Objectives
The summative product/outcome will be, for each student, a bound copy of his/her vignettes (five-ten) that reflect growth in all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming to final editing, as well as an understanding and appreciation of the genres of vignette and memoir. Along the way, students will familiarize themselves and become adept at using all stages of the writing process, from pre-writing (in the form of journals and other selective prompts) to mechanical editing. They will have read and studied multiple examples of vignettes and memoir and learned from the process of emulation and analysis, thereby increasing skills in reading and writing and addressing the risk of recidivism through academic and literacy empowerment.
As a result of purposeful therapeutic writing practices, our first anticipated non-cognitive outcome is to keep students from re-offending. The second is improved psychological and physiological health for students in a classroom setting that is noticeably relieved of the manifestations of "poor decisions, risky behaviors, distrust of adults, violent outbursts and/or withdrawal" I mentioned above. Finally, as I encourage students to look into the stories and cultural influences in their lives, they should improve their ability to understand how these influences have shaped who they are.
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