Recipes for Writing, Grade 8
February 17, 24; March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; April 8
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class
Thursdays, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PST (12 hours)
Course Description:
People say we are what we eat, and that’s probably true in more ways than one. There’s so much wrapped up in the foods we eat – our families, our memories, our traditions, our cultures, our values. When we talk about food, we’re often talking about our identities. Whether it’s the joy of preparing tamales with family or the comfort of a steaming bowl of pho on a cold evening, food brings people together. This course will examine the ways writers talk about food and how it can function within a text to establish themes and symbols. Students will go on their own cooking journey at home to research a family recipe before composing a piece about the experience. By drawing from the moves made in our mentor texts, we will explore how writers utilize effective narrative techniques listed in the common core standards such as pacing, establishing context and point of view, sensory details, vivid descriptions, and more. As students move toward more expository writing styles in the upper grades, these narrative skill sets sometimes get left behind, but these moves are what elevate the conventions and make student writing stand out from the crowd.
Instructor Biography:
Mr. Carranza was a fellow of the UCI Writing Project Summer Institute in 2021 and has been regularly cooking up lessons and stories inspired by his summer work. He is currently an English teacher at Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel, California. And although he has taught all of the high school grades before, he particularly enjoys the middle school years when everyone is beginning to figure out what type of person they’re going to be and still laughs at cheesy jokes. After earning a B.A. in Literature at Cal State Long Beach, he went on to earn a M.A. in English at Claremont Graduate University where he learned the value of cross-curricular work. He believes strongly in centering students’ own experiences and voices in their learning and the lasting impact that their stories can bring. Last May he published an article in California English about the power of reflective writing and how it manifested during Virtual Learning.
People say we are what we eat, and that’s probably true in more ways than one. There’s so much wrapped up in the foods we eat – our families, our memories, our traditions, our cultures, our values. When we talk about food, we’re often talking about our identities. Whether it’s the joy of preparing tamales with family or the comfort of a steaming bowl of pho on a cold evening, food brings people together. This course will examine the ways writers talk about food and how it can function within a text to establish themes and symbols. Students will go on their own cooking journey at home to research a family recipe before composing a piece about the experience. By drawing from the moves made in our mentor texts, we will explore how writers utilize effective narrative techniques listed in the common core standards such as pacing, establishing context and point of view, sensory details, vivid descriptions, and more. As students move toward more expository writing styles in the upper grades, these narrative skill sets sometimes get left behind, but these moves are what elevate the conventions and make student writing stand out from the crowd.
Instructor Biography:
Mr. Carranza was a fellow of the UCI Writing Project Summer Institute in 2021 and has been regularly cooking up lessons and stories inspired by his summer work. He is currently an English teacher at Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel, California. And although he has taught all of the high school grades before, he particularly enjoys the middle school years when everyone is beginning to figure out what type of person they’re going to be and still laughs at cheesy jokes. After earning a B.A. in Literature at Cal State Long Beach, he went on to earn a M.A. in English at Claremont Graduate University where he learned the value of cross-curricular work. He believes strongly in centering students’ own experiences and voices in their learning and the lasting impact that their stories can bring. Last May he published an article in California English about the power of reflective writing and how it manifested during Virtual Learning.