Goals

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• An Overview of Literature. Creative writing classes and workshops introduce students to a wide range of literature, spanning time, space, and a variety of cultural viewpoints.

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• Expertise in Critical Analysis. Students will be shown how to think critically, to look for patterns and themes in a diverse set of texts, in order to create a personal toolbox of skills to use in their own writing.

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• Intellectual Discipline. Students will at times be told to narrow their focus and energies to produce the most effective work while learning in addition to meet deadlines and manage time efficiently. And while imitating other authors will be encouraged as a way to learn new styles and writing skills, plagiarism will not be allowed.

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• Creativity. By requiring students to work in various literary forms and genres, creative writing classes require creative problem-solving, experimentation, and inventiveness.

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• Understanding of Diverse Cultural Values. The study of literature is the study of our own humanity. Students will come into contact with points of view other than their own, encouraging them to become more effective not only as writers but as members of a global community.

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• A Strong Command of Grammar. Creative Writing class requires students to deepen skills they may have first developed in their English classes. Specific emphasis will be placed on the variety of tools students can use to build better sentences.

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• Persuasive Communication Skills. Because literature is not mere telling stories or freestyle a rap, creative writing students learn rhetorical tactics for becoming more persuasive in their own writing and in their daily lives.

 

General Curriculum

 

An introductory course like this exposes students to a variety of models and basic skills useful in writing non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama. FCPS requires that students both learn about each of these genres, and show examples of their own writing in each by the end of the year. In addition this class will focus on

 

• nurturing each student’s gifts as writers, recognizing no two students are the same

• giving students freedom to write in forms of their own choosing, on topics and expressing themes that follow their passions,

• encouraging students to develop and use their own “voice”

• grading students based on each student’s efforts and development over time

 

 

Grading

 

This is a course in which students will build a Portfolio of creative works. By the end of the year, students will have written examples of each of the four main areas of study: Non-Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Fiction. Within these areas, students will have freedom to choose styles, content, and presentation, though all works will need to also have a typed version (script, lyric sheet, etc.) for review. Along with these choice elements, students will be asked to analyze a text, write a brief autobiography/memoir, and respond to a specific short story.

 

 

Essential Questions

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Throughout this course we will analyze texts both from the view of the author and the view of the reader. Creative writing is concerned both with the tools an author uses to express their passions, as well as the power a text can have on the reader. With this dual focus in mind, the essential questions for this course include:

 

• How does reading other texts help me improve my writing?

• What techniques can be used to shape an author’s text?

• How are the author’s message and the medium/genre the author uses connected?

• How can performance increase the power of the author’s message?

• What are effective ways of both voicing a passion, and having an effect on others?

 

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