Writing With the Headless Horseman
In this 4 week class, students will learn all about Irving and his American classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow . Learners will analyze the elements of a good story, do vocabulary work, "dress-up' sentences and write their own spooky tale.
Charity Cortez
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5.0
Number of reviews:(1)
What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentAssignments
1 hour per week. Vocabulary Practice, Dress-up Practice, Freytag Pyramid and Brainstorming Practice and Creative Writing Experience by writing your own short story.Assessment
As this is an informal creative writing seminar/class, informal assessment in the form of "Glows and Grows" will be used by both the instructor and peers. What did the student do well and what could they improve upon next time?Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
Beginner Level
This class is both a literary study and creative writing experience with one of America's first written ghost tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Using weekly video segments based upon the lesson, students will learn in a fun, relaxed, yet content-rich way. Google Slides are used with the Peardeck extension to interact with me at various points in the weekly lesson. There are 4 weekly assignments that are to be uploaded for assessment, with the final one being their own ghost story.
Learning Goals
Read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Students will discover facts about the author and cultural background and context. It's also important to understand the vocabulary used that may not be familiar to today's reader.Students will analyze The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with the use of Freytag's Pyramid. Plot includes setting, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusions.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Curriculum4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
It's All About That Colonial Context
This lesson is about the author and what made this novel so unique. What was the cultural background? Ever heard of Geoffrey Crayon? What was happening in America during the time this story was written? We will also dive into some of the difficult vocabulary posed in the book. The story should be read by the end of this week. Lesson 2:
Let's Dissect The Headless Horseman
Using Freytag's Pyramid, we will analyze (dissect) The Headless Horseman and deconstruct the elements of a good story. (Setting, Rising Actions, Climax, Falling Actions and Conclusions) Did Washington Irving use all of these elements? Where there multiple plots and climaxes in the story? (sub-plots) Lesson 3:
Magic Potions of Creative Writing
To have a magical story, we have to throw a few important elements of style into the cauldron: -ly adverbs, clauses, quality adjectives and strong verbs. A variety of sentence openers will also be discussed to make your writing more "ghoulish." Lesson 4:
It's Time to Make Your Own Legend
This lesson is all about creative writing. How do you make a storyboard? How do you brainstorm? What approach do you want to use as an author? The final project of the week is your own spooky story using all of the elements we discussed in our unit. Other Details
Parental Guidance
Scary, violent themes (ghosts, headless horseman, swords) I use Google Slides and Pear Deck as an approved third-party tool.
Supply List
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (From The Sketchbook) by Washington Irving Writing notebook
Language of Instruction
English
Joined September, 2023
5.0
1reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Accredited IEW Instructor
Freelance ghost-writer/blogger
BS in Secondary Ed
Hoeschool Mom of 12 plus yearsReviews
Self-Paced Course
$10
weekly or $40 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
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Ages: 14-18
