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So Mr. Viva, what exactly are we going to do in this class?
You are going to think. You are going to create. You are going to interact, construct and deconstruct, you are going to discuss, argue, interpret, communicate, design and publish. This class is not about how you should write or what you should write about. This class is designed to force you to think about the world you live in and interact with it in a meaningful way. We will spend most of our time shaping the outline of this course as we go along; however, throughout the trimester we will enlighten ourselves by reading good writing and understanding how good writers go about creating their craft and work. The bulk of our reading will come from creative non-fiction prose. You will be challenged, held to high expectations of yourself and each other and you will most definitely learn something. Most importantly, you will recognize that this class is unlike any other class you have ever taken and you will, by the very nature of its unique approach, be happy that you decided to take it.

What are we going to learn? Ugh, you mean we actually have to learn something?
Yes you will. If you are a list person, there is a list below of some of the skills and concepts I hope we will cover throughout the trimester. More importantly, YOU will have an active role in teaching part of the course. More on this will follow. Below is your list, for those of you who are list people.
 * develop abilities to write creatively and expressively
 * practice the behaviors of committed creative writers
 * develop knowledge of creative writing and appropriate vocabulary for discussing creative writing
 * recognize writing as a constructive, meaningful process
 * recognize reading as an active, constructive process
 * practice the behaviors of effective, strategic readers
 * recognize the contribution of literature to cultures and societies
 * recognize that talk is an important tool for communicating, thinking, and learning
 * practice the behaviors of effective speakers
 * speak fluently and confidently in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes and audiences

A trimester seems like either a really long time, or a really short time? Which is it going to be?
That depends on your willingness and desire to invest in what we are doing. I am going to ask you to work, but I am not going to burden you with unnecessary busy work or work that does not have a purpose. My expectation is that as juniors and seniors you will recognize that your ability to succeed in this class depends in large part on you. We are going to cover a wide spectrum of writing styles and genres; creative non-fiction, short story, poetry, non-fiction, film, multimedia etc. If you ask students who took this class last trimester, they will tell you this class should be yearlong. You be the judge.

What do I need to bring with me?

 * If you have your own laptop you should bring it with you every day. There are 10 laptops in our class to use, but using your own will make things easier.
 * If you have an iPod Touch or iPhone below are some applications you may want to download.
 * Wordpress for iPhone
 * Twitter client for your Blackberry, iPhone, or Twitter enabled mobile device.

How do I figure out how to pass this class?
Coursework will be graded as follows, each category receives equal weight, assignments are graded based on points. You will get a rubric for writing and projects. 1. Writing original articles/peer review and edits 2. Responding to my online prompts/blog posts 3. Creative Expression/Resource Contribution 4. Class Participation/Twitter Posting Each article you write for WA Mash will be worth 100 points. We wrote 5 articles last trimester, we are going to shoot for 7 this trimester. 7 x 100 points = 700 points. Your responses to the online prompts/blog post are worth 10 points each. You must use proper spelling/punctuation and grammar in order to get the full 10 points. Last trimester we wrote 15. 15 x 10 points each = 150 points. Your class participation grade will involve your willingness to discuss, contribute and post to WA MicroMash (our Twitter microblog).

What is the deal with the blog? It seems like everyone has a blog? What makes yours different?
It is not just a blog it is an online magazine where YOU will be given access to contribute as writers. Your articles will appear on the blog and THEY will be commented on! They will be searched. We have received close to 2000 page views in 2 months. Your articles are the lifeblood of this magazine. If you are looking for examples of what we will do, visit the following sites. www.slate.com, www.salon.com, www.flyp.com

We are going talk, discuss, argue, contemplate, reflect and in general, interact with the world we live in. Get used to it because it will be central to your success in the class.

In addition to exploring the creative process and writing as practice, it is my hope that we will engage in deep and thoughtful conversations about world issues, social issues, the human experience and great literature. We will often connect the themes and stories we read to the world we live in today. The WA Mash website will serve as a major resource for this class. You will also use Twitter and Google Docs. Working together as small groups will occur frequently, peer revisions and other group work will be a part of your grade for the trimester. Remember that there is no such thing as a “dumb” question and that the opinions of others should be respected even if you do not share them. Let’s try to change something!

Housekeeping stuff…

 * Your recorded grades will be available for your review at a convenient time. I will post your progress online in PowerSchool for your advisor and parents/guardians to review.
 * Throughout the course, all students will remember that it is important to continuously work on their writing skills. Each project will demand that all students wear five distinctive hats: researcher, leader, writer, editor, technologist and presenter.
 * Academic success in any course is directly related to the amount of time and effort given. Therefore, to be truly successful, daily attendance is necessary. In the event of an absence, it is your responsibility to make up all missed work.
 * Don’t be late with your work. Late work is bad.
 * Homework will be assigned on a regular basis and may include such activities as reading, posting to the course blog, current events reading, web assignments and writing projects.
 * Extra Help; because of my schedule I may not always be available during extra help, however, see my Assistant or email her (Joan Judson) or me to set up a meeting during a free period.

Be nice to each other….seriously…be nice.

 * Honesty in the classroom is a fundamental aspect of how this class will work. You should expect that I will be honest in assessing the quality of your work, as will your peers, and I need to know that I can expect honesty from you. This means that you need to adhere to the following guidelines: Write your own articles: do not acquire ideas from other sources or individuals without citing where you got them. Do not borrow ideas without giving them credit. It will result in bad karma.
 * Come to class every day ready to engage in the material being covered, be inquisitive, ready to ask questions and participate.
 * Respect the ideas of others and be willing to formulate some of your own.