Teaching High School Writing
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Darren Said:
Do you regularly use PowerPoint slides in teaching writing?We Answered:
The only time I have used them is as a jumping off point -- from pictures to a writing assignment.When teaching revising, I copy student work, show it on a screen, and talk about ways to improve the writing.
Ian Said:
I'll be teaching a high school creative writing class next semester and I'm looking for ideas. Can you help?We Answered:
You probably have used these but something here may be of help:writing a different ending to a well known story
writing a traditional story from a different point of view (Three Little Pigs from the wolf's perspective)
write an account of what they would like to be famous for
historical fiction
write to submit to a teen magazine or a contest
humorous stories to submit to Reader's Digest
I hope something here will be of help. Good luck with your class.
Jacqueline Said:
Are there any games I could teach a high school class that would involve writing on the board?We Answered:
Try hangman with key vocabulary. OR you can split the class in half, give them a "problem" or "key vocab word" and have them race to the board and write the answer. The one who writes the most legibly and is the fastest gets the point.Clayton Said:
Do you need more than a B.A. in English-Creative Writing to teach high School? What about community college?We Answered:
I think it does depend on the state you're in. Pennsylvania requires a degree in education for high school teaching, and most colleges require at least a Masters, if not a Doctorate to teach. I'm not sure what the deal is with community colleges now, but I know I taught English Composition at a community college with a BA in English and my high school certification. But that was over 10 years ago; they may have changed their requirements.Melissa Said:
Any suggestions for teaching creative writing in high schools?We Answered:
There are some great suggestions here. Adding on from my teaching experience, I'd add...It's always good to model the writing process by looking at a good example from a particular genre, then all work on that genre together.
Write yourself and share with your class.
Use visual stimuli, sounds, smells, objects (photos cut from newspapers, things taped off the telly, sound-effects, aromatherapy oils, an old boot, a torn umbrella....) as starting points.
Borrow a line of poetry or a sentence from a story as a starter, or get the kids to 'treasure hunt' good examples for themselves.
Get kids to edit each other's work. Find opportunities to publish their work - competitions, online, class magazine.... They will want to do well if it's for a REAL audience.
Go to a location or event together - a field, a bus station, a sports game, a river... Divide them into pairs or groups and have them work on different foci (characters, setting etc) and have them share. Use this as a springboard for a writing project.
Structure is often one of the most difficult things for students to grasp - sometimes writing less is more. Have them chart visually the stages a good writer incorporates.
And overall, make your students feel that you ENJOY reading their work! Read aloud the best part of everyone's work (don't leave anyone out) and be encouraging!!
Denise Said:
How do I become a high school creative writing teacher?We Answered:
I have an MFA in creative writing (I received it from UNLV in 2000). This is certainly the best way forward. An MFA is a terminal degree, meaning, you can teach at a university level (be a professor!). In my case, I earned my MFA, taught a few classes as a grad student, and then found additional adjunct professor jobs.After you have experience teaching at the university level (something that's pretty easy to get into), teaching a the high school level is easy.
Check out the many different jobs available below at the leading adjunct professor website.
This amendment is in response to the next answer. Absolutely agree that teaching High School is NEVER easy. However, the question was very specific regarding the teaching of creative writing in high school. There are a great number of professionals who come into high schools to teach focused courses in areas of their expertise without the usual credentials. My mother has done this for years with just a masters degree. Working part time in a high school can very satisfying and does not generally require the same level of credentials.
Connie Said:
I'm teaching high school kids (14-15 yr olds) a lesson on writing blogs. The focus is on writing style. Tips?We Answered:
The key to writing a blog, as anything else on the internet, is to make sure that the spelling is atrocious, the grammar is terrible, and that the content shows a general sociopathic trend. Make sure that your students insult as many social groups as possible, and put lots of links to porn in their blogs. After all, we want to teach them how things are written on the internet don't we.