Date Approved

2006

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

English Language and Literature

First Advisor

Rebecca Sipe

Abstract

This thesis project outlines a course in creative writing designed for students in grades 9-12. The course is an elective and is expected to be taken in addition to general English classes taken as a graduation requirement.


The course is designed as a genre study on an immersion principle, which requires that students focus their attention on the characteristics that make up various genres through both reading and writing in those genres. Students are introduced to the overall workshop format of the class and to the procedure of conferencing on and revising drafts through the basic study of the genres of fiction and poetry. They then move on to genres that are less frequently taught in the English curriculum: graphic literature, drama, and multigenre presentations. Throughout the course, students are required to keep reflective journals that document their awareness ofthe process of writing, revising, and editing. They will be responsible for producing final drafts in genre study, one working portfolio, one showcase portfolio, and at least one submission to the class publication to be distributed to the community through the sale of monthly issues and subscriptions.


This elective course is founded in the research of current classes and methods of teaching immersion, workshops, and writing in secondary education. It offers students the opportunity to explore unfamiliar genres through reading and writing, and it provides them with a creative forum in which they can be published in an authentic achievement.

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