*All "busy-work" and commenting in the classroom is optional in this class.

This class will cover information found in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland, used as inspiration when structuring a written story. 

Week 1:
During the first day, learners will discuss the writing style within Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire series and what main components make up the story. The basic components for writing will briefly be covered through video posted in the classroom, with attention paid on how to start creating characters. Learners will also participate in a short brainstorming activity meant to stimulate creativity, where they will create character which could logically fit into the pre-existing Wings of Fire world. Learners will then participate in a brainstorming game among themselves, where they will trade ideas in a classroom post (e.g. one learner starts with a character, the next with a description, the third with a fun fact, etc.) until learners get the idea of how to brainstorm characters. Resources like name generators, description generators, and so forth will also be shared for those learners who wish to have some assistance in the process. I will also prompt discussion with questions for the class to think about, including a fun character questioner that learners will fill out. 

Week 2:
We will discuss character building, looking at it through the lens of how Wings of Fire structures its characters. During a video lecture, learners will be taught what an archetype is and will then spend more time writing creatively, working on creating a background and life for the character they created the previous day, including a personality. Learners will participate in a creative writing excise, where they will develop a background short story for their character. Class and inter-learner participation will be encouraged through another game, where the learners will attempt to guess what archetype a canon Wings of Fire character falls into and then support their guess with reasoning. While creating their own characters' backstories, learners will be asked to provide feedback to others within class. During this class, they will also be taught the polite review format (a way of reviewing a peers work for maximum helpfulness to a peer, while also remaining kind), which will benefit them in future learning experiences in this class.

Week 3:
We will cover world building. Learners will create their own unique "Tribe" and the territory they occupy, including how their character from the previous day will fit into the world (e.g. are they a hunter, tribe leader, etc.). This will include another writing excise, where learners will write about one day in their character's life. Learners will also create a map during this week, mapping out their created Tribe/s territory. I will post a video discussing the various components of world building, the world building that Wings of Fire features, and finally various ways that learners can create these maps. Learners will then interact with each other by asking at least three questions to another learner about one or more features of the other learner's territory. Each learner will then answer their respective questions before next class period.

Week 4:
During this week, will include a video lecture, followed by a discussion on plot and how plot influences character and world. Learners will construct a rough plot outline including a beginning, middle, and end. A blank plot outline map will be provided in class for this purpose, as well as a completed example plot map (made by me) for learner reference. Learners will continue to work on how this plot revolves around their character and Tribe. Once the plot map is completed, learners will then look at the first Wings of Fire book (The Dragonet Prophecy) and try and pick out the main components of that volumes plot (example: What would be considered the "rising action" for The Dragonet Prophecy?). As a group, they will analyze this volume and work out what they believe would be the plot map for "The Dragonet Prophecy."  

Week 5:
We will continue the discussion on plot, including a second recorded lecture on this topic, with special attention given to conflict (antagonists) and details within a plot. Learners will complete another writing excise during class where they will write one instance of conflict between their character and something else. During this final day of class, learners will be tasked with critiquing each others plot outline using the polite review format taught on Week 2. They will give feedback and ask questions about each others work, resulting in a more thoughtful writing process. Tips on how to combat writer's block will also be shared. To end the class, there will be a final game, this time of Kahoot, where learners will go over the different skills and terminology which they have learned in this course.