A Not So Short Story, Grade 7-8
June 27 - July 21
No class July 4, make up Friday, July 8
8 class sessions, 2 hours per class
Mondays & Wednesdays or Tuesdays & Thursday classes
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PST (16 hours)
Course Description:
Do you have a great idea for a short story? Let's develop one together! We will study the elements of fiction, analyzing mentor texts to see what successful writers do, and then we will try our hand at doing it, too! We will develop interesting and complex characters, plots that unfold logically and draw the reader in, settings that are more than time and place, compelling points of view, and thoughtful themes. We will do it with style as we experiment with dialogue, pacing, and sentence structure. You will use these skills not only to write your own short story, but to apply these skills throughout your academic career as well.
Instructor Biography:
Ms. Pantano has 30+ years of teaching experience in preschool through university level. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in Literature from St. Bonaventure University where she completed both degrees in four years then went on to complete additional postgraduate courses at Northern Illinois University. For the past 10 years, Ms. Pantano has taught middle school Advanced Plus classes at St. Junipero Serra Catholic School and has also served as the school’s Director of Academic Testing and Analysis for the past five years. Active in the Writing Project since the 2020 Summer Institute, Ms. Pantano regularly uses the strategies she has learned through the Writing Project in her classroom. She is driven to share her love of literature and writing with her students through activities that challenge them to operate at higher levels of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
Do you have a great idea for a short story? Let's develop one together! We will study the elements of fiction, analyzing mentor texts to see what successful writers do, and then we will try our hand at doing it, too! We will develop interesting and complex characters, plots that unfold logically and draw the reader in, settings that are more than time and place, compelling points of view, and thoughtful themes. We will do it with style as we experiment with dialogue, pacing, and sentence structure. You will use these skills not only to write your own short story, but to apply these skills throughout your academic career as well.
Instructor Biography:
Ms. Pantano has 30+ years of teaching experience in preschool through university level. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in Literature from St. Bonaventure University where she completed both degrees in four years then went on to complete additional postgraduate courses at Northern Illinois University. For the past 10 years, Ms. Pantano has taught middle school Advanced Plus classes at St. Junipero Serra Catholic School and has also served as the school’s Director of Academic Testing and Analysis for the past five years. Active in the Writing Project since the 2020 Summer Institute, Ms. Pantano regularly uses the strategies she has learned through the Writing Project in her classroom. She is driven to share her love of literature and writing with her students through activities that challenge them to operate at higher levels of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.