Invitation to the Voyages
"Invitation to the Voyages" is an exercise I use to teach imagery. It can be adapted for any writing genre.
Visualizing Class Participation
A diagram that helps students and teachers be on the same page when it comes to understanding expectations for and evaluations of class participation.
On What I Hope This Site Can Be
A Message from the Editor:
For those of you that know me, and no doubt today, at the start of this project, many of you...
MLA & the Annotated Bibliography
A 2-page handout focusing on MLA citations and formatting for an annotated bibliography.
Place Essays – Finding Places to Write About
Writing about place is more than writing about a vacation or a childhood home. There are certain tensions evident in all spaces when we...
Outlining Argumentative Essays
A useful handout that explains how to outline an essay. It draws on similar examples from my handout on Common Thesis Complaints.
Feature image by Andrew...
Common Thesis Complaints
This handout I made in sheer frustration after hearing the same complaints about thesis formulation over and over again from my students. I've learned in my...
Place Essays — Examples Using Research
Incorporating research into creative nonfiction essays helps bring the narrative to life but can be difficult to do. Below you'll find a collection of...
MLA Formatting in Word and Google Docs
A simple handout that provides step-by-step details on how to add first line and hanging indents as well as inserting page numbers in the...
Types of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is more than just copying and pasting the words of others and this can sometimes be difficult to explain to students. The handout below illustrates the different types of plagiarism and provides examples that can be used for an in-class activity and discussion.
The Bad Boyfriend Counterargument
This handout is a counterargument explanation sheet using the example of
trying to persuade your loved ones that your bad boyfriend is not so bad....
Peer Review Forms
These handouts were developed to help students provide productive and specific feedback during peer review. They support students in giving constructive criticism based on specific generic expectations, such as the strength of thesis statements, organization, and use of sources.
Write Your Own Fairy-tale Handout
This handout is a creative writing exercise I use in my Speculative Literature class when we do a unit on fairy tales,...
Avoiding ‘Thing’ Words
I'll admit right off the bat that my major pet peeve is 'thing' words. Something. Nothing. Anything. Everything. And just plain old thing. In...
Time in Narratives
A simple handout that illustrates key concepts of time in narratives by comparing them to the basic controls we use when watching videos. Feature image...
Literary Magazine Submissions
A handout covering the basics of submitting to literary magazines: where to submit, cover letters, terminology, and mistakes to avoid.
Concision for Creative Writers
If you're looking for a way to encourage your creative writing students to be more concise, try this simple concision handout.
Photo by Todd Quackenbush on Unsplash
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Analyzing Privilege
In our current, cultural landscape there are many divisive topics that individuals associate with while dismissing contrary perspectives. It is easy to disregard what someone else has to say when there is a gap in empathy and connectivity. The goal of this exercise, in dismantling, or “checking one’s privilege”, is to allow students to see what kind of advantages they may take for granted while overlooking some of the obstacles others may have to face on a daily basis.
Five Revision Activities
Five revision activities you can use either inside or outside the classroom to show the importance and effects of revision.
Place Essays — Examples Using Research
Incorporating research into creative nonfiction essays helps bring the narrative to life but can be difficult to do. Below you'll find a collection of...