Writing is a form of conversation, and no one likes to enter a boring conversation! If we want our learners to become strong writers, we have to give them something worth talking about.

That’s why I create writing classes that are themed around a single nonfiction text that has proven to be worth discussing. In this case, students will be reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, which is a best-selling look at our assumptions about what makes someone successful. Through 10 approachable, interesting chapters, Gladwell tells stories that make us question what it means to be successful, how we should organize our efforts, and what change we should make in the world. It’s an ambitious, interesting book that is perfect for high schoolers trying to figure out their own future. 

In this class, we will accomplish the following:
 
•	Reading the book. We’ll read the entire book with reading support in the form of guides, video summaries, and comprehension quizzes. 
•	Writing informally. Students will be given the chance to reflect on their own experiences and dig deeper into the reading in an informal way. 
•	Writing formally. Students will complete four formal papers that require multiple drafts, teaching them how to develop their own writing process. 
•	Vocabulary practice. Students will complete vocabulary exercises for several of the chapters, giving them a chance to learn new words and use them in context. 
•	Grammar practice. Students will complete grammar and punctuation activities that are contextually connected to the reading. 

The course will run for 12 weeks. Assignments will open each week (on Sunday) and be due by the end of the week. The amount of time required will vary based on reading and writing paces, but students can expect to put in 3-6 hours each week. 

There will be a weekly live "check-in" meeting for this class. These meetings will serve as brainstorming sessions where students can get together with the instructor and talk about plans for their papers and any questions they have about the readings. If a learner is unable to make a live session, they can set up an alternate communication plan directly with the instructor to get feedback on their brainstorms. Most of the class will be conducted asynchronously via the Canvas learning platform, so all learners will have the opportunity to get in-depth feedback on assignments submitted online. 

Feedback will be given in multiple forms. Many quizzes will give immediate scores to let students see how they are doing on key writing and grammar concepts. Most importantly, formal papers will be evaluated at both the rough draft stage and the final draft stage. This gives students the chance to take feedback and use it to make revisions. It also lets them see how their revisions change the impact of their draft over time. 

If your learner needs a grade for this class for use on a transcript, you will have access to all graded assignments via the Canvas platform as well as a final calculation of the grade. If more documentation is needed to fulfill charter or umbrella school requirements, let me know, and I'll do my best to get you everything you need. 


A Note on Class Interactivity: The interaction in this class is multi-faceted. Learners will interact with one another on five separate reading responses in which they will provide a short essay response to a question and then receive comments from other learners in the class. They will then comment on other learner's posts as well. Most importantly, the interaction between the teacher and the student is significant. There are four major papers written in this class, and learners will receive detailed video feedback on all rough drafts giving advice on how to revise the paper. They are expected to ask questions about this advice and get more guidance when necessary. They will then receive written feedback on final drafts. As the teacher, I also participate in all discussion board posts.