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Perfecting the Paragraph, Beyond the Basics (Asynchronous With Feedback)

Completed by 118 learners
Ages 11-16
Self-Paced Class
Students will strengthen writing skills with 7 specific strategies to improve writing descriptive, narrative, informative (explanatory), and persuasive paragraphs. Excellent for struggling to intermediate writers.
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(595 reviews)
Star Educator
Popular

4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content

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What's included

4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support
1 year access
to the content
Assignments
1-2 hours per week. Students will complete two paragraphs per lesson, applying the writing strategies that are taught and modeled. Please note that there are no firm due dates / deadlines in this class. Students are welcome to complete the work on their own schedule and I will happily give feedback at any time.
Assessment
Students who submit writing will receive personalized video feedback, outlining strengths and opportunities for growth. This can be done at any time after the videos and assignments are given. There are no set deadlines / due dates for this class.

Class Experience

US Grade 6 - 9
Beginner - Intermediate Level
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

Learning Goals

Students will grow in their understanding of the paragraph writing process, and in their ability to write quality paragraphs independently.
Students will have seven strategies for improving the quality of their writing when this course is completed.

Syllabus

Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Standards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
4 Lessons
over 4 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Introduction, Descriptive Paragraphs
 the writing process, incorporating the five senses 
Lesson 2:
Narrative Paragraphs
 writing from personal experience, beginning sentences with -ly adverbs, beginning sentences with -ing words 
Lesson 3:
Informative Paragraphs
 writing about facts, replacing boring and repeated words, clausal sentence starters 
Lesson 4:
Persuasive Paragraphs
 writing to convince the audience, avoiding second person "you," consistent verb tense and point of view 

Other Details

Learning Needs
This class is designed to support a variety of learning needs with scaffolded and adaptable assignments. Dyslexic, ADHD, and Autistic learners have had great success in this class. Please reach out if you have specific questions.
Parental Guidance
none
Pre-Requisites
Students should be able to write sentences easily. Some experience with simple paragraphs is helpful.
Supply List
Students need paper and something to write with (pencil, pen, etc). They are also welcome to type instead of hand-write paragraphs.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
none

Meet the teacher

5.0
595reviews
Star Educator
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in English from University of Mississippi
I have a Bachelor of Arts in English, and held a Professional Teaching Certificate in Florida to teach English in grades 6-12.  For the past several years I have taught small group English classes, including how to write paragraphs and essays.  

Reviews

Martha Jackson, English Language Arts and Writing suggests this class next...
Perfecting the Paragraph, Beyond the Basics, Advanced Style (With Feedback)
Martha Jackson, English Language Arts and Writing
5.0
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