September 2018

Week 4: College Essay Writing Workshop

​Monday Sep 24
  • 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

Week 3: Crush the College Essay

​Monday Sep 17
  • 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
  • Watch and discuss Inside Man: "Education"​

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
  • 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.
Annotate at least three things you find interesting, confusing, surprising, or revealing.
  • HW: Sign syllabus acknowledgement.​

Thursday Sep 6
  • Discuss "The Creativity Crisis"
  • Watch and discuss Sir Ken Robinson's "Changing Education Paradigms."
    • ​class/HW: Padlet post: "The Creativity Crisis" group post (P5 and P8)

Friday Sep 7
  • First Friday team-building time! 
  • ​class/HW: