A closer look at my Week 2 Screenwriting 1 course for remote adult beginners. The design connects orientation, practice, revision, and assessment around one piece of work.
My role: Curriculum Specialist & Chair of the Online Program (contract).
Selected excerpts from the published Canvas course, reformatted for public viewing. These are instructional materials, not student submissions.
01 / Orientation & sequencing
Give beginners a manageable start.
The week begins with a concrete goal and a small, ungraded action. Learners develop the same scene across activities instead of starting over with each assignment.
Course excerpt / Start Here
You can start with one small moment
“No screenwriting experience is expected. You will develop one original scene a little at a time.”
Your Friday deliverable: an original one-page, non-dialogue screenplay draft. It becomes the foundation for Project 1, the one-minute short film.
Start now: a five-minute warm-up
Choose someone who wants something ordinary. Put one obstacle in their way. List three actions they could take without speaking.
No separate upload or grade. Keep your notes for the Chapter 1 learning check. You can change the idea later.
Daily path, condensed from the course plan
Day
Learning and practice
Progress toward the scene
1
Chapter video, learning check, reading response
Begin a scene idea
2
Chapter video, learning check, character exercise, scene example
Clarify goal, obstacle, and choice
3
Chapter video, Celtx setup, short tutorial, formatting practice
Write the scene in screenplay format
4
Chapter video, learning check, revision
Strengthen beginning, action, and ending
5
Course MCQ and Skills Test
Submit the revised screenplay PDF
“The day labels are a pacing guide. You can work ahead or divide a day into shorter sessions.”
02 / Modeling & guided revision
Show what better looks like.
The worked example makes revision visible. It connects an abstract instruction, “show the story,” to specific actions learners can recognize and use.
Course excerpt / A Simple Scene from Rough Idea to Clear Draft
Start with an imperfect idea
A person loses a key. They are worried. They find it and feel better.
This is a useful starting idea, but an audience cannot see “worried” or “feel better” on a page. Revision can make the goal, effort, and outcome visible.
THE KEY: selected lines from the revised scene
INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING
JAMIE, 30s, dressed for work, pats an empty pocket. A clock ticks.
A house key glints beneath the sofa, just beyond Jamie's fingers.
Jamie kneels, reaches, and strains. Fingertips brush the key. It slides farther away.
Jamie checks the clock, then snatches a ruler from a nearby table.
Why this version is clearer
Goal: Jamie needs the key. Its location makes the goal visible.
Obstacle: The sofa blocks access. A failed attempt makes the problem harder.
Filmable action: Movement, objects, and the ticking clock communicate the situation without dialogue.
Try the same revision on your idea
Before: My character feels ___. After: We can see or hear them ___. Their first attempt is ___. The obstacle forces them to ___. By the last image, ___ has changed.
THE KEY is an instructional model. Learners create their own original scene.
03 / Alignment & feedback
Make success understandable.
The final task assesses the scene developed during the week. Expectations are tied to the skills practiced, with a rubric and a route to revision.
Course excerpt / Skills Test: Original Scene
Submit your original scene draft
Revise the original draft you began on Day 3 using your Day 4 learning check and feedback. Submit one screenplay page as a PDF.
Canvas rubric: five criteria, 10 points total
Criterion
Meets expectations · 2 points
Character goal and obstacle
Both the goal and obstacle are recognizable and work together to create a clear dramatic situation.
Purposeful action and outcome
Actions develop the situation and lead to an understandable outcome or meaningful change.
Visual storytelling without spoken dialogue
The story can be followed through filmable actions and sounds, without spoken dialogue.
Screenplay format and concise action
A clear scene heading and concise, present-tense action paragraphs make the scene easy to read and film. Minor beginner errors do not obscure meaning.
Original, practical one-page PDF
The scene is original, practical for available people and locations, and submitted as one readable screenplay-page PDF.
Rating scale: 2 = meets expectations; 1 = developing; 0 = not demonstrated. The course standard is at least 8/10.
See the full rating example for one criterion
Character goal and obstacle
2 points: Both the goal and obstacle are recognizable and work together to create a clear dramatic situation.
1 point: A relevant goal or obstacle is present, but one is missing or unclear.
0 points: Neither a recognizable goal nor obstacle is demonstrated.
Feedback and revision
“You can revise and resubmit before Friday's deadline; Canvas allows unlimited submissions for this assignment.”
“Submitting a first attempt is part of learning, not a claim that your craft is finished.”
Source: IDL1026 Week 2 Start Here, A Simple Scene from Rough Idea to Clear Draft, and the Screenwriting 1 Skills Test and Canvas rubric. Reviewed October 25, 2026. Excerpts are abridged for this portfolio; the daily-path table is condensed. No student records or submissions are reproduced.