In a workshop environment, students work independently and cooperatively, brainstorming and developing ideas, and critiquing one another’s writing. Students will experiment with a variety of creative writing formats: principally short stories, but also poetry, rap, journalism, and possibly screenplay writing. This elective will be a read/write course, in which students read a successful example of each genre, then try their hands at writing it.
We will do various writing exercises, including interviewing a stranger, writing journalism on school events or issues, extemporizing a round-robin story, and writing persuasive essays. To vary our regimen, and because a rich and precise vocabulary and correct grammar are essential to good writing, once a week students will work on these issues.
Generally, students will receive a new assignment each Monday, turn in a rough draft on Wednesday for peer editing, and submit a final draft Friday. All work must be typed and students should retain a back-up copy. The class will likely culminate in a Blog publication of our best work.
Possible Texts include:
• Sleeper Cell; Showtime script by Cyrus Voris
• 50 Great Short Stories, Crane, ed.
• Winesberg Ohio, S. Anderson
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| see past |
Various Essay Topics (Expo)
December 3, 2009
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Write an essay of 300 or more words on topic one, two or three. Ignore the other topics for now.
1. Writing on poetry (poems included in attachment).
2. Compare and contrast essay
8. Writing about a place in Hamden you're emotionally connected to
5. Writing about a town charcter (like Milo or the "Shakespeare Lady"); writing about an addiction
6. Stereotyping
7. Explanation Essay
8. (Second "8") Represetation Essay (Writing about some object that represents you.)
8. (Third "8") What's your preference: Boxers v. Briefs
9. Getting a Cell Phone That Locates Your Friends. |
| Downloads |
 Document 1 (46.08 KB)
Document 2 (26.62 KB)
 Document 8 (26.11 KB)
Document 5 (24.58 KB)
Document 6 (27.65 KB)
Document 7 (30.21 KB)
Document 8 (25.6 KB)
Document 8 (27.65 KB)
Document 9 (23.55 KB)
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Figures of Speech
December 4, 2009
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Attached are definitions and examples of the 15 most important figures of speech. They are powerful tools in writing phrases for advertising copy, short stories, creative work, political speech or classroom quips. This posting reminds you of this material (which you may be tested on).
Additionally, you must write out examples of 10 figures of speech. |
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Document 1 (93.7 KB)
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Lyrics and Stories (WW)
December 8, 2009
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| Read the lyrics attached and write a story embodying one of them. (Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald; Fast Car; Delilah; Bullet and a Target). |
| Downloads |
Document 1 (29.7 KB)
Document 2 (36.86 KB)
Document 3 (28.67 KB)
Document 4 (25.09 KB)
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Hamden High School
Richard Pershan
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