Course Goals

• Read excerpts from novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction for enjoyment and to improve critical reading skillfulness and offer modeling opportunities

• Hone the expression of ideas to demonstrate clarity, coherence, and perceptiveness

• Learn to write several types of creative pieces

• Receive incremental writing instruction with detailed, individual feedback

• Engage in active text-based discussions each week—both guided and student-led—on topics relating to the week's reading and writing

• Offer and receive helpful and positive peer feedback on writing forums

• Participate in, contribute to, and enjoy live collaboration and interaction with the class and the instructor

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Course Resources

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Instructor-provided reading from various authors, including:​

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• Alexander Afanasyev

• Alexander the Great

• Eric Carle

• Lewis Carroll

• Anton Chekhov

• Charles Dickens

• Arthur Conan Doyle

• Thomas Hardy

• Seamus Heaney

• Langston Hughes

• Victor Hugo

• James Hurst

• Stephen King

• Daphne du Maurier

• Mary Pope Osborne

• Dorothy Parker

• Edgar Allen Poe

• The Pearl Poet

• Anna Sewell

• Paul Simon

• Charles Schultz

• Dr. Seuss

• William Shakespeare

• John Steinbeck

• Jonathan Swift

• Mark Twain

• Jane Yolen

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Technical Resources

• Required:

  • A reliable internet connection

  • A computer with a web-cam

  • A working microphone

• Recommended:

  • Earbuds or a headset with a microphone (a built-in computer microphone will work if needed)

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