In this flex schedule course, I will gently guide each student through the four phases of the opinion essay: topic selection and immersion, research and drafting, reviewing and revising, and proofing and editing. 

Students will select an issue to research (a list will be provided if they need some prompting), develop an informed opinion on the topic, state their position(s) clearly, give various viewpoints supported by reasons and/or examples and include the opposing viewpoint in a 500 - 750 word opinion essay.

Our four-week class will cover the following areas:

Week 1: Topic selection and immersion: 
Students may choose their own topics or select an issue to research from a list provided in the online classroom. They will be guided in narrowing the focus of their essays, if needed. Next, we’ll spend the rest of the week in topic immersion: library books, internet articles, videos, and documentaries are great ways to gain a deeper understanding of the subject. What constitutes a reliable source will also be discussed. 

Week 2: Research and Drafting:
We’ll continue our research, taking notes along the way. Students will submit final sub-topics and sources for approval, and will begin to put together rough drafts without regard to form, grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The instructor will provide detailed feedback on how content can be expanded to include the necessary elements of a successful opinion essay.

Week 3: Reviewing and Revising:
Now that we have these expanded rough drafts, how do we put them together to make a cohesive whole? What should we keep? What should we add? Is there something that doesn’t serve the writing? In Week 3, we’ll identify any areas that are vague or need further clarification, reorder our writing, if necessary, and start to build an awareness of our grammar choices (writing in simple past tense, avoiding tense switching and passive voice, etc.).

Week 4: Proofing and Editing
In our last week together, we’ll fix any punctuation and grammar errors, add a Works Cited using MLA 8th Edition, and share our polished essays with our classmates and families.

Flex Schedule Format:
There are no live meetings for this course. Students will log into the classroom page/discussion board at the beginning of each week (no later than Monday) to read that week's assignment(s). There may be more than one assignment per week and due dates will be indicated for each assignment along with detailed instructions for completing it. Students will submit their assignments to the classroom page/discussion board by the due date(s) and will receive individual written feedback from the instructor within 48-hours of submission. Students will have the advantage of reading one another's work as well as the instructor's feedback, but are not expected to provide peer review. Videos will be posted to the classroom as needed to help students with different aspects of their writing.

Students should expect to spend at least 1-2 hours per week on homework, perhaps more in the research phase.