In this pre-recorded FLEX class, the goal is to foster in students a love of writing while developing critical writing and communication skills through creative writing. Please note that this is a FLEX class and there are no live meetings, although the instructor does communicate with the students through messages and classroom postings. 

Each week, students will watch an engaging video, complete the in-video exercises, and then submit their assignment to the instructor for feedback. During the week, the instructor will communicate with the students in the Classroom by posting activities and questions designed to encourage communication and interaction among the students. 

WEEK 1: Anaphora in advertising! What's anaphora? You'll have to come to this class to find out, but by the end of class, you'll be using anaphora like a professional advertising executive as you create advertisements that stick in people's minds. 

WEEK 2: Symbols, symbols everywhere... and not a drop to drink. If you've ever read Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," you probably understand the symbolism of the albatross. Most literature contains some sort of symbolism. For this class, we will brainstorm types of symbols/motifs and how to use them to reveal things about out characters and situations. For homework, students will send a character on a quest and imbue their writing with symbolism. 

WEEK 3: What's your point-of-view? In writing, the point of view depends on who the narrator is and also on how close the narrator is to the situation. We'll examine the differences in objective, limited, and omniscient third-person points of view by examining situations from both angles. Then, students will write two pieces about the same work of art, but from two points-of-view. 

WEEK 4: What has to be broken before you can fix it? I'm not telling unless you come to this class! The focus this week is riddles, which are of course fun, but which also use a surprising amount of literary devices like personification, similes, and metaphors. We'll also try to solve some of Emily Dickinson's riddles. Then, students can try their hand at coming up with their own series of riddles. 

Each video-based class begins with a warm-up activity, followed by three vocabulary words that students should try to integrate into their assignment. Then, the instructor introduces the literary device for that class and gives students opportunities to practice it creatively. All activities lead up to the final assignment, and the instructor gives examples every step of the way. 

Because learner interaction is an integral part of a FLEX class, interaction between learners and the instructor will occur in the following ways: 

1) Students are encouraged to post their weekly assignments in the Classroom and to constructively comment on their classmates' work. 

2) Mid-week activities that encourage interaction, such as Nearpod games, a quizlet (updated weekly) that uses the vocabulary words, and instructor posts that challenge students to write and think creatively.