Creative Writing Daily Lesson Plans (Spring 2015)
*due to life, all lesson plans are subject to change.
MondayJan. 19
Goal: To understand class expectations, and to understand our personal reading and writing preferences. Read selection from "On Writing," complete interest survey and discuss. Syllabus. |
TuesdayJan. 20
Goal: To understand our personal reading and writing preferences. Seating chart. Hand out On Writing. |
WednesdayJan. 21
Goal: To read a narrative. Reading day. |
ThursdayJan. 22
Goal: To gather ideas to write a narrative. OW quiz on ch. 1-19. Discuss the book. Brainstorm ideas based on King's early life. |
FridayJan. 23
Goal: To understand how authors get ideas. Writing Excuses 10.1 "Seriously, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?" Take notes and discuss. |
Jan. 26
Goal: To write a brief narrative based on personal experience. Analyze small King story. Brainstorm ideas based on King's early life. Bring devices for tomorrow. |
Jan. 27
Goal: To write a brief narrative based on personal experience. Analyze small King story. Write the Tiny Narrative. |
Jan. 28
Goal: To write a brief narrative based on personal experience. Write the Tiny Narrative. |
Jan. 29
Goal: To write a narrative based on personal experience. OW quiz on ch. 20-38. |
Jan. 30
Goal: To understand what authors do with their ideas. Collect the Tiny Narrative. Writing Excuses 10.2 "I Have an Idea; What Do I Do Now?" Take notes and discuss. |
Feb. 2
Goal: To understand the qualities that a writer needs to write. Discuss "The Toolbox." Brainstorm ideas. |
Feb. 3
Goal: To flesh out ideas. Discuss ideas with other students. Select idea. Start to outline concepts. |
Feb. 4
Freshman Open House PM. Goal: To review the basic structure of the short story. Basic short story structure notes. Assignment: Read and annotate "The Hanging Stranger" for everything we've talked about so far. |
Feb. 5
Goal: To review the basic structure of the short story. Discuss the structure of "Stranger." |
Feb. 6
Goal: To understand Lovecraft and psychological horror. Writing Excuses 10.3 "Lovecraftian Horror." Take notes and discuss. Brainstorm ideas for the Lovecraft Narrative. Assignment: Read and analyze "Dagon." |
Feb. 9
Goal: To write Lovecraft horror. Discuss the structure of "Dagon," how it is an example of Lovecraftian horror, and how it differs from the structure of "Stranger." Keep brainstorming ideas for Lovecraftian Horror story. |
Feb. 10
Goal: To write Lovecraft horror. Work time on Lovecraft Horror assignment. |
Feb. 11
Goal: To write Lovecraft horror. Work time on Lovecraft Horror assignment. |
Feb. 12
Goal: To write Lovecraft horror. Work time on Lovecraft Horror assignment. |
Feb. 13
Goal: To understand the focus of a creative story. Lovecraft Narrative due on Sunday, 2/15 at midnight. Writing Excuses: 6.10 "Scott Card's M.I.C.E. Quotient." |
Feb. 16
Goal: To turn brainstormed ideas into a plot outline. Finish Writing Excuses: 6.10. Last day of major brainstorming for short story project. |
Feb. 17
Goal: To turn brainstormed ideas into plot outlines. Apply story to plot outline wkst. |
Feb. 18
Late start. Goal: To write a short story rough draft. Work time on short story. |
Feb. 19
Goal: To write a short story rough draft. Work time on short story. |
Feb. 20
Goal: To understand the content and structure of the short story. Writing Excuses: 8.20 "The Short Story, with Mary Robinette Kowal." |
Feb. 23
Goal: To understand the structure of a short story. Read and discuss "Evil Robot Monkey." Create basic structure of your short story. |
Feb. 24
Goal: To understand the possibilities and commitment required of writing. Read On Writing in class. Assignment: read ch. 1-4. |
Feb. 25
Goal: To understand the possibilities and commitment required of writing. Discuss On Writing. Write short story. |
Feb. 26
Goal: To write. Write short story. Assignment: Read ch. 5. |
Feb. 27
No school. District In-service. |
Mar. 2
Goal: To write. Offer Rachel Aaron novels, again. Dick and Jane Project day. Work time. Assignment: read ch. 6 due Tuesday. |
Mar. 3
Goal: To write using vivid descriptions and metaphors. Discuss ch. 6. Continue Dick and Jane project with an emphasis on using descriptions and metaphors. Assignment: read ch. 7 due Wednesday. |
Mar. 4
Goal: To write using realistic dialogue. Discuss ch. 7. Continue Dick and Jane project with an emphasis on using good dialogue. |
Mar. 5
Parent/Teacher Conferences: 3:30-7:30. Goal: To write. Continue Dick and Jane project. Assignment: project due Sunday night at midnight. |
Mar. 6
No school. Parent/Teacher Conferences: 8-10 |
Mar. 9
Goal: To learn about writing professionally. Come up with questions to ask Rachel Aaron. |
Mar. 10
Goal: To learn about writing professionally. Interview with Rachel Aaron during 8th hour. |
Mar. 11
Goal: To write. Write short story. Assignment: complete short story due Monday. |
Mar. 12
Goal: To learn about the publishing profession. Come up with questions to ask Ellen Wright. |
Mar. 13
Goal: To learn about the publishing profession. Interview with Ellen Wright during 8th hour. |
Mar. 16
Goal: To write short stories. Discuss interviews. Write short story draft. |
Mar. 17
Goal: To write short stories. Discuss how to format dialogue. Write short story draft. |
Mar. 18
Late start. Goal: To write short stories. Write short story draft. |
Mar. 19
Goal: To write short stories. Write short story draft. |
Mar. 20
End of 3rd quarter. Early release. Goal: To learn about nuanced characters. Writing Excuses: 9.25 "Adjusting Character Sympathy." |
Mar. 23
Goal: To learn about nuanced characters. Writing Excuses: 9.26 "Adjusting Character Competence." |
Mar. 24
Goal: To understand the basics of writing fight scenes. Read and discuss fight scene examples. Writing Excuses: 8.43 "Realistic Melee Fighting with Wesley Chu." |
Mar. 25
Goal: To write a fight scene. Write a "normal" fight scene." |
Mar. 26
Goal: To write a fight scene. Write an "over the top" fight scene. |
Mar. 27
Goal: To write a fight scene. Polish and finish fight scenes. |
Mar. 30
Goal: To find a large explodable object and research it Explosion week. Troll the internet for the most interesting thing to make go BOOM Research object. |
Mar. 31
Goal: To write something that ends with BOOM and fire. Brainstorm and outline an action scene that will end with the BOOM of your object. |
Apr. 1
Goal: To write something that with BOOM. Write your scene of BOOM. |
Apr. 2
Goal: To write something that with BOOM. Write your scene of BOOM. |
Apr. 3
Spring break. |
Apr. 6
Spring break. |
Apr. 7
Spring break. |
Apr. 8
Spring break. |
Apr. 9
Spring break. |
Apr. 10
Spring break. |
Apr. 13
Goal: To edit your own writing. Meet in CWL. Print and edit short stories. |
Apr. 14
Goal: To edit your own writing. Edit short stories due at the end of the hour. |
Apr. 15
Late start. Goal: To select areas of research. Peruse and select episodes of "Writing Excuses" for future listening. |
Apr. 16
Goal: To edit your own writing. Make corrections and edits to short stories. |
Apr. 17
Goal: To learn how to and how not to end stories. Writing Excuses: 2.6 "Endings" and 2.29 "How NOT to End Your Book." |
Apr. 20
Goal: To write mood poetry. Write mood poetry to match the mood of your short story. |
Apr. 21
Goal: To use imagery. Write mood poetry using imagery, similes and metaphors. |
Apr. 22
Goal: To structure poetry. Poetry structure notes and melding notes. |
Apr. 23
Goal: To create poems using concrete images. Student poems to find concrete images. |
Apr. 24
Goal: To make magic, er, I mean, poetry. Polish and finish poem. |
Apr. 27
Goal: Now we're going to make magic. Magic magic - not even poetry magic, but actually wand-waving, hair-graying magic. Magic week. Discuss current magic systems. Start developing your own magic system. |
Apr. 28
Goal: To make cosmos-shattering magic. Continue to develop magic system. |
Apr. 29
Goal: To make fireball-wielding magic. Hand out, read and discuss Sanderson's Laws articles. |
Apr. 30
Goal: To make bipidy-bopity-magic. Finish discussing Sanderson's Laws. Apply Laws to magic system. |
May 1
Goal: To make hand-clapping-to-make-fairies-not-die magic. Make more magic. |
May 4
Goal: To finish your magic making. Work time to finish magic project. |
May 5
Goal: To finish reading On Writing. Finish reading On Writing. |
May 6
Goal: To finally catch up. Last day of catch up: finish magic project or finish On Writing. Magic project due at end of hour - 600 words. |
May 7
Goal: To discuss On Writing. Quiz on last hundred pages of On Writing. Finish discussing book. |
May 8
Goal: To figure out how to start the very beginning of your story. Writing Excuses: 4.32 "First Paragraphs." |
May 11
Goal: To brainstorm. Brainstorm idea for final project. |
May 12
Goal: To brainstorm. Brainstorm ideas for final project and write 150 word proposal. |
May 13
Goal: To create characters. Proposal due. Write character sketches. |
May 14
Goal: To create characters. Write character sketches. |
May 15
Prom weekend. Goal: To outline final short story. Character sketches due. Write outline. |
May 18
Goal: To outline final short story. Write outline. Outline due at the of the hour. |
May 19
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 20
Late start. Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 21
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 22
Early release. Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. 2000 words due by midnight on Sunday, May 24th. |
May 25
No school. Memorial Day. |
May 26
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 27
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 28
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
May 29
Goal: To write rough draft of final short story. Write rough draft. |
June 1
Goal: To edit final short story. Completed rough is due. Meet in English lab. Print and edit and make edits due Thursday. |
June 2
Exams. |
June 3
Exams. |
June 4
Exams. Final exam: 9:05-10:35. Edits and final copy due. |
June 5
Teacher in-service. |