COURSE TITLE:
NO. OF CREDITS:
6 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 4.00 credits]
WA CLOCK HRS: OREGON PDUs: PENNSYLVANIA ACT 48: |
60 60 60 |
INSTRUCTOR:
Sara Sebastian
sebastiansarapdx@gmail.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Nationwide, only a quarter of 8th and 12th graders are proficient in writing compared to nearly three-quarters who are proficient in reading (NAEP). It’s time to change that.
It is through our experience of being a student that we are better able to empower our own. Join this class to reconnect with writing! In a fun and supportive environment, you will write informal and formal pieces, demystify the writing and editing process, and take numerous activities into your classroom to reignite the passion for writing. A nourishing and transformative course for any educator (you don't have to be an English teacher!) in grades 6-12.
There are two choice books that you will be required to read. One is for storytelling & craft, and the other is for creativity. A provided list for each assignment is available.
Get your colleagues or friends together and take this course as a group!
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:
● Learned various strategies to make writing engaging and enjoyable
● Made informed editing choices by honing their drafting and revision process
● Applied concrete steps for increased creativity and self-compassion
● Submitted a piece of their writing to a literary journal or website
● Created an engaging unit with at least three new writing lessons to use in their classroom
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.
The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted. Assignment responses found to be generated by AI will not be accepted.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participants their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.
UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering, determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
REQUIRED TEXT
Choose one of the following books on creativity:
● Creative Quest by QuestLove (288 pages)
● Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (304 pages)
● The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (235 pages)
● The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (432 pages)
● The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (190 pages)
AND
You may pick one of the books below or another based on storytelling or writing craft:
● Storycraft by Jack Hart (259 pages)
● Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg (198 pages)
● On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (320 pages)
● The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr (256 pages)
● Interviewing: The Oregon Method by Peter Laufer (400 pages)
● The Magic Words by Joseph Fasano (192 pages)
Bring a blank journal.
None. All reading is online.
MATERIALS FEE
None.
ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A. INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments.
Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum.
Assignment #1: Introduction
Hello and welcome to For the Love of Writing! Please watch this short introductory video.
Briefly introduce yourself (200-300 words), including your professional situation, reasons for being interested in this course, what you expect to gain from taking this course, and your experience with the writing and publishing process. Also, include any book (fiction/nonfiction), article, essay, or other form of writing you would like to publish.
Respond to one of the participants taking this course in the Group Forum.
Assignment #2: Quickwrite Prompts
Did you know that there are thousands of writing prompts in your classroom, just waiting to be discovered? You will learn where to find them and why Quickwrites are important.
Post a photo of your Quickwrite (or simply copy and paste the text) to the Group Forum.
Assignment #3: Providing Feedback
Receiving and providing quality feedback is a necessary part of the writing process. It helps build a sense of community and makes everyone better writers.
Read the article on Providing Feedback to Writers.
Post your response.
Assignment #4: Improved Writing Fluency via Journaling
There are several reasons why writing by hand is important; one is to increase fluency.
Read the articles below:
Read the article Julia Cameron Wants You To Do Your Morning Pages (if you are able to access it) or you can watch this Morning Pages video from Julia Cameron's website. on the importance of journaling each morning.
a) Were you successful in maintaining your journal writing each day?
b) Have you noticed a difference in your attitude or how you interact with others or the world?
c) Reflecting on your journaling, did you learn anything new about yourself this week?
Post your response.
Assignment #5: Write a Literary Analysis Paragraph + Give Feedback
Literary Analysis can be fun. Think color-coding and arguing about whether dogs are better than cats!
Post your response in the Group Forum, and give feedback to one of the participant’s posting on “Love Language.”
Assignment #6: Play. It’s Why You’re in Education…Right?
Read the article Play Doesn’t End With Childhood: Why Adults Need Recess Too, by Sami Yenigun.
Listen to the Podcast. You’re Never Too Old to Pay with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
In a 300-400 word paper, answer the following questions:
Post your response.
Assignment #7: Storytelling Craft
Further your knowledge of the craft by reading from some of the experts. Check out a book on writing or storytelling craft from the library and write a reflection of 400-500 words.
Answer these questions:
Here is a list of suggested books on writing or storytelling craft: (You could choose another if you wish based on storytelling or writing.)
Post your response.
Assignment #8: Flash Fiction
Explore fiction in a flash! Make a story come alive with dialogue and blocking.
Read What is Flash Fiction? by Moriah Richard and Woman to Woman by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers.
Write your own flash fiction of 350-400 words! Be sure to include these elements:
Post your response in the Group Forum, and give feedback to at least one participant’s flash fiction.
Assignment #9: Self-Compassion to Reflect and Grow
Writers (and educators) need to set aside their inner critic, be compassionate with themselves, and take time for reflection.
Erin Treat is the guiding teacher at Vallecitos Retreat Center in New Mexico. She gave this talk to a group of educators on a mindfulness retreat. Listen to Erin’s Dharma Talk on Self-Compassion, 46 minutes. (I would do this when you have no plans afterward and are in a comfortable and safe space.)
Post your response.
Assignment #10: Creativity
Not only have I enjoyed these books, but I’ve been able to overcome blockages in order to realize my full creative potential.
Read a book on creativity and write a 400-500-word reflection.
Include the following:
List of some creative books: (Please pick one of these)
Post your response.
Assignment #11: Writing Groups for Students
Giving students time for a high-stakes task is always a good idea!
Post your response.
Assignment #12: Revising & Editing
Getting a first draft down is just the first step!
Post your response.
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B. LEARNING APPLICATION
In this section, you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you do not have a classroom available to you, please contact the instructor for course modifications. Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum.
Assignment #13: Write a Review
To write a review on a “fun” topic, the writer must go through the same process as if this were literature analysis: experience the work (of art, a meal, a video game), take notes, make a claim, and support it.
Post your response in the Group Forum, and give feedback to one person’s review.
Assignment #14: 100-Word Memoir — Create Seven Drafts + A Lesson Plan
I got this brilliant idea, the 100-word memoir, from the teacher and author Kelly Gallagher, though I created the seven-draft process. Gallagher wasn’t the only one to come up with a 100-word story, however. The New York Times has published many Tiny Love Stories that are wonderful exemplars for you and your students.
Complete the following:
AND
Create a lesson utilizing the 100-word memoir for your class and share it in the Group Forum.
Post your response in the Group Forum, and give feedback to one person’s 100-word memoir + lesson plan.
Assignment #15: Lesson Plan
Complete one of the following options:
Option A)
Adapt/create a unit consisting of at least two lessons reflecting what you’ve learned in this course, with appropriate discussion strategies.
OR
Option B)
Use this option if you do not have a classroom or students available.
Adapt/create an article of at least three lessons to reflect what you’ve learned in this course. (Do not implement it.)
Post your response.
Assignment #16: (500 Level ONLY)If You Never Try, You’ll Never Know
Submit your work for a chance to be published!
Post your reflection and spreadsheet.
Assignment #17: (500 Level ONLY) Find Places for Students to Submit
Complete the following:
Read this article, Out of the Classroom and Into the World: 70-Plus Places to Publish Teenage Writing and Art, for ideas on places/contests for your students to submit. The article forgot to mention Narrative Magazine, which has a yearly high school contest.
AND
Create a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation (minimum of 8 slides) with resources and instructions for teachers on steps their students can take to submit their work to be published.
Post in the response box.
C. INTEGRATION PAPER
Assignment #18: (Required for 400 and 500 level)
SELF REFLECTION & INTEGRATION PAPER
(Please do not write this paper until you've completed all of your other assignments)
Write a 400-500 word Integration Paper answering these 5 questions:
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Instructors will comment on each assignment. If you do not hear from the instructor within a few days of posting your assignment, please get in touch with them immediately.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Sara Sebastian, M.A.T., is a teacher, writer, and entrepreneur. She has taught at a middle school in Portland, Oregon where she was awarded Teacher of the Year and at an IB school in Mexico City where she was the English Chair, redesigning curriculum for three grades. She holds two bachelor's degrees (History and Journalism) from the University of Oregon and a Master's in Teaching from Concordia University Portland. In January 2024, she was the featured poet for Slamlandia at Literary Arts. In the same month, she published her first book of poems, We Call So Many Feelings Love. Recently, one of her poems appeared in The Magic Words by Joseph Fasano. Find her at sarasebastian.co
BIBLIOGRAPHY
FOR THE LOVE OF WRITING