been a professional writer for over a decade and have had my nose stuck in a book since I learned how to read. Dystopian stories are among my favorite!
Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$15
weekly or $75 for all content5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Choose your start date
Ages: 11-18