8/3/2019 Creative Writing Syllabus 2011
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SWHS Creative Writing2011-2012Mrs. Beavers
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William
Wordsworth
And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have
the outgoing guts to do it,and the imagination to improvise.
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what
we are unable to say.~Anas Nin
Class Description
Creative writing expresses the writers thoughts and feelings in
an imaginative,often unique, and poetic way (Sil.org What is
Creative Writing?). Creativewriting includes traditional genres
such as fiction, poetry, and drama, as well asdigital forms and
even non-fiction. Over the course of the semester, you will havethe
opportunity to explore and practice writing in all of these
genres.
Course Expectations
1. RESPECT: My first priority for this class is to create a safe
space for you toshare your writing. At no time will it be
appropriate to laugh at or ridicule aclassmate's writing pieces or
ideas. I also expect you to listen while I teachmini-lessons and
give information. Basically, if I am talking, you are not.
2. PARTICIPATION: It is vital that you participate in all
writing tasks anddiscussions. You must also follow the guidelines
for the writing responsegroups that the class creates. A large
portion of your grade will come fromthis area.
3. PREPARATION: First of all, be on time. Enter class and get
started on thequickwrite (or read your independent book if one is
not on the board).Come to class with both reading and writing
assignments completed so youcan fully participate in response
groups and conferences. On days we aresharing our writing, make
sure that you bring a copy of your writing piecefor each group
member.
Course Requirements
1. Writer's Notebook: We will begin class each day with an
invitation towriting. These are quickwrites that you will complete
in your notebook
from a given prompt. You will also be expected to write in your
notebooksoutside of class. I will give you ideas for this
out-of-class writing, but it caninclude pretty much
anythingobservations, reflections, illustrations, etc.Writer's
Notebook entries will most likely become drafts of your
assignedwriting pieces.
2. Mini-Lessons: In addition to the writing you will do in your
notebook, youwill also record notes and complete exercises over
topics essential to goodwriting. These will be included in your
notebook grade.
3. Reading responses. Stephen King says in his book On Writing
that if youdon't have the time to read, you don't have the time or
tools to write. Ibelieve that reading is essential to becoming a
good writer. During each
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unit, you will be responsible for reading and responding to
examples of thegenre we are studying. Many of these responses will
be completed duringclass, but occasionally they will be assigned as
homework.
4. Writing response groups: Throughout the writing process, you
will respondto your classmates' writing in small groups using the
PQP methodpraise,question, polish. You will complete a written
record of each session to turnin to me. Throughout the semester, I
will also hold one-on-one conferenceswith you to discuss your
writing piece. I would like you to write your drafts
using Google Docs so that I may easily access them and make
comments.5. Completed pieces. You will be responsible for turning
in three completed
pieces/projects as a portfolio of your work throughout the
semester.These will include a short story, a poetry notebook, and
another writingpiece of your choice.
Units
AugustMid-September: Narrative non-fiction and short
storiesMid-SeptemberNovember: PoetryDecember: Digital writing
(comics, children's books, other forms)
Materials/Resources
Composition bookFlash driveFolder with notebook paper and
pockets for handoutsPen/pencilGoogle Docs account
Late Work
Students are expected to turn in all assignments on time.
Smaller homeworkassignments will not be accepted late. These
include answering questionsover a short story, etc. Larger
assignments such as drafts and final writing pieceswill be accepted
late, but ten points will be deducted for each day it is late. In
theevent of an excused absence, it will be the students
responsibility to checkwith me to see what was missed. The student
will have three days to make upany missed assignments. Late work
must be handed directly to me to receive anycredit.
Cheating
Cheating WILL NOT be tolerated in my class. I consider cheating
to be stealinganother's work and calling it your own. This
includes, but is not limited to,copying from another student; text
messaging, downloading from the Internet,plagiarism, and/or using
cheat sheets. If any of this behavior is observed, you willreceive
a zero on the assignment or test and disciplinary action may
follow.
TardiesYou must be in the classroom before the tardy bell
finishes ringing. I expect youto enter and begin working on the
quickwrite or to read quietly until class begins.
