What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will be expected to engage in online discussions each week. Also, the students will write a total of of two essays (one draft and one rewrite), which will be submitted to the teacher for feedback.Assessment
Each essay will be scored using the three domains from the SAT essay test: reading, analysis, writing.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 9
Beginner - Intermediate Level
This four-class workshop will focus on introducing students on how to write five-paragraph persuasive essays. Students will learn how to successfully follow the steps of writing an essay: prewriting, drafting, editing/revising, and polishing. Additionally, students will learn how to write interesting introductions, concise thesis statements, detail-oriented body paragraphs, effective topic sentences, strong counter-arguments, and powerful conclusions. They will also learn how to use productive transitions, precise word choice, varied sentence structure, and accurate conventions. During each class, students will follow along with a Nearpod presentation to learn about various writing skills, followed by a series of discussions and evaluations of textual examples from sample essay prompts. Half of the class will focus on lecture and discussion, and the other half of the class will give students the opportunity to practice writing different parts of a five-paragraph persuasive essay. During the course, students will write two essays (one draft and one rewrite), which will be given feedback by the teacher. As an asynchronous class, there will be no live lessons. Students will have access to Google slides that detail each topic with examples from sample essay prompts. Learner Interaction: Students will be given an essay prompt during Class #3 and will submit a written essay pertaining to the prompt. The students will receive feedback from the teacher. During Class # 4, students will rewrite the essay according to the teacher feedback and receive additional teacher feedback. [Photo Credit: Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay]
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Prewriting
• Organization
• Parts of an Essay
• Thesis Statements
• Topic Sentences
Lesson 2:
Drafting
• Introductions
• Body Paragraphs
• Conclusions
Lesson 3:
Editing/Revising (Essay Draft Due)
• Counter-arguments
• Rhetorical Devices
• Transitions
Lesson 4:
Polishing (Essay Rewrite Due)
• Word Choice
• Sentence Structure
• Conventions
Other Details
Parental Guidance
All classes will use Nearpod to complete writing assignments and/or review class materials, but Nearpod does not require students to create an account. Students will be asked to enter their first name only when entering the website so that assignments can be tracked by the teacher (content remains anonymous to other students).
One option for submitting the final essay is to use Google Docs. Google Docs does require an email to use its services; however, the link that the student provides to the teacher does not share any personal information (it only gives access to the essay for the teacher to review and add feedback). No other students will have access to this essay link as long as it is sent directly to the teacher (and not posted on the public classroom page).
The other option to submit the final essay is to send a PDF through Adobe Acrobat. This is a free program that does not require any registration or personal information.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
- Google Docs
- Nearpod
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have a Juris Doctor from the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah; a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix; and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University. I taught high school English for eight years (with endorsements in English and Reading), and I currently teach ESL online. I am also a former prosecuting attorney, and I currently practice law in several different areas.
Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$13
weekly or $50 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 27 learners
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Ages: 11-15