Writing A Syllabus
When we become full time awesome
teachers, we will have to have some knowledge of how to write a syllabus for
our students. For elementary and middle
school, the letter to the parents and keeping up on what the students are doing
on the web page are more important, but for those of us that are going to teach
high school and beyond, a basic knowledge of the syllabus is required. Though it looks super easy and uncomplicated,
writing an effective syllabus takes time, when you are starting from
scratch. I had to create my own syllabus
my third year of college and it was extremely difficult to plan everything
accordingly. There is such an abundance
for writing syllabus’ that I have only included two sources that I think have a
great layout for teachers—wikiHow and 4Faculty.org. These two sources go through the process with
a step-by-step approach and offer detailed portions that go into the template
of what you should do to create an effective syllabus. For instance, the steps are listed as such:
1) Identify the purpose of the course, 2) Develop learner-centered objectives,
3) Structure the course to serve learner-centered objectives, 4) Structure the
course to serve learner-centered goals, 5) Develop a Calendar, and 6) Add
support pieces (4Faculty).
I have had some experience writing a
syllabus and if you want to create one that will work for your classroom and
that you don’t have to keep reprinting them out and such, then you need to
spend time and add as much detail as possible.
For instance, if you decide that your students are going to be reading a
text, then you need to have that text divided into sections on the syllabus and
actually time it yourself to make sure that it is not too much or too little to
read. Also, remembering that your
students are going to take a lot longer than you are to complete an assignment,
so you need to keep that in mind at all times.
Also, when you are writing the goals and objectives, you have to make
sure that all the assignments, projects, and activities that you are going to
list will meet those. The syllabus is
designed for the students, so that they know what your expectations are. Having a simple syllabus that does not cover
the basics in detail will confuse the students and you will have to explain
yourself multiple times to clarify what you want them to do.
This research is completely
applicable to me as a teacher in that I will be creating a syllabus each year
that I teach and for multiple areas of study.
This research is also applicable to my students in that I now have a
firmer understanding of how to create a useful syllabus that my students can
understand and use throughout the year or semester that I have them. In order for them to fully comprehend what I
will be teaching and what they will be learning, I will need to create a well
written syllabus that covers all of the areas that are necessary to stop
confusion and to help the classroom run smoothly. Of course there is no way that every syllabus
is going to be perfect and due to complications with assemblies and other
distractions, there will be times when it will need to be revised. The most important part is that time is spent
put into the syllabus, rather than just throwing it together.
Sample:
Intro to Creative Writing 123
CO Room 32
Office
Hours: MWF- 9am to 12pm, Phone: Home- (509)927-3079
TR- 1:30pm to 5pm, or by
appointment. Office- (509)951-3762
Office
Location: Room 13 in Crosby
Course Description[2]:
This class is an introduction to the
art of creative writing. In this course
you will be presented with many writing opportunities of various natures
dealing with the different types and styles of writing. This course will cover the necessary
components of creative writing such as setting, tone, and theme etc, as well as
the genres of creative writing. Discussions
and writing assignments will be given concerning poetry, short stories, scenes,
and creative journalism. With this in
mind, by the end of the course you will have the foundation and the tools to
create works of this specific craft of writing.
Goals for the Course:
1. Ability to understand various
genres of literature
2. Effectively able to construct
different styles of writing
3. Comprehension of what makes
creative literature in its own style
4. Thorough knowledge and experience
in writing techniques
5. The understanding of what makes
creative writing fun
Texts Used for this Course:
Writing Fiction:A Guide to Narrative Craft.[3]
By Janet Burroway, the sixth edition.
-This will facilitate the class to
take fiction writing and analyze it, as well as enabling the class to focus on
different aspects of your own writing.
The Making of a Poem. By Mark
Strand and Eavan Boland, Editors.
-The information in this book will
be used in defining different styles of poetry that will be needed for writing
assignments. This book will also be
effective in allowing you to view the different styles of poetry through the
work of other poets.
Attendance Policy[4]:
Absences-
You will need to inform
me of any classes that you will miss an appropriate amount of time ahead of the
absence (meaning anytime before class).
This class will maintain the policy of Gonzaga University where more
than two unexcused absences will result in the lowering of one grade. The missing of more than six unexcused
absences will result in a V for the course.
Tardy-
Being late to class is considered rude to not only
me, but also to the other
students.
Because of this, more than two late arrivals will consist of an
unexcused absence.
Distractions-
While food is considered
a distraction in class, drinking beverages will be allowed. Cell phones are not to be used during the
scheduled time of class. If you are
caught texting or the phone goes off, I maintain the right to dismiss you out
of class. Also, it is reasonable that
with lack of sleep you may be tired, but falling asleep in class is
unacceptable. It is expected that you
will have your full attention on the topics of the course throughout the
allotted time, since all of us are adults.
Academic Honesty[5]:
Plagiarism is unacceptable at this stage, since all
of us are aware that stealing ideas without representing the main contributor
is illegal. If you are caught cheating
in this way the end result will be a V for the course. Also, cheating on tests and quizzes is not
allowed and will result in a zero for the test or quiz. If this happens more than once you will be
dismissed from the class for the remainder of the semester.
Late Assignments:
There are certain circumstances that may prevent you
from finishing your homework or project on the date at which it is due. You will need to talk with me if this occurs
and it will be handled with an extension.
However, this does not mean that all late work will be accepted, as it
is your responsibility to be prepared for class.
Quizzes and Tests:
Quizzes-
There will be multiple
quizzes throughout the semester of that which will pertain to the topic of that
day. They will either be on the reading
or what we have discussed in class. They
will rarely be announced ahead of time, so be prepared.
Tests-
The midterm and final
for this course will consist of two writing assignments or projects that will
be discussed later in class. These will
be announced and worked on during the scheduled period, as well as on your own
time.
Grading:
Grading Criteria-
You must show attention
and contribute in class for participation points and will be graded on the
ability to perform the tasks that are given.
Quizzes and tests/projects will be a major part of your grade.
Grading Scale[6]-
A: 93-100%
B: 85-92%
C: 75-84%
D: 63-75%
F: Under 63%
Extra Credit-
Extra Credit will be
given to those of you who perform out of class activities that pertain to the
art of creative writing. Such activities
include giving a sample of your writing to the Gonzaga Student Newspaper or
submitting a piece of your work. You may
also choose to write a one page summary about a specific event that you
attended which relates to this class.
Course Schedule[7]:
Week 1[8]
M:
Introduction to the course, Hand out Syllabus
W: Learning
about the Stanza, Discussion on selected Poems
F:
Metaphor and Imagery, Lyric Exercise Assigned
Week 2
M:
“The Elegy” workshop
W:
Learning about Sestina poems, Sestina Poem assigned
F:
Open Forms Learned, Workshop
Week 3
M:
Workshop for Sestina Poem, Sonnet discussed
W:
Sonnet assigned, Selected poems
F:
Workshop
Week 4
M:
Learning about the Ode, Workshop
W:
Workshop
F: Midterm, Start introduction to Fiction
Week 5
M:
Learning of the five senses, read selected short stories
W:
Structure and Characterization, Scene selections
F:
Point of view, Scene assignment given
Week 6
M:
Using Dialogue, Scene workshop
W:
Workshop
F:
Selected short stories, Short story assignment given
Week 7
M:
Unity discussed
W:
Flow discussed, examples from Fiction novels
F:
Re-vision workshop
Week 8
M:
Workshop
W:
Workshop
F: Final, class discussion
Works Cited
“How to Write a Syllabus.” WikiHow. Web. 18
May 2014.
[1]
Anne Bauer’s Creative Writing class syllabus from Carroll College. Spring 2009.
[2]
Dr. J.D. Thayer’s Middle Ages class syllabus. Spring 2010.
[3]
Used these specific texts from Creative Writing course at Carroll College.
[4]
Dr. Ingrid Ranum’s Victorian Era class. Spring 2010.
[5]
Dr. Ingrid Ranum’s Victorian Era. Spring 2010.
[6]
Experience from Dr. Birrer’s AP English class at Gonzaga Prep. Fall 2006.
[7]
Heading and formation from Dr. J.D. Thayer’s Middle Ages. Spring 2010.
[8]
Ideas from Anne Bauer’s Creative Writing syllabus. Spring 2009.
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