This flex class uses fill in the blank stories to get students excited about writing. It is for students already interested in storytelling or those more reluctant writers. Each day I will post a new fill in the blank story for the students to work on. They can type the story up, hand write the story, or print the sentences and fill in the blanks. They can even post a video of themselves reading their finished story!  I will post a video of myself reading the story I created based on our daily writing prompt. I will comment on any stories the students shared in the classroom. While I will always be encouraging, I will also point out places that students could add more description or sensory details. The paragraphs range from 8 to 10 sentences and will have one, two, or three blanks to fill in per sentence. Students are also welcome to add more sentences or pictures to their story as they are inspired. 

What writing strategies will be taught?
The topics will vary but include food, pets, magic, ninjas, spies, etc. The students will practice describing objects and emotions. Our stories will include sensory details besides sight so that they learn to describe things they taste, touch, hear, and smell as well. The stories can sometimes be silly, but the goal is to get the students to be as creative as possible while still writing a story that makes sense. I want the students to have fun writing and look forward to the process, too. By the end of the course, students will have 30 completed one-page stories. These could be compiled as a "book" to show off their all of their hard work (and would make a fun gift!) 

Who would benefit from taking this class?
This class will benefit a variety of students including those who already have a passion for writing and want to create every day, those who need more practice and could benefit from writing daily, and those who are reluctant to put their words on paper and need a bit more structure and will see improvement over the 30 day process. 

What should learners already know?
Learners should be able to read the writing prompt, although I will try to keep the words within the story as simple as possible. They should be able to continue a thought and fill in a blank with their own ideas based on the sentence prompt. For example, if the sentence is: One day, I road my bike to the _______________, students should be able to pick a place they might actually ride their bike or want to ride their bike. They should be able to connect that place throughout the rest of the story. For example, if they ride their bike into space, the rest of the story's descriptions could include planets, aliens, stars, moons, etc. Students can put more than one word into a blank. It can be a noun, verb, adjective or combination of words based on their interpretation of the sentence. The goal by the end of class is to get them writing as much on their own as possible, without needing blanks or prompts to creative a fun and interesting story. 

Interaction with Teacher/Other Students:
Each day, I will post a video of myself reading the story I created based on our daily writing prompt. Students who feel comfortable are welcome to read their stories, too! This can be a great confidence booster and give students reading practice as well. 

In addition to a daily writing prompt, students will have access to a single story in the classroom that we can all add sentences to each day. Students are encouraged to add a single new sentence every time they enter the classroom. I will add sentences as well to keep the story flowing. As the story progresses, students can share ideas for a story title until we come up with a title that we all feel suits our story. At the end of class, I will present each student with a copy of our combined story for their records. 

Every Saturday, I will post a short crossword puzzle students can fill out online. The answers to the puzzle will be commonly misspelled words and may come directly from students' writing. This is a fun way for students to sneak in some extra spelling practice. There will be approximately four crossword puzzles during the class. Students can share screenshots of their completed work with the other students in the classroom or ask for help if they are stuck on a particular clue.  

Many of the prompts will be taken from my live class Writing Prompts & Exercises for Beginners. If a student has taken that course with me previously, it is possible that some of the prompts may seem familiar.