Welcome to The Creative Page!

Do you love stories? Have you secretly (or maybe not so secretly) wanted to write your own story? Are you inspired by reading an interesting or beautiful paragraph? Do you enjoy poetry? Have you ever wondered HOW to write more creatively? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, this is the class for you!

In this class we will:

  • Learn what makes an intriguing, inviting, and illuminating story.
  • Read and discuss vibrant stories from a variety of genres.
  • Practice some of the good habits that successful authors embody in their writing.
  • Learn punctuation and grammar rules to improve our writing.
  • Write our own creative works in a variety of genres, culminating in a 5 page short story.

Expectations

As with most things in life, what you get out of this class will be directly proportional to what you put in.

This is an apprentice level class. That means you are learning how to show up prepared and engaged each week.

Prepared means that you will have completed your assignments – in your commonplace book, in your notebook, written papers, or pages to read. You will come with your assignments ready to hand in. And you will be ready to engage in the class discussion.

Your thoughts and questions are important – and we look forward to hearing your unique perspective. In order to successfully include everyone, please remember the following class rules:

  1. Show RESPECT to each other.
    • give time for thinking and speaking
    • make space for different opinions – disagree without being disagreeable
  2. Manage your communication devices.
    • put your phone away
    • add to the discussion even if you are feeling shy
  3. Give 100%.
    • be prepared
    • participate

Class Structure

You will do several different types of activities in this class.

  1. Discuss the books that you are assigned to read.
  2. Work in small groups – creating and sharing stories and other writing.
  3. Play games and participate in activities to learn more about writing and story telling.
  4. Learn how to edit your writing to make it stronger and more engaging for the reader.
  5. Read and write poetry.
  6. Share your writing with others so they can hear your unique voice.

Homework

Each week you will have homework. Your assignments will include fix-it’s, commonplace book entries, writing assignments, editing assignments, books to read, videos to watch, and other activities. You won’t necessarily do all of these types of assignments each week, but you will throughout the class. You will have an Assignments Coversheet that will list what you need to do. You will turn this in stapled on top of your assignments each week.

Class Website

All the homework assignments will be posted on the class website the morning following class. If there are additional resources you need to finish the assignment, including handouts or videos, you will also find them there.

Checking the website one last time before you come to class is a great way to make sure you’ve done all of your homework.

Paper Format

Part of this class is writing papers and stories. To make it easier to read and understand, you must type your papers, following the format in your binder. You may not turn in your paper unless it is typed.

Incentives

When you’re learning how to consistently complete homework, it helps to have a “bonus” built in. In this class, there are three rewards that you can earn. More information about the requirements for earning these awards will be provided in class.

  1. The Creative Writer Award
  2. The Newbery Award
  3. The Pulitzer Prize