September 2018
Week 4: College Essay Writing Workshop
Monday Sep 24
Tuesday Sep 25
Wednesday Sep 26
Thursday Sep 27
Friday Sep 28
- First lines: How to hook 'em and keep them reading
- Overview of four different hooks
- Try two of your own and see what the readers think (P5 and P8)
Tuesday Sep 25
- How to spice up your writing: description, dialogue, and "showing" vs. "telling"
- Read and compare "showing" vs. "telling" for yourself. Which do you find more interesting and effective?
- Turn my tell into a show and break a leg.
- Find a section of your own narrative that would benefit from zooming in and "showing," describing, and/or dialogue. Revise and share the before and after.
Wednesday Sep 26
- College Essay fails
- Make no mistakes! Let's review some common writing errors and grammar goofs
- Practice and review for Friday's grammar goofs quiz
Thursday Sep 27
- Closing lines: how to finish strong and leave an impression
- Overview of different closers
- Try your own and see what the readers think
- Rubric review and office hours sign-up
Friday Sep 28
- Quiz: Grammar Goofs
- class/HW: Edit and revise your essay for Monday's peer review assignment
- If you'd like, meet with me to review your college essay or sign up for next week's "office hours"
- If your essay's excellent and ready to submit, see Fastweb for scholarships and free(ish) money or work on other college apps
Week 3: Crush the College Essay
Monday Sep 17
Tuesday Sep 18
Wednesday Sep 19
Thursday Sep 20
Friday Sep 21
- Read our first model and think like admissions: What are this essay's strengths? What do we learn about the applicant?
- Any questions re: the Common App prompts guide?
- Brainstorming and freewriting with topic roulette
- HW: Spend at least 20 minutes freewriting with two of your topics (10 min. freewrite each)
- Come to class tomorrow with a 1-2 sentence summary for two different topics that you're willing to share
Tuesday Sep 18
- Read a model and think like admissions
- Post-it your top 2-3 topics (1-2 sentence summaries)
- Sample story pitch
- class/HW: prep two story pitches for next class:
- What's your opening shot? What happens next (what scenes, moments, experiences, people, etc. do we need to show to reveal this story)? Closing shot or scene?
- HW (optional): consider doing some more brainstorming and freewriting if needed: use the Common App Guide questions as prompts
Wednesday Sep 19
- You don't have school (But we do...)
Thursday Sep 20
- Read a model and think like admissions
- The story you tell vs. how you tell the story
- Story pitch speed dating (share and get feedback on your two pitches)
Friday Sep 21
- Enroll in our Turnitin.com class
- Draft day: draft your top choice topic into a first version of your story. When finished, it should have a beginning, middle, and end with some kind of "action" or development, and some kind of conclusion or resolution
- class/HW: full rough draft is due to turnitin.com by Sunday night (min. 350 words). Bring to Monday's class.
Week 2: Saving School
Monday Sep 10
Tuesday Sep 11
Wednesday Sep 12
Thursday Sep 13
Friday Sep 14
Tuesday Sep 11
- Read Grant Wiggins's "lesson learned." Does this track with your experiences?
- Use your 15,000 hours to brainstorm problems and potential solutions
- You can also browse through our "Saving School" folder for articles and student presentations with examples
- class/HW: identify a problem (as you see it) with modern education. Through research and your own creativity, you should be able to explain why it's a problem, propose a short term solution ("What can we do today?"), and propose a long term solution ("What can we do over time?").
- HW: Two Icebreaker replies due by tonight 11:59 pm
Wednesday Sep 12
- Research day: Saving School
- Identify a problem (as you see it) with modern education. Through research and your own creativity, you should be able to explain why it's a problem, propose a short term solution ("What can we do today?"), and propose a long term solution ("What can we do over time?").
- class/HW: "Saving School" post due before tomorrow's class. Come prepared to share in our discussion.
Thursday Sep 13
- Sources in conversation: "Saving School"
- What problems exist in modern education, what can we do today to solve them, and what long term solutions should we pursue for the future?
- class/HW: written post due Friday night; reply due Sunday night
Friday Sep 14
- Crush the College Essay Day 1: "How to Conquer the Admissions Essay" and Top Tips
- opener: What tips do you have for those about to write their admissions essay?
- Slides: divide and conquer to post top tips and reminders
- class/HW: read Guide to the Common App prompts (packet pages 9-17)
Week 1: Icebreaking and the Creativity Crisis
Tuesday Sep 4
Wednesday Sep 5
grab a paperclip
Thursday Sep 6
Friday Sep 7
- Welcome. Now it's time to marshmallow.
- HW: Read through syllabus for tomorrow. Come prepared with any questions you have and to acknowledge your agreement with its policies if you have none.
Wednesday Sep 5
grab a paperclip
- Syllabus: any questions? And a few points of emphasis for in-class and online.
- Sign syllabus acknowledgement.
- "What are humans for?"
- A test on day two?! Take the RAT test and the Alternative Uses test.
- HW: Read Bronson and Merryman's "The Creativity Crisis" for tomorrow.
- HW: Sign syllabus acknowledgement.
Thursday Sep 6
- Discuss "The Creativity Crisis"
- Watch and discuss Sir Ken Robinson's "Changing Education Paradigms."
Friday Sep 7
- First Friday team-building time!
- class/HW:
- Post individual response to "Changing Education Paradigms" (P5 and P8) due by Sunday 11:59 pm
- Padlet Icebreaker Intros (Period 5 and Period 8) due by Sunday 11:59 pm
- Two replies due by next Tuesday 11:59 pm