Write Like a Boss (Spring 2021)

Grade Range: 7th-12th Grade
 
Dates: February 5 - April 30 (no classes on 4/2 spring break; 5/7 make up day in the event of a teacher absence)
 
Time: 1:00PM - 2:00PM
 
Fee: $265
 
Class description:
Words hold more power than gravity itself, and somehow wee earthlings have been entrusted with them. As verbal creatures, we have no choice but to speak and write. This course aims to make students better at being what they already are: communicators. Each weekly lesson and accompanying assignment is designed to help students hunt, corner, and kill crusty writing (thinking) habits while they simultaneously perform CPR on the wholesome habits that may have been previously learned but neglected. Students will also learn fresh methods of clearly communicating all the things their hearts could ever wish to blurt. Among the topics we’ll cover: Figures of Speech (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.), Showing instead of Telling, Killing Cliches, Writing in Active Voice, How to be Concise, and much more.
 
Lesson Schedule
	
Week 1: Using Stronger Verbs: 250 Ways to say "Went
	
Week 2: Metaphors and Similes
	
Week 3: Onomatopoeia and other word-meaning connections
	
Week 4: Alliteration, Consonance, Assonance: Ithaka Poem
	
Week 5: Common student mistakes: Facing, then killing them
	
Week 6: Descriptive Writing
	
Week 7: Fun with Homophones, Homographs, and Heteronyms
	
Week 8: Persuasive Writing
	
Week 9: A Response to Beauty. What's your "Duende"?
	
Week 10: Contrastive Writing (Love/Hate); Intro O'Henry Short Stories for next week
	
Week 11: Inventive Writing, with a Twist: O'Henry Short Stories
	
Week 12: Share "twist" stories; Review game
 
Maximum class size: 10