Mastering Argumentative Writing in Grades 6-8
In this 8-week online course, students will write a stellar argumentative essay based on the state testing rubric requirements. This is broken down in a step-by-step, manageable process.
Shannon Kirk
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(3)
What's included
28 pre-recorded lessons
8 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Each week, students will have a homework assignment to show their understanding of the week's learning objective. Please see the class syllabus for the outlined homework assignments for each week. There will be an assigned task each week for students to complete.Mastery Evaluation
When the actual writing process begins, students will write one paragraph of the essay per week to turn in to me for review. I want to make sure the students understand each paragraph before moving forward. Thus, I will provide them with feedback on their work.Progress Report
All students will receive feedback on submitted assignments; however, I am happy to provide an overall report of the students' achievements and areas for improvement (broken down by the weekly learning goals) at any point in the course. This would be available upon request.Class Experience
US Grade 7 - 10
Beginner Level
In this course, students will learn how to write a well-structured argumentative essay to a text-based prompt. In this 8-week course, I will teach students everything they need to know about writing an argumentative essay that meets state tested rubric requirements. Through weekly video lessons (that include a presentation and lecture demonstration), students will learn what is expected in a stellar argumentative written response. I will model an example text-based prompt that is very similar to the prompt the students will be responding to. From there, students will have a guided example for each paragraph in the argumentative essay to help them craft their own response. The course curriculum is written to ensure student mastery of each paragraph before moving to the next part of the essay. As a current 8th grade English teacher, I strive to create fun, interactive, and engaging lessons to help students master the elements of argument writing. I have found that the best way to teach writing is to explain the proper make-up of the essay, give students an example to follow, and guide them as they craft their own response. Students will submit weekly homework assignments and will receive feedback on their work before the start of the next weekly lesson. Throughout the course, I will post discussion posts in the Outschool classroom to check on students' progress with the material. This course is packed full of examples, outlines, guided notes, and video lectures. Students will learn how to be confident in their writing!
Learning Goals
Students will analyze the state testing writing requirements for an argumentative essay response.Students will understand the difference between a claim and a counterclaim.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)8 Units
28 Lessons
over 8 WeeksUnit 1: The Elements of Argument Writing
Lesson 1:
Welcome to the course
Introduction to the course instructor & overall course setup Lesson 2:
Overview of course materials
In this lesson, I will go over all of the course materials and where to find all of the resources that you will need for the course Lesson 3:
Pre-Assessment/Reflection
This is an independent multiple-choice assessment to let me know what you already know about argumentative writing. There is also a short answer response where students can reflect and share their thoughts & feelings about argumentative writing. This is not a long test by any means. Just a quick "see what you know" check 1 assignment
Lesson 4:
Video Lecture: The Elements of Argument Writing
This lesson will review the elements of argumentative writing (focusing on claim vs. counterclaim). There is also a short section of guided practice (with plenty of examples) for identifying these elements Other Details
Learning Needs
This class can support a variety of learning needs as it provides video lessons (that can be rewinded, paused); learning visuals, outlines, guided notes, and examples for everything for students to use as a guide when writing.
Pre-Requisites
Nothing- I am going to teach this from scratch and provide all the materials that students will need.
Supply List
For this course, students will need a laptop or iPad with headphones or earbuds. They will also need an active and working Google account to complete the assignments and learning tasks.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined May, 2021
5.0
3reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Tennessee Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in English from Grand Canyon University
I have to admit that I love teaching writing to students. I am an 8th grade ELA teacher in Tennessee. I teach honors-level courses and standard-level courses. Throughout my 15 years of experience teaching 8th grade ELA, I have found what works to help students who struggle with writing. My lessons are very specific and teach students a specific process for writing so they will never be unsure what to write. My lessons teach students how to meet state tested rubric requirements in an easy-to-remember way. I am an energetic, fun, and bubbly teacher who loves her students.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$10
weekly or $80 for all content28 pre-recorded lessons
8 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
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Ages: 11-14
