A well-written paragraph is the building block to all other writing.  In this FLEX / ASYNCHRONOUS course, students will expand on basic writing skills to become skilled, confident, independent writers.  They will follow steps to write descriptive, narrative, informative, and persuasive paragraphs, responding to a variety of writing prompts. This class will go beyond the basics to allow learners to grow in their ability to add details, start sentences in a variety of ways, and write cohesively in different styles.  During this four week class, students will learn seven specific, practical strategies to improve the quality of their writing with paragraphs, essays, and everything in between.

Each week students will be provided with two short videos explaining and modeling a different writing strategy. Along with each strategy, they will be given a set of three writing prompts to choose from to practice incorporating the strategy/style from the lesson. Learners are invited to share their paragraphs with me to receive direct, personalized video feedback on their writing. 

Please note that there are no firm deadlines / due dates in this class. Students are welcome to complete the work on their own schedule and I will happily give feedback at any time. 

Week 1: Paragraph Basics and Descriptive Paragraphs (the writing process, incorporating the five senses)

Week 2: Narrative Paragraphs (writing from personal experience, beginning sentences with -ly adverbs, beginning sentences with -ing words)

Week 3: Informative (Explanatory) Paragraphs (writing about facts, replacing boring and repeated words, clausal sentence starters)

Week 4: Persuasive Paragraphs (writing to convince the audience, avoiding second person "you," consistent verb tense and point of view)

Learners will grow in their understanding of how to write quality paragraphs, and will gain greater confidence in their writing ability.  In order to do well in this class students should have an idea of how to write a simple paragraph, although that will be covered in the first video lesson.  Students will receive personalized video feedback for each submitted piece of writing, outlining specific areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Work will generally receive feedback within forty-eight hours. 

If you are looking for a live version of this class, Essay Essentials: Paragraph Practice, Beyond the Basics covers these key principles and more:
https://outschool.com/classes/essay-essentials-paragraph-practice-writing-club-beyond-the-basics-kuL21g6V