Student Pick

• While there are books that are required reading, try to fit in at least one student-picked book. Have the students give ideas based on their favorite books or books they want to read. Take a vote to see which one you will cover first. Try not to censor the selections. Books with questionable subject material offer the opportunity to discuss the ideas with your class and get in touch with what your students are exposed to on a daily basis. Keep a list of the other student picks and revisit the list periodically for new ideas.
  
  

Get to Know Each Other

• Get to know your students and let them get to know each other. Give them a few minutes to write down information about themselves. Give them prompts related to the class, including their favorite book, author and genre. Go through the class and have the students tell the class about themselves and what they wrote down. Get a feel for any common themes among your students to help with the coming semester. Have the students explain their picks to get a sense of what subject matter they enjoy.
  
  

Flash Fiction

• Introduce your students to flash fiction. Give them about 20 minutes to write a story. Flash fiction gives students the opportunity to write a quick story about something about which they are passionate. Make sure they focus on the story arc and explain to them that flash fiction should be concise while still telling a story that interests the reader. If you have time, give students the chance to read the story to the class, or do the activity with them and read yours to the class. Collect the finished stories to get an idea of the overall abilities of the class.
  
  

Class Project

• Plan a class project that will span the semester and introduce it in the first class. Try having the class write a group story using what the students learn about literature during the semester. On the first day, start planning the general plot of the story and get some character ideas. Have all the students get involved and give ideas, building off each other's thoughts to come up with a cohesive plot line. Set aside time each week to work on the story collectively, with the possibility of submitting the story to a literary magazine.