Description
Course Overview:
What if teaching composition could feel as natural and rewarding as a Bob Ross painting session? In this five-week course, author and lead NWP teacher Kristian Kuhn will demonstrate how his heuristic-based approach empowers students to write confidently across various expository modes—all within a cohesive framework.
By embracing the Bob Ross method of teaching, we:
- Write alongside our students, modeling the process in real time.
- Establish ourselves as expert writers, using exemplars and clear instruction.
- Provide students with adaptable heuristics, making composition accessible and structured.
Participants will explore strategies that build student writers from the ground up, fostering voice, rhythm, and flow while ensuring foundational literacies are in place. Special emphasis will be given to how these heuristics seamlessly guide students through each of the AP Literature FRQs using a unified compositional approach.
Through hands-on learning and Kristian’s writing workshop model, participants will gain practical tools to implement in their own classrooms—culminating in the creation of customized instructional content. By the end of the course, teachers will be equipped with a clear, adaptable method to help students develop a strong line of reasoning in every FRQ on the AP exam.
What’s Included:
- A copy of Kristian’s textbook
- Full access to a comprehensive Google Classroom with resources to support course implementation
- Live Zoom sessions (five 90-minute sessions) with replay access for flexible learning
- A certificate of completion for professional development hours
Schedule:
📅 Mondays | 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. CT
📆 July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28, August 4
Join us for this engaging, hands-on workshop and transform the way you teach AP Literature & Composition—just like Bob Ross transforms a blank canvas into a masterpiece!
Note: A minimum of 10 registrants is required for this session to run. If the minimum is not met, registered participants will be notified in advance.
Kristian Kuhn began his writing instructor career at Brown University where he earned an M.A.T. in English and Education. Working with both undergraduate and graduate students, he became known for his expertise in building student writers from the ground up – first mastering the fundamentals of composition, then aiding students to establish clear lines of reasoning across the expository modes with voice, rhythm, and flow. Upon graduating from Brown, Kristian launched his career as a secondary ELA teacher in Upstate New York – a place he has called home for the last twenty years. Early in his career, the professional community dubbed Kristian the “Bob Ross of Composition.” He quickly realized that there is a seismic difference between “assigning” written work and explicitly “teaching” it. To teach writing, Kristian “paints” with his students through modeling and close reading exemplars. Over the course of his career, he has developed a set of heuristics that demystify the writing process in ways that are easily accessible and readily comprehensible. In addition to having completed his graduate work at Brown University, Kristian earned a third graduate degree in Literacy Education from St. John Fisher College. During his studies, he developed a vast repertoire of strategies to help struggling and emerging readers and writers actualize their full potential. Throughout his twenty years of classroom experience, Kristian has helped countless LD (learning different/learning disabled) students flourish and take off as readers, writers, thinkers, and college applicants. Kristian also trains teachers in his writing techniques and modalities. At present, he is a lead instructor for The National Writing Project where he facilitates teacher training programs. And in fall of 2023, Kristian was a lead presenter at the National Council of Teachers of English conference in Anaheim, California. Kristian is also an accomplished writer who has authored six collections of poetry and two textbooks – Teaching Teachers How to Teach Writing and What If We Taught Composition Like Bob Ross Teaches Painting? You can also find him hosting a popular YouTube channel (What If We Taught Composition Like Bob Ross Teaches Painting?) and a highly popular Facebook group, Teachers Making Better Writers.
