Creative
Writing
Grades:
9-12
Teacher:
Ms.
Brock
Term:
Fall
2013
Course
Description
In
this
elective
writing
class,
students
will
learn
to
identify
and
use
the
elements
that
characterize
good
writing
and
build
the
competency
skills
that
make
writing
clear
and
purposeful.
Students
will
complete
a
series
of
creative
assignments
and
projects,
which
will
guide
them
on
the
road
to
writing
proficiency.
THIS
IS
A
WRITING
INTENSIVE
COURSE!
Students
will
be
expected
to
produce
writing
on
a
daily
basis.
Additionally,
students
will
be
required
to
publish
many
of
their
writings
on
the
class
website
which
is
available
for
public
viewing.
Topics
of
Instruction
Writing
Assignments
may
include
but
not
be
limited
to
the
following:
Autobiography
Personal
Narrative/
Mystery
6-Traits
Memoir
Writing
Poetry
Conventions
Descriptive
Writing
Journalism
Figurative
Language
Character
Sketch
Reviews
Blogging
Childrens
Book
Science
Fiction/Fantasy
Journaling
Dialogue
Scriptwriting Short
Story
Major
projects
include
the
following:
Literary
Magazine
(Group
Project)
We
will
publish
a
literary
magazine
for
our
class.
Each
student
must
submit
at
least
two
creative
writing
samples.
Students
may
submit
artwork
as
well.
Additionally,
students
will
work
as
editors,
proofreaders,
art
directors,
and
writers.
This
project
occurs
at
the
end
of
the
semester.
Writing
Portfolio
(Individual
Project)
The
writing
portfolio
will
include
a
table
of
contents,
revised
writing
samples,
and
self-evaluation
essays.
The
finished
product
will
be
50
percent
of
your
final
exam.
Please
keep
all
final
copies
of
your
writings
throughout
the
semester.
This
will
make
it
easier
to
put
together
your
portfolio.
Childrens
Book
(Individual
Project)
Students
in
creative
writing
will
create
a
childrens
book
that
will
be
published.
Grading
and
Assessment
Grading
Scale
A
90%-100%
B
80%-89%
C
70%-79%
D
65%-69%
F
64%
or
below
1
Most
assessments
will
be
in
the
form
of
a
writing
assignment.
For
example,
students
will
learn
how
to
write
a
character
sketch;
then,
as
a
test
of
their
knowledge,
they
will
write
one.
With
each
assignment,
students
will
receive
a
rubric
with
a
detailed
explanation
of
grading
for
that
assignment.
All
points
earned
for
any
assessments
are
weighted
equally.
Students
may
keep
a
running
tab
of
grades
and
can
figure
out
their
average
at
any
time
by
calculating
the
total
number
of
points
earned
divided
by
the
total
number
of
points
possible.
Major
writing
assignments
will
be
worth
75-150
points.
Additional
assessments
include:
Quizzes:
Periodically
you
may
be
given
quizzes
to
assess
your
knowledge
gained
in
writers
workshops.
Quizzes
will
typically
be
worth
5
to
50
points
depending
on
the
amount
of
time
spent
on
the
material.
Blog:
Responses
to
blog
posts
will
be
assessed
every
three
weeks
they
are
worth
10
points
each.
You
will
be
posting
your
responses
to
writing
prompts
on
the
class
blog,
and
I
will
publish
them
as
they
are
assessed.
You
may
write
DO
NOT
PUBLISH
at
the
top
of
any
response
you
prefer
to
remain
private,
but
you
must
publish
at
least
TWO
writer
responses
every
three
weeks.
Late
blog
posts
will
not
be
counted.
The
blog
is
considered
a
major
writing
assignment.
Take
it
seriously.
Writing
Portfolio,
Literary
Magazine,
Final
Writing/Exam:
The
writing
portfolio
is
worth
50%
of
your
final
exam.
All
students
must
hand
in
a
writing
portfolio.
The
literary
magazine
is
worth
25%
of
the
final
and
the
in-class
writing
will
make
up
the
remaining
25%.
Class
Participation:
Class
Participation
includes
attendance,
promptness,
level
of
engagement
in
class,
listening
skills,
behavior,
and
preparation.
Score
is
based
on
a
rubric,
which
will
be
discussed
in
class.
Make-up
Work:
If
you
are
absent
when
a
major
assignment
is
due,
it
must
be
turned
in
on
your
first
day
back.
(i.e.
If
you
are
absent
the
day
portfolios
are
due,
you
must
turn
it
in
by
the
end
of
the
school
day
you
return
in
order
to
receive
credit.)
The
writing
prompts/reader
reponse
will
be
uploaded
to
the
class
blog
each
day
of
class,
if
you
are
absent,
check
the
website
to
complete
your
daily
writer
response.
You
must
have
your
blog
post
completed
by
the
next
class
in
which
you
are
present
to
receive
credit.
Late
Work
Policy:
In
life
we
must
adhere
to
deadlines,
and
school
is
no
exception.
However,
deadlines
may
be
extended
for
justifying
circumstances
as
long
as
teacher
is
notified
by
filling
out
an
extension
form
by
the
due
date
of
the
project.
Students
may
receive
up
to
two
extensions
throughout
the
semester.
All
work
for
which
an
extension
form
is
not
filled
out
and
submitted
in
a
timely
manner
will
adhere
to
the
following
guidelines:
Students
will
receive
10%
deduction
for
each
day
late.
After
three
days
late,
students
may
not
receive
more
than
70%
credit
for
assignments.
Assignments
which
are
10
or
more
days
late
will
only
receive
50%
credit.
Revision
Work:
As
we
promote
revision
in
writing,
students
will
be
able
to
revise
work
for
which
they
wish
to
improve.
Revisions
may
be
submitted
at
any
point
in
the
semester,
up
to
two
weeks
prior
to
the
close
of
the
semester.
Late
work
is
not
eligible
for
resubmission.
Retake
Policy:
It
is
my
policy
that
students
may
retake
quizzes
they
are
unsatisfied
with,
however,
the
following
applies
to
retakes:
1. Student
must
attempt
the
first
administration
of
the
quiz.
2. A
retake
will
not
be
scored
above
a
90%.
3. In
order
to
be
eligible
for
a
retake,
student
must
correct
original
exam,
and
complete
a
retake
form
at
least
3
days
before
scheduling
a
retake.
2
PLAGIARISM/ CHEATING: If you use ideas or passages from another writer for example, from a book, a magazine or a website you must give proper credit to the original source. If you dont, it is considered cheating plagiarism, to be exact and you will automatically receive a failing grade on that assignment, along with other consequences listed under cheating in the student handbook. All students will be required to complete a plagiarism and cheating unit at the beginning of the semester. ***Engaging in plagiarism and/or cheating is just a bad idea. Remember, when you choose the behavior, you also choose the consequence*** Classroom Procedures and Expectations Students are expected to follow classroom policies and procedures at all times as well as the student handbook rules. Much of the class participation grade will be based on ability to follow all rules within the classroom. Policies and procedures will be discussed and posted in class. Daily Writer Response Rubric Daily Journaling will be worth 10 points per day for a total of 20-30 per week. Writings will be evaluated every three weeks and assessed according to the following guidelines. 10 points Students writing reflects a great deal of creativity and thoughtful reflection. Student answers all parts of the questions/writing prompt in a minimum of five complete sentences. Student met the following three basic requirements: writing is spell checked, prompt is written above response, and journal entry is dated appropriately. 8 points Students writing reflects creativity and thoughtful reflection. Student answers all parts of the questions/writing prompt in a minimum of four complete sentences or student is missing one of the three basic requirements. 6 points Students writing reflects creativity. Student answers some of the questions/writing prompt in a minimum of four complete sentences and student is missing one of the three basic requirements. 4 points Students writing reflects some creativity. Student answers some of the questions/writing prompt in less than four complete sentences and student is missing more than one of the three basic requirements. 2 point Students writing reflects little creativity. Student answers some of the questions/writing prompt in less than four complete sentences and student is missing more than one of the three basic requirements. 0 points No attempt is made to respond to the journal question/writing prompt.