Creative/Essay Writing

Creative/Essay Writing

For Students in 4th - 8th Grades
This class is year-long for students who are able to write atleast one paragraph at a time.   Starting out with Institute for Excellence In Writing, students will learn how to write creatively and with structure.  Students will discover grammar, composition, reports, mini-research, and poetry is fun as they learn how to "dress-up" ideas and illustrate writing.  The last ten lessons we'll bring elements of Razzle Dazzle into the class. Students will learn basic oral report skills and be able to write several paragraph essays by the end of the year.

This class will be taught on Wednesdays from 1PM-3PM.

Instructor: Mrs. Cogan

8/26/145 -Lesson 1:
Writing - Learn how to write a paragraph by outlining source documents using key-words. Discuss common abreviations and symbols. "Floating Rocks"
Communications - oral report to class
Art -pastel chalk on black paper, acrylic flowers on canvas and/or seed mosaic

9/2/15 -Lesson 2:
Writing - Keyword outlining continued -  "A Giant Leap", "Limeys", and "A Strange Creature"
Communications - oral report to class
Art - drawing, sketching, and watercolor

9/9/15 - Lesson 3:
Writing - Use key word outlining to rewrite "Belling the Cat" in your own words. Discuss story morals and using quotation marks.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Illustrate cats with printmaking

9/16/15 - Lesson 4:
Writing - Produce keyword outline from "The Crow and the Peacocks" using "quality adjectives and adverbs" in your writing and discuss "banned words" and "alliteration."
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Illustrate a peacock with color pencil

9/23/14 -Lesson 5:
Writing - Write a key word outline from "The Ants & The Grasshoppers" paying close attention to varying sentence openers.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - paper collage of the seasons

9/30/15 - Lesson 6:
Writing -Write stories using a story sequence chart (Characters, Setting, Conflict, Plot, Climax, Resolution, & Theme) Source Story: "Damocles & the King"
Communications - oral report to class
Art - a watercolor of the simple life

10/7/15 - Lesson 7:
Writing - Write a one paragraph story using story sequence.   Learn about "allegory" and "who/which clauses."  Source Story: Christian's Burden Gone
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Complete watercolor

10/14/15 - Lesson 8:
Writing - Write a "tall tale" and learn about "simile" and "hyperbole." Source Story: Pecos Bill
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Pen & Ink

10/21/15 - Lesson 9:
Writing - Write a one-paragraph essay about beavers homes.  Use the topic-clincher rule and learn about possessive words.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Build a beaver habitat!

10/28/15 - Lesson 10:
Writing - Review summarizing references as we write about a bird with a tasty nest. Learn the "very short sentence" tool.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - clay sculpture

11/4/15 - Lesson 11:
Writing - Review summarizing references as we write about honeybees and armyants. Discuss possessive nouns.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - 3-D sculpture

11/11/14 - Lesson 12:
Writing - Combine your paragraphs about birds, honeybees, and army ants into one report. Review introductions and final clinchers.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Illustrate your report.

11/18/14 - Lesson 13:
Writing - Using humor in writing.  Source story: "The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down"
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Illustrate your version of this humorous story!

11/19/15 - 11/29/15 THANKSGIVING BREAK

12/2/14 - Lesson 14:
Writing - Finish and polish any prior assignments.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Complete any prior art projects.

12/9/14 -Lesson 15:
Writing - Special Christmas Cinquain Poetry, Five Senses Poem, & Christmas Acronym
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Christmas illustrations for poems

CHRISTMAS BREAK

1/6/16 -Lesson 16:
Writing - Multiple source research & Fusing outlines about Men Who Changed the World.  Topic #1: Benjamin Franklin.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Draw Benjamin Franklin

1/13/16 - Lesson 17:
Writing - Multiple source research & Fusing outlines about Men Who Changed the World.  Topic #2
Louis Braille.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Draw Louis Braille

1/20/16 - Lesson 18:
Writing - Multiple source research & Fusing outlines about Men Who Changed the World. Topic #3
Thomas Edison.
Communications - oral report to classArt - Draw Thomas Edison

1/27/16 -Lesson 19:
Writing - Multiple source research & Fusing outlines about Men Who Changed the World. Combine the last three topics into one research paper.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Complete any portrait drawings

2/3/16 - Lesson 20:
Writing - Brainstorming Individual Ideas about Fruit. Write a multiple-paragraph essay about a fruit.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Drawing & Painting Fruit (acrylic on canvas)

2/10/15 - Lesson 21:
Writing - Who am I  Idea Organizer - Write a multiple-paragraph personal narrative.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Self Portrait

2/17/15 - Lesson 22:
Writing - The Sundae: Creating and gifting a "nice" or "not-so-nice" person with a homemade sundae.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Illustrate the person and or the sundae

2/24/15 - Lesson 23:
Writing - Metamorphosis: You get to be something else and then revert back to yourself as you write descriptively about your experience.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Abstract Art

3/2/15 - Lesson 24:
Writing - A Fairy Tale from A Different Point of View
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Drawing fairytale people and places such as castles

3/9/15 - Lesson 25:
Writing - Cartoon Story
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Cartooning

3/10/16 - 3/22/16 SPRING BREAK

3/23/16 - Lesson 26:
Writing - Describing Emotions Through the Senses
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Color Pencil Drawing

3/30/16 - Lesson 27:
Writing - Strange encounters of the animal kind
Communications - oral report to class
Art - charcoal

4/4/16 - 4/15/16 TESTING WEEKS

4/20/15 - Lesson 28:
Writing - Ship Wrecked: make basic life decisions concerning the survival of yourself and others.
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Water color & ink

4/27/15 - Lesson 29:
Writing - Persuasive Essay
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Art of choice

5/4/15 - Lesson 30:
Writing - Polish any unfinished writing
Communications - oral report to class
Art - Complete any unfinished art work