A VIDEO GAME DESIGN AND NOVELLA WRITING AND ILLUSTRATION PROGRAM
Watch a live demo of the class above
CODE WRITE DRAW provides transformational learning experiences for middle school students by building tangible STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) skills in a motivational learning environment.
GRADES
4 - 8
HOURS
20
SKILL LEVEL
Beginner
PRICE
$495
Upcoming Session:
No Upcoming
Sessions
CODE a video game and compete for prizes
WRITE a short story based on the Hero's Journey
DRAW cartoon style original characters
What students will receive:
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20 hours of live remote small group instruction (1:5 teacher:student ratio)
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Instruction by dynamic instructors who are coders and artists
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Creative and critical thinking skills
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Coding, writing, drawing project-based learning
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Final virtual exhibition with industry expert judges
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A published short story at the end of the program
TUTORWORKS has been providing writing & coding classes to students at schools in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 10 years. We are now offering our popular CODE WRITE DRAW class to the public!
THE PROGRAM
CODE WRITE DRAW’s unique approach integrates computer science, creative writing, and the digital arts to engage middle school students in a personal journey that fosters self-efficacy and inspires their continuous learning inside and outside the classroom. We use the power of storytelling and the Hero’s Journey narrative to challenge students to create a journey of their own. Students produce a video game, write an original short story based on their personal Hero’s Journey, and use industry-standard art materials to illustrate their short stories.
What’s innovative about our approach is that we bring a fierce commitment to building tangible, specific STEAM skills in the context of a boundless and imaginative personal Hero’s Journey. We focus both on the foundational aspects of STEAM – the challenging experience of skill building through deliberate practice – and on the motivational aspects of STEAM through video game design and personal narratives, using industry-standard tools that students can continue to use after the program ends.
In this program, we focus on the Hero’s Journey and challenge the students to create a journey of their own.
WHY STEAM FOR STUDENTS?
Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) are essential for student development:
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Research demonstrates that STEAM education improves creativity (creative problem solving, creative personality) and flow on learning. (1)
STEAM programs provide aspirational environments to build the critical noncognitive skills necessary for success:
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Research demonstrates the importance of these skills. (2)
Attending high quality STEAM program yields STEAM specific benefits:
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Improved attitudes toward STEAM fields and careers;
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Increased STEAM knowledge and skills; and
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Higher likelihood of graduation and pursuing a STEAM career. (3)
I hope I can come here again.
TUTORWORKS was a good summer program. I had a lot of fun. The tutors were nice and we learned how to make a video game. I also learned how to type a lot and use the hero’s journey. I hope I can come here again. -Darryle H.
I was able to make a game step by step.
My experience with TUTORWORKS over the past four weeks was great. The first day was kind of hard waking up early to come but it got better. My favorite experience was the video gaming. It's my favorite because I was able to make a game step by step. -Guillermo D.
Art was fun and the Math was cool. I got better at Math.
The TUTORWORKS program was fun because I had something to do in the mornings. The program made me want to do Art. Art was fun and the Math was cool. I got better at Math. I liked all the programs: Art, Video Design and Writing. -Alejandro G.
My experience was art, video gaming and writing and I liked them all.
It was an experience in summer. I liked the art, and I Iearned how to make a video game. My experience was art, video gaming and writing and I liked them all. -Joshua N.
THEORY OF CHANGE
Tangible STEAM Skill Building + Noncognitive Skill Building in an Inspirational STEAM Experience = Changed Academic Trajectory for Students
HERO'S JOURNEY
Comparative mythology researcher Joseph Campbell popularized the concept of the “Hero’s Journey” as the common story across cultures of a hero who goes on an adventure, faces tests and trials, and returns home changed. The “Hero’s Journey” serves as the thematic framework for the CODE WRITE DRAW program modules and provides an integrated narrative student experience.
ABOUT US
CODE WRITE DRAW began in 2013 as a creative writing and manga art summer intervention program, using the Hero’s Journey as a thematic framework. In 2018, a new iteration of the program added video game design and foundational math skills mastery to the experience. We are now trying to make this opportunity available to more deserving young people because we believe that experiences like this can transform lives.