Common Core, Uncommon Approach

Adventures in Writing Camp helps middle school students to develop as sophisticated writers, giving them the tools and confidence to use writing as a means to share their voice with the world.

The belief that all students need to be effective communicators, collaborators, critical thinkers, and creators guides all learning activities. Lessons are sequenced to build upon prior student knowledge, and structured to allow teachers the opportunity to meet varied student needs.

This year our middle school program will explore the elements of dramatic structure and literature through the production of an animatic. Campers will create original stories, then choose a scene to transform into a script which they will then perform, record, and overlay with still images. Together, we will create plot maps, original characters, and vibrant settings. Campers will write original scripts, rich in dialogue and narration, in order to weave their stories. Along the way, they will learn to record and use sound effects in order to bring them to life. Parents can expect to receive a portfolio containing each piece of the writing process, as well as an MP4 file containing your camper’s final product. Camps are designed as two week sessions:

Middle School Programs: Digital Storytelling

Week 1: Authors Purpose, Community, and Hooking and Maintaining an Audience Campers brainstorm topics and choose one for their project. They learn about “Author’s Purpose” and explore why they are writing, and why others might want to read their work. Campers learn about being good “citizens of the internet” and the responsibility that comes with creating content and commenting on content. They learn the technological mechanics of creating their project, and techniques for attracting and maintaining an audience of readers.

Week 2: Content, Design, and Presentation During the second week, campers continue to learn new writing skills, and they apply them to creating content for their project. These pieces will include written articles and, depending on the project, may include multi-media content such as videos, interviews, podcasts, and/or other technology-centered blog postings. Campers leave as skilled users of their project’s technology platform, allowing them to apply their love of writing to the creation of a virtually endless content in the months ahead.