About this course: This course is for curious students and aspiring authors with a passion for writing for young readers. Participate in a dynamic online community of writers as you experiment with your own writing and develop your voice. This course will guide you with a combination of video lectures, online readings, peer reviews, and guest appearances from world-renowned children’s authors. As you work through the writing exercises, you will give and receive feedback from your peers and gain tools and techniques for improving your writing. During this course you will identify stories that matter to you, explore cultural significance and boundaries, and shape your identity as a writer; become familiar with standard elements of narrative (character, setting, plot, theme, language, dialogue, point of view); reflect on your own work and practice essential self-editing skills; see the different ways in which words and art interact, and the possibilities of longer narrative forms; come away with practical insights into publishing options; and create a plan for pursuing your enthusiasm for writing. By the end of the course, you will have ten to twelve extracts of writing that you can develop into a portfolio. Join a dynamic community of many voices from around the world. Find inspiration in your own voice, heart, and place so that you can tell the stories for young readers you’ve always wanted to tell.
Created by: Commonwealth Education Trust
Taught by: David Hill, Author
Taught by: Maria Gill, Author
Taught by: Alex Alexandrou, Dr
| Commitment | 8-15 hours |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Spanish |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Your Writing Identity
Good children’s writing commonly has a strong sense of identity. This module will give you a chance to think about and practice putting yourself into your writing. We will start by looking at how you can establish effective writing habits and how you can use your own experiences and culture to enrich your writing. We will also discuss ways that you can add depth to your writing by drawing on myths and legends, and by experimenting with different viewpoints.
18 videos, 7 readings
- Video: Writing for Young Readers - Promotional Video
- Video: Welcome to Writing for Young Readers
- Reading: Course Overview
- Reading: How to Get Help
- Reading: FAQs
- Reading: Instructors and Guest Authors
- Reading: Course Materials
- Video: Introduction to Your Writing Identity
- Video: Your Writing Life - Part One
- Video: Your Writing Life - Part Two
- Video: You, Your Culture and Story
- Reading: Extracts: You, Your Culture and Story
- Video: Cultural Myths and Legends
- Reading: Extracts: Cultural Myths and Legends
- Video: Viewpoint - Part One
- Video: Viewpoint - Part Two
- Video: Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part One: 'the very young experience the world through their skins'
- Video: Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Two: 'for me place and the people are inextricable'
- Video: Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Three 'it came out in eight Indian languages'
- Video: Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Four: 'I suddenly began to see the entire story'
- Video: Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part One: 'I carried exercise books with me everywhere I went'
- Video: Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Two: 'I'm leaving something behind for future generations'
- Video: Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Three: 'one word is worth a thousand pictures'
- Video: Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Four: 'your ears are often your best editor'
- Video: Module Summary Your Writing Identity
Graded: Your Writing Identity: Life Event from a Viewpoint
WEEK 2
Genre, Form, and Audience
In this module we will give you an overview of genres and forms that are popular for young readers. We will then move on to a discussion of audience – who your readers are and how you can make your work appealing to your chosen audience. By the end of the module you will have a good sense of the wide range of genres and forms available to you and some techniques that you can use to make the most of the genre or form you are working in.
11 videos, 2 readings
- Video: Introduction to Genre, Form, and Audience
- Video: Genre - Part One
- Video: Genre - Part Two
- Reading: Extracts: Genre Types
- Video: Form - Part One
- Video: Form - Part Two
- Video: Audience - Part One
- Video: Audience - Part Two
- Reading: Extracts: Audience
- Video: Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part One: 'it can be nice to write just for the sake of writing'
- Video: Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part Two: 'my favourite authors have permeated my brain'
- Video: Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part Three: 'it truly is a magical feeling'
- Video: Module Summary Genre, Form, and Audience
Graded: Genre, Form and Audience: Define your Audience
WEEK 3
Structure
We’ve covered qualities of writing that make it appeal to an audience – its form, its genre, and its strong personal voice. Now we’ll move on to some structural elements that are key to holding your writing together. We’ll start by looking at character and setting, then move on to plot and theme. Finally, we will focus on language. Language can really bring your writing to life by adding a layer to your characters and setting and by giving your plot a good pace. This is the last module where we look at creating new writing. In the next two modules we’ll focus on editing your work and getting it published.
13 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Introduction to Structure
- Video: Character - Part One
- Video: Character - Part Two
- Reading: Extracts: Character
- Video: Setting
- Reading: Extracts: Setting
- Video: Plot and Theme - Part One
- Video: Plot and Theme - Part Two
- Reading: Sample Plot Chart
- Reading: Extracts: Plot and Theme
- Video: Language and Dialogue
- Reading: Extracts Language and Dialogue
- Video: Other Language Tools
- Video: Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part One 'I let an idea simmer in my head'
- Video: Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Two: 'let the story show you the way'
- Video: Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Three: 'I give them their right to live as characters'
- Video: Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Four: 'I really enjoyed the act of writing itself'
- Video: Module Summary Structure
Graded: Elements of Structure
WEEK 4
Editing and Proofreading
In this module you will learn how to transform your draft work into something that flows well, is free of errors, and is ready to be published. We’ll start by looking at structural editing, where you look at your work’s plot, structure, and themes. Then we’ll move on to the copyediting and proofreading stage, where you focus on perfecting grammar and spelling. We have provided resources and checklists that will help you to practice applying our editing tips to your own work.
10 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Introduction to Editing and Proofreading
- Video: Structural Editing - Part One
- Video: Structural Editing - Part Two
- Video: Structural Editing - Part Three
- Reading: Structural Editing Checklist
- Reading: Extract: Structural Editing
- Video: Copyediting and Proofreading - Part One
- Video: Copyediting and Proofreading - Part Two
- Reading: Copyediting Checklist
- Video: Interview with Summer Edward - Part One: 'The story keeps telling itself in my mind'
- Video: Interview with Summer Edward - Part Two: 'don't be afraid to cut'
- Video: Interview with Summer Edward - Part Three: 'I practice silence'
- Video: Module Summary Editing and Proofreading
Graded: Editing and Proofreading
WEEK 5
Publishing
In this final module you’ll learn about different ways that you can get your work published and into the hands of young readers. We have included information about a range of different publishing methods available to you, from traditional print publishing to digital publishing. You can also listen to our guest writers talking about how they publish their own work. This MOOC is just a starting point for your writing life. You will soon be ready to join a global network of writers.
12 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Introduction to Publishing
- Video: Forms of Print Publishing
- Reading: Examples of Different Publishing Platforms
- Video: Forms of Digital Publishing - Part One
- Video: Forms of Digital Publishing - Part Two
- Reading: Examples of Different Digital Publishing Platforms
- Video: Publishing Opportunities
- Video: Approaching Publishers
- Video: Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part One: 'every day I learnt something new'
- Video: Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Two: 'you need to wear lots of hats'
- Video: Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Three: 'I really draw from my culture'
- Video: Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Four: 'write from the heart'
- Video: Where to From Here
- Reading: Examples of Writing Organisations
- Video: Module Summary Publishing
Graded: Publishing
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
Commonwealth Education Trust
The Commonwealth Education Trust invests in primary and secondary education and the professional development of teachers throughout their careers. Through education it seeks to enhance the opportunities for children from all walks of life to contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.
Ratings and Reviews
I started this course thinking, "Ah! lets see." I was doubtful of so many things initially. But gradually things picked up my interest and encouraged me to complete all the assignments and pass them successfully. I am so happy that this course has opened my eyes into the writing world in so so many positive ways. The whole journey has been very very enlightening and enriching. I must say that the instructors, mentors and other peers were very helpful. They provided proper guidance and constructive criticism in a way that it has helped me to improve my writing substantially. Thank you so much Coursera team, for providing such a wonderful platform where anybody whose interested can find the right courses and educate themselves being in their own comfort zones.
I will definitely not stop here as my learning here has just begun and shall pursue all other suitable courses in time as possible. :)
M
It was a great decision to take this course. The instructors are wonderful and the information, immensely valuable. It pushed me to write stories and apply what I've learned. I will highly recommend it to anyone interested in writing for children. I'm thankful to everyone involved in the creation of this course and for making it available to all.
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Good explanation for non native speaker