Creative Writing

In this unit, students will review the importance of word choice based on denotation and connotation. They will review aspects of plot and begin developing seed ideas through daily quick writes. Students will plan a story, write a rough draft, peer edit, and submit the first story.

In this unit, students will take knowledge from the first unit and brainstorm a list of events from their own lives to develop a nonfiction narrative. They will focus on using figurative language to show rather than tell in their writing. They will then write their second story draft and go through the drafting process to completion.

In this unit, students will study how music artists create direct or implied narratives through lyrics. They work independently and collaboratively to analyze different genres, methodology, and use of various literary and figurative techniques to eventually create their own narrative lyrics with the goal of a summative performance.

In this unit, students will explicitly study how word choice affects interpretation by developing ten-word short stories, primarily in the horror genre. This is a collaborative opportunity with the art department that takes final stories and creates digital art interpretations of each student's best story. Students focus on denotation and connotation to capture their theme that is transferable to the art. After reviewing the completed artwork, students will reflect on whether the visual interpretation accurately represents their story.

In this unit, students will analyze mise-en-scène and exposition of theater and film screenplays to develop their own short-form film. They will take an initial narrative idea and write it in the basic screenplay format, primarily using dialogue and stage directions to demonstrate an understanding of screenplay fundamentals. They will create a 3-5 minute film that addresses all aspects, from mise-en-scène to credits, to present as their summative assessment.

In this unit, students will demonstrate the power of performance by reading and observing rants. Through analysis of rants, they will develop an understanding of how to make a constructive argument that will translate into their own. They will write a 1-2 page rant on a chosen topic that addresses the issue and provides perspective and alternatives to potentially change opposing sides' ideas.  As a summative assessment, it will be read in front of the class. The rant will lead into the development of a spoken-word piece that incorporates more literary and figurative techniques to address another topic of their choice. They will produce a 1-2-page spoken-word poem within specific parameters to be performed as a summative assessment.