Writing for Reluctant Authors
In this class, we will be exploring different genres of writing for the most reluctant of authors! Every child is an author in some way and the aim of this class is to bring that out!
What's included
8 live meetings
4 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students will be asked to finish any work not completed in class.Assignments
Students will be asked to do some larger, independent periods of writing outside of class to help save class time for more instruction. Typing their rough draft on Google Docs, for example.Progress Report
A progress report will be provided to each parent/ guardian at the completion of the class.Grading
A writing portfolio (Google Drive) will be available for the parent to look at at any time throughout the course.Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
In this class, we will be exploring different genres of writing for the most reluctant of authors! Every child is an author in some way and the aim of this class is to bring that out! One essential part of this class is me modeling my own piece of writing, including the think aloud process from the planning to the publishing. We start with small pieces and work our way up to larger pieces of writing thereby, building stamina. There will be many opportunities for us to look at strengths and weakness in the writing that is produced through whole class, peer, and teacher to student conferences. Students will be doing a mixture of paper/ pencil and typing via Google Classroom. This is done to incorporate technology skills and also to allow kids different ways of recording their thoughts. January: Fictional Narrative Writing February: Personal Narrative Writing March: Informational Writing April: Persuasive Writing May: Poetry
Learning Goals
Students will be able to develop writing stamina by writing independently for 5+ minutes by the end of the course.Students will be able to plan, write a rough draft, revise, edit, and publish a few shorter and one longer pieces of writing.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)8 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Class Intro
We will first dive into student interests and feelings about writing as well as setting a personal writing goal for this class. We will work on a Quick Write (two options to pick from: free choice and a more guided prompt) to establish a baseline for writing stamina and have conversations about improvements and celebrations of our writing. 35 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Writing Genre Intro
We will start class with a Quick Write. We will look at some samples of the writing genre and make observations of the author and record those thoughts on our class "poster". Having those observations in mind, I will model what planning this piece might look like, including a "think aloud" so students are aware of my thought process. 35 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Writing Genre - Planning
Students will plan out their writing piece on paper. I will help guide and conference with students through the process. 35 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Writing Genre - Rough Draft
I will model how we set up our paper for the rough draft and the reasons why we do it that way. Students will begin writing their rough draft and will need to finish it outside of class. 35 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Pre-Requisites
Students should be able to write at least a few sentences on their own, with or without a prompt.
Supply List
Google Drive account (can be parent or student's account) Pencils Notebook Basic color pens
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will refer to credible content sources such as online encyclopedias for children or www.dictionary.com and www.thesaurus.com for working with word choice.
Joined November, 2024
Teacher expertise and credentials
North Carolina Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
I have taught writing in grades K-6th over the course of my 12 years as an educator. Writing Essentials by Regie Routman has been a guide for my writing teaching and I'm excited to share what I've learned there with students to help them be better authors. Reviews
Live Group Course
$14
weekly or $56 for 8 classes2x per week, 4 weeks
35 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-12
2-8 learners per class
