The Craft of Creative Writing, Grades 7-8
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
October 4 - November 29 (No class Thanksgiving week)
Wednesdays, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m. PST
Course Description:
Welcome, young wordsmiths, to the exciting world of creative writing! In this interactive online class, designed specifically for 7th and 8th graders, students will explore their imagination and write engaging stories and essays. Through a writers’ workshop format, students will develop their craft as storytellers in a variety of writing genres. Each class session focuses on a different creative writing strategy that students can implement in their own compositions right away.
Students will:
Instructor Biography:
Melissa Galvan currently teaches 8th grade Honors English and AP English Language & Composition at Oxford Academy, where she also serves as the English Department Chair. Over the last 18 years at OA, she has also taught Honors English, grades 7-10, and served as the newspaper advisor for eight years. Her work experience includes ELA, grades 6-12; Regular, Honors, AP and ELD levels, in addition to Journalism and even Spanish 1! She earned her BA in English from UCSB, a MS in Secondary Education from CSUF, and became a UCI Writing Project Fellow in 2017.
Welcome, young wordsmiths, to the exciting world of creative writing! In this interactive online class, designed specifically for 7th and 8th graders, students will explore their imagination and write engaging stories and essays. Through a writers’ workshop format, students will develop their craft as storytellers in a variety of writing genres. Each class session focuses on a different creative writing strategy that students can implement in their own compositions right away.
Students will:
- Engage in the writing process
- Try different idea-generating strategies
- Practice creative writing skills, such as crafting purposeful dialogue and vivid imagery
- Collaborate with peer writers
- Closely read mentor texts to analyze and emulate professional writers
- Explore different modes of discourse, such as description, narration, etc.
Instructor Biography:
Melissa Galvan currently teaches 8th grade Honors English and AP English Language & Composition at Oxford Academy, where she also serves as the English Department Chair. Over the last 18 years at OA, she has also taught Honors English, grades 7-10, and served as the newspaper advisor for eight years. Her work experience includes ELA, grades 6-12; Regular, Honors, AP and ELD levels, in addition to Journalism and even Spanish 1! She earned her BA in English from UCSB, a MS in Secondary Education from CSUF, and became a UCI Writing Project Fellow in 2017.