Course Schedule

Each lesson addresses a different aspect of the writing process or of writing instruction. Course activities include readings, assignments, and discussions.  The lessons are sequential. The schedule below lists the dates that assignments are due. Posts to discussions may be made at any time within the week in which the topic is being presented. Please be sure to adhere to the schedule. Lessons are self-paced within the week. Return as often as you wish to the activities and discussions.

If you choose to participate on the weekends, be sure to post your assignments during the weekend that falls within the scheduled week. Each week's discussion boards are opened on the Friday which begins the scheduled week.

Participants who do not post to the discussion board within the first week of the course will be removed from the course. This will then place you on waiting list only status for future online courses and trainings.

If you do not post for more than one week at any time during the course or if you fall more than one week behind in your assignments, you will be removed from the course and will be placed on waiting list status only for future online courses. If you find that you cannot post for more than two weeks, please contact your technical facilitator at courses@valrc.org or 1-800-237-0178 as soon as possible to discuss the situation and your further participation in the course.

You may print out this schedule and use it as a checklist for your course requirements.

 
Lessons Assignments Due

Week 1

2/3 - 2/9

Why Write?
  • "How to Be a Good Online Learner" tutorial
  • Introduce yourself in Building Our Online Community
  • Practice and discuss freewriting
  • Post a participation post
 

Thur
2/9

Week 2

2/10 - 2/16

Pre-Writing
  • Discuss the characteristics of good writing
  • Practice and discuss pre-writing
  • Post a participation post
 

Thur
2/16

Week 3

2/17 - 2/23

Writing the First Draft
  • Discuss digital technologies and writing genres
  • Complete and discuss the point-of-view activity
  • Post a participation post
 

Thur
2/23

Week 4

2/24 - 3/1

Strategies for Writing Instruction
  • Create a research-based writing activity
  • Post a rough draft of your personal essay
  • Post a participation post
 

Thur
3/1

Week 5

3/2 - 3/8

Radical Revision
  • Complete and discuss the scrambled paragraph activity
  • Discuss peer review
  • Post revision-related feedback to a peer's personal essay
 

Thur
3/8

Week 6

3/9 - 3/15

Editing: Style and Convention
  • Complete and discuss an activity involving writing conventions
  • Evaluate a sample essay using a rubric and discuss the process
  • Post editing-related feedback to a peer's personal essay
 

Thur
3/15

Week 7

3/16- 3/22

Presentation and Publication
  • Discuss writing instruction and special populations
  • Create a writing lesson plan
  • Post a participation post
 

Thur
3/22

Week 8

3/23 - 3/29

Writing and Special Populations
  • Post a final draft of your personal essay
  • Post your parting thoughts
  • Post a participation post
  • Complete the end-of-course evaluation
 

Thur
3/29