Advanced Creative Writing Syllabus
2014-2015
Advanced Creative Writing
Course Syllabus
2014-2015
Ms. Clobucker
[email protected]
Location: RM 102
Course Goals
· To gain skills in expressing ourselves with originality, creativity and clarity, in stories and poetry.
· To recognize and identify successful elements of an effective piece of creative writing.
· To experience being in a writing community, and learn how to give and receive thoughtful feedback.
· To deepen our craft as creative writers and hone specific techniques in fiction and poetry writing.
Strategies
· Keep journals for in-class writing assignments and homework assignments.
· Share with partners and small groups in writer’s workshop.
· Read models from published authors and student work.
· Complete final, polished short stories and poems.
Student Expectations
· Come to class every day on time, and with your journal and a pen.
· Write every day.
· Be willing to take risks and experiment with writing outside of your comfort zone.
· Share your writing with our community and support others who share.
Reading
We will read many thought-provoking short stories, poems and writing about writing that will keep our own writing fresh and inspired.
Journals
We will write every day in our journals. This will be our creative play space. It is where we will discover, make mistakes, laugh, cry, whine, and experiment.
For your journal you may use:
1. A spiral notebook
2. A fancy journal
3. A small 3-ring binder (small!) if you want to include typed entries
At the beginning of each class, we will begin with a free write-- called Statics (getting out the “static” in our heads). Sometimes we will respond to a prompt, or react to a quote, and sometimes we will free write on a topic of your choice.
You MUST title, date and number each entry. If you have an excused absence it is your responsibility to find out which journal entries you have missed.
Privacy -- I will keep everything you write in your journal confidant.
If you write about something that you are not willing to share with me, please write: Don’t Read on the top of the page. * However, if you are hurting yourself, hurting someone else, or someone is hurting you, I am mandated by law to report it. I will speak to you first about this, unless it is an emergency.
I will collect your journals unannounced once or twice a quarter and grade them for thoroughness (I will expect you to write at least a page during Static writing time), risk-taking, and honesty.
Check our classroom website frequently for assignments you may have missed. Go to: clobuckerswriters.weebly.com
& look under the tab for Advanced Creative Writing.
Completed Pieces
Every several weeks, you will write and edit a final polished piece of writing. This will include:
· Flash fiction (short fiction)
· Short Stories
· Poetry
· An experimental final project
Grading
Your success in this class is entirely based on your effort and attendance.
50% Process:
· Do you arrive to class on time and ready to write? Do you take your writing seriously? Do you complete your assignments with effort and integrity? Do you workshop others’ work in a thoughtful, productive way? Do you participate in class? How well do you contribute to our classroom community? Are you willing to take risks, and support others in taking risks?
· There will be daily Process assignments that will determine your Process grade; if you have an unexcused absence, you will lose points for all missed assignments.
· Daily journal assignments will be graded for Process out of 5 points for each completed entry.
50% Content:
· Do you develop thoughtful goals and rubrics for assessing your own work? Do you begin your drafts early enough to receive meaningful feedback from others on your work? Do you rewrite your papers? Can you explain your writing process, acknowledge your strengths, and identify areas of growth?
· Your Content grade will be based largely upon your final polished pieces of writing. You will assess yourself using your own rubrics and goals; then we will conference to discuss your assessment.
Classroom Policies
Tardies: Being on time to Creative Writing is important. We will generally start every class with either a reading or a free write and if you are late it disrupts our creative process. Please sign in and quietly make your way to your desk without interruptions.
Cell Phones: No phones!! When you use your phones in class to text or check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. you are taking away from our writing community. It also makes your teacher upset, because then she thinks you have something better to do than to be in our wonderful Creative Writing class! No phones, unless we are using them for an assignment, and I direct you to take them out.
Food: You may snack in class if you clean up after yourself and it is not distracting to you or others. If it becomes a problem, I won't allow it.
Late work: No late work. If you are going to miss an assignment for an unexpected illness, it is your responsibility to make it up and you will have one class period to make up the missing work. If you e-mail me about your absence, I will respond. If I don’t respond, assume I did not receive your e-mail.
Rewrite Policy: If you want to re-write a paper, you may meet with me to discuss it, and turn it in a week from the original due date.
Where to find me: In our classroom, Rm 102 or make an appointment to see me!
Your first assignment is to bring back to our second class the following page signed by a parent/guardian:
STUDENTS:
I have read the course syllabus and understand/ will comply with the policies outlined above.
Student name ________________________________
Student signature ________________________________
PARENTS/GUARDIANS:
I have read the course syllabus and understand what is expected of my student/son/daughter in this class.
Parent/guardian name _______________________
Parent/guardian signature ____________________________
Contact Info: Home Phone __________________ Cell Phone ___________________
Email _____________________________________
Course Syllabus
2014-2015
Ms. Clobucker
[email protected]
Location: RM 102
Course Goals
· To gain skills in expressing ourselves with originality, creativity and clarity, in stories and poetry.
· To recognize and identify successful elements of an effective piece of creative writing.
· To experience being in a writing community, and learn how to give and receive thoughtful feedback.
· To deepen our craft as creative writers and hone specific techniques in fiction and poetry writing.
Strategies
· Keep journals for in-class writing assignments and homework assignments.
· Share with partners and small groups in writer’s workshop.
· Read models from published authors and student work.
· Complete final, polished short stories and poems.
Student Expectations
· Come to class every day on time, and with your journal and a pen.
· Write every day.
· Be willing to take risks and experiment with writing outside of your comfort zone.
· Share your writing with our community and support others who share.
Reading
We will read many thought-provoking short stories, poems and writing about writing that will keep our own writing fresh and inspired.
Journals
We will write every day in our journals. This will be our creative play space. It is where we will discover, make mistakes, laugh, cry, whine, and experiment.
For your journal you may use:
1. A spiral notebook
2. A fancy journal
3. A small 3-ring binder (small!) if you want to include typed entries
At the beginning of each class, we will begin with a free write-- called Statics (getting out the “static” in our heads). Sometimes we will respond to a prompt, or react to a quote, and sometimes we will free write on a topic of your choice.
You MUST title, date and number each entry. If you have an excused absence it is your responsibility to find out which journal entries you have missed.
Privacy -- I will keep everything you write in your journal confidant.
If you write about something that you are not willing to share with me, please write: Don’t Read on the top of the page. * However, if you are hurting yourself, hurting someone else, or someone is hurting you, I am mandated by law to report it. I will speak to you first about this, unless it is an emergency.
I will collect your journals unannounced once or twice a quarter and grade them for thoroughness (I will expect you to write at least a page during Static writing time), risk-taking, and honesty.
Check our classroom website frequently for assignments you may have missed. Go to: clobuckerswriters.weebly.com
& look under the tab for Advanced Creative Writing.
Completed Pieces
Every several weeks, you will write and edit a final polished piece of writing. This will include:
· Flash fiction (short fiction)
· Short Stories
· Poetry
· An experimental final project
Grading
Your success in this class is entirely based on your effort and attendance.
50% Process:
· Do you arrive to class on time and ready to write? Do you take your writing seriously? Do you complete your assignments with effort and integrity? Do you workshop others’ work in a thoughtful, productive way? Do you participate in class? How well do you contribute to our classroom community? Are you willing to take risks, and support others in taking risks?
· There will be daily Process assignments that will determine your Process grade; if you have an unexcused absence, you will lose points for all missed assignments.
· Daily journal assignments will be graded for Process out of 5 points for each completed entry.
50% Content:
· Do you develop thoughtful goals and rubrics for assessing your own work? Do you begin your drafts early enough to receive meaningful feedback from others on your work? Do you rewrite your papers? Can you explain your writing process, acknowledge your strengths, and identify areas of growth?
· Your Content grade will be based largely upon your final polished pieces of writing. You will assess yourself using your own rubrics and goals; then we will conference to discuss your assessment.
Classroom Policies
Tardies: Being on time to Creative Writing is important. We will generally start every class with either a reading or a free write and if you are late it disrupts our creative process. Please sign in and quietly make your way to your desk without interruptions.
Cell Phones: No phones!! When you use your phones in class to text or check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. you are taking away from our writing community. It also makes your teacher upset, because then she thinks you have something better to do than to be in our wonderful Creative Writing class! No phones, unless we are using them for an assignment, and I direct you to take them out.
Food: You may snack in class if you clean up after yourself and it is not distracting to you or others. If it becomes a problem, I won't allow it.
Late work: No late work. If you are going to miss an assignment for an unexpected illness, it is your responsibility to make it up and you will have one class period to make up the missing work. If you e-mail me about your absence, I will respond. If I don’t respond, assume I did not receive your e-mail.
Rewrite Policy: If you want to re-write a paper, you may meet with me to discuss it, and turn it in a week from the original due date.
Where to find me: In our classroom, Rm 102 or make an appointment to see me!
Your first assignment is to bring back to our second class the following page signed by a parent/guardian:
STUDENTS:
I have read the course syllabus and understand/ will comply with the policies outlined above.
Student name ________________________________
Student signature ________________________________
PARENTS/GUARDIANS:
I have read the course syllabus and understand what is expected of my student/son/daughter in this class.
Parent/guardian name _______________________
Parent/guardian signature ____________________________
Contact Info: Home Phone __________________ Cell Phone ___________________
Email _____________________________________