To help parents understand Hillhouse's writing program, we've created an excerpt from Creative Writing Lesson 1 - Ms. Steven's creative writing program is high volume and fast-paced, leading students through a two-hour discussion of some of the following topics: Ms. . Steven begins the lesson by discussing the topic of writing about “one thing you like to do and one thing you're afraid to do” to stimulate interest. The teacher begins by discussing the topic of writing “one thing I like and one thing I'm afraid to do," which introduces the course and stimulates interest.
One thing you enjoy about writing
Writing ideas down, expressing myself; reading, debating, argumentative, proving others wrong
Science fiction; can be creative, write whatever you want to write
- Putting ideas down, express myself
- Reading
- Debate, argumentative, prove others wrong
- Science fiction
- Can be creative, write whatever you want
One thing you fear about writing
Dialogue, grammar, how sentences are put together, where they are presented in a text
The content of the writing may seem bad, exploring whether there is better grammar, how to change the expression to make the text sound more interesting. The teacher will also provide guidance on how to write in different genres, such as argumentative essays and narrative essays . Critical thinking is always encouraged in our program.
Not enough detail; exhausted ideas, bad ideas; classmate editing
- Conventions, grammar, how sentences go together and where to put them
- Writing might appear bad, better grammar, sound interesting, not sounding smooth
- Writing essays, narrative essays
- Being criticized
- Not detailed enough
- Running out of ideas, ideas are bad
- Peer editing
One goal you'd like to achieve in this class: Write more specifically
2. Teaching Goal
- Show you how creative writing can lead to unexpected rewards
- Share my experiences with reading and writing
- Introduce interesting pieces of fiction to you and analyze them alongside you
- Guide you to find the creative process that
3. Lesson plan for this session
- The creative process of writing
- Generating ideas
- Do some thinking and writing
- Reading (if we have time)
- Q&A throughout
4. Seven-week program
- Showing and telling
- Characterization (1)
- Characterization (2)
- Setting
- Plot and Structure
- Point of View
- Metaphor and Simile
- Revision and Theme
5. The Artistic Mindset
- The artist has an intuition about the world's order that's different from that of philosophers, scientists, and theologians
- The best stories aren't based on ideas. They emerge from the chaos of sensory experience
- The writer shapes experience into an art object to be encountered by the reader
- I've got this sense that the world has meaning, and I want to make art objects out of my experiences and my dreams
6. Generating ideas
- Based on assignment
- Brainstorming
- Freewriting
- Doodling and sketching
- Mapping
- Imagining
- Asking a reporter's questions
- Seeking motives
- Keeping a journal
- Revision and Theme
7. Pain and Pleasure of Writing
Pain
- Fear of imperfection (bad grammar), self judgment
- Fear that words will never capture an idea
- Fear of the blank page
- What's my teacher/mom gonna say
Happy Pleasure
- Constructing an elegant sentence
- Discovering an image
- Seeing a character come to life
8. Don't Dread, Do
- Getting Started
- Figuring out what habits make you productive/creative
- Allowing (not making) yourself to write every day
- Keeping a journal
- A private space to experiment, grow, and fail
- Doesn't matter what or how much you write
- Metaphor and Simile
- Getting in a steady habit of observing in words
9. Free-writing
Putting anything on paper, it doesn't matter as long as it's coming out of your head and onto paper/screen
- Keep going and don't stop
- Try doing this on a laptop with your screen darkened
- Review your freewriting for indications of what you care about
- Prompts
- Stories don't begin with ideas or themes or outlines; they start with images and obsessions
- Responding to prompts is a way to practice putting your thoughts into writing
10. Homework
Try to write something every day between now and next week's class. It can be a word, a sentence, a paragraph...however much you want to write. Next week, be ready to share something (anything!) that you were able to discover from this process
11. Mr. Steven's class time and place
5th-7th grade Reading & Writing
Tuesday 6-8 pm
8-10th grade Reading & Writing
Wednesday 6-8 pm
(enrollment is full, new class times to be announced)
10-12th grade Reading & Writing
Saturday 4:30-6:30 pm
SAT Word Grammar
Sat 9:30-11:30 am
SAT Exercise Training Lecture
Sun 4:30-6:30 pm
Location
5549 Dunbar St, Vancouver
In-person Online Simultaneous Opening
12. Conclusion
Through the writing program, students steadily improve their ability to think and write well, both orally and in writing, and the vast majority of graduates find this training very helpful in preparing their college admissions documents and in developing ideas for creative writing, seeking interesting characters and plots. Some students finish first in their English and social studies grades at school; some win international prizes in writing competitions; students of all levels make big gains, and most importantly, students learn to think deeply. As some of our graduates say when they make a special trip to see their teacher, not only have they learned writing skills, but they have also changed and built their outlook on life.
Stay tuned for the next installment of Mr. Steven's introduction!
Parents are welcome to add WeChat for consultation
Inquiry Email: info@hillhouseeducation.com
Contact number: (604) 738 - 2353
Official｜ https://www.hillhouseeducation.com
Address｜ (39th Street Campus) 5549 Dunbar St, Vancouver
(19th Street Campus) 110-3479 Dunbar Street, Vancouver
