It’s difficult to believe, but one week has passed and our group of fifteen young writers from around the country and the world has begun to form a community of writers. The first two days were a time of getting to know each other, going over the writing class expectations, understanding the multi-genre, multi-modal culminating project demands, and the writing/reading workshop format of the course. Soon after, we were going full steam ahead. To this point, four students have given their ethnographer’s report on the previous day’s class experience, four students have given grammar lesson presentations, and all fifteen students have written literacy autobiographies and an essay over a topic of their’ choice. The first week we focused our writing and reading on non-fiction reading and essay writing. Many of the students have also begun work on their multi-genre multi-modal projects, and their research for their debate — both of which will be presented next week.
In addition, students have done on-site writing following a tour of the Kentucky Museum on campus, and learned how to access the University’s main library and research database following a presentation by Amanda Hardin and the University’s very helpful library staff. In the afternoons, students have been curling up with a good book in the Educational Research Center library for some free choice reading. Thanks to librarian Ellen Micheletti for giving a wonderful presentation over the young adult fiction available for students, and the staff for allowing us to read quietly every afternoon.
This week our focus is in creative writing: fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting. We will venture out to Lost River Cave in Bowling Green and Shakertown at South Union for tours and more on-site writing. Our ethnographer’s reports and grammar lessons will continue, as well student project writing. Whew! We have been busy! This week looks to be as work and fun filled as last. We couldn’t ask for a better start to VAMPY Writing.
Rosemarie Wurth-Grice, Teacher