Words and What to Do With Them: From Vocabulary to Essays
In this sixteen week, two-semester course students will explore their relationship with words, sentences, paragraphs, and essays and emerge much more confident in reading, writing, and written communication.
Tory Anderson
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(450)
Popular
What's included
16 live meetings
14 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. There will be approximately one hour of homework each week: --researching assigned words --writing sentences, paragraphs, or essaysAssessment
Students will receive verbal feedback as they progress through the class.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
This class is designed to increase a student’s confidence in the language arts. We start at the foundation—with vocabulary. We will explore words, their meanings, and their history. From there we will explore ways of utilizing those words in colorful, meaningful sentences. We will move on to building paragraphs focusing how to expand upon ideas. From there we will put it all together by creating personal essays full of meaning and colorful expression. Classes will be led in lecture format by me. Students will have time each class to share their vocabulary discoveries as well as their sentences, paragraphs and essays. Units 1-4: Vocabulary, etymology (word history), and word usage. Having a large vocabulary is not restricted to a certain class of individuals. Anyone who has the desire can learn to use all the words they want. We will learn the power of the question, “What does that mean?” We will increase our vocabulary, learn why the words are pronounced the way they are, and discover where the words came from. Students will never look at words the same again. Units 5-8: Applying our vocabulary: writing sentences—from simple to complex. The power of a sentence should never be underestimated. From short, two-word sentences to sentences that seem to wander but then zero back in on the point—we will explore all of them. Then we will learn to write them effectively. Units 9-12: Building Particularly Pleasing Paragraphs. The paragraph is the building block of the essay, short story, book report, or any written communication. We will study effective paragraphs in various forms of writing and then put that study to work exercising our own paragraph writing skills. Units 13-16: All written words eventually lead to the essay. The essay is the “wheel” of written communication—it can be used in so many different ways. We will take our vocabulary, sentence, and paragraph experience and put it all together in writing essays of two different styles: book report essays and personal narrative essays. Students will feel the power and joy of communicating about things that matter to them in clear, colorful essays.
Learning Goals
Students will grow and appreciation for, and a confidence in:
--acquiring new vocabulary
--building effective sentences of various lengths
--creating clear, pleasing paragraphs
--communicating clearly and effectively in various essay formats
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2020
4.9
450reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Receiving a master’s degree in English from BYU with an emphasis in creative writing was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with all things creative: novels, plays, movies, painting, music, dance, origami, cosplay, juggling, computer games, DnD . . . the list goes on.
On the STEM side of life I spent eight years in the United States Air Force as a radar technician. Working with the highly mobile radar of a forward air control post I traveled the world in C-130s, was buzzed by A-10s, and became proficient with various weaponry. Since the third grade I have been a student of the history of military aircraft, especially World War II.
As a published author of many short stories and four young adult novels I’m ready to help students create with the written word. In creative writing I teach the power of the word, the beauty of the sentence, the joy of the completed story. As a university instructor in critical reading/writing, I learned that a good author won’t tell you anything. A good author wants to see what you see after you read his/her book. We will learn how to know what we see and how to talk and write about it.
As a dad I homeschooled all eight of my children to support positive, independent thinking. I kept reading with my children long after they could read for themselves—until they left for college. I advocate reading and writing with classroom presentations and programs. I’ve been mentoring youth writers in the Juab Jotters writing group for several years.
When I’m not teaching you will find me pursuing my own never ending education, playing computer games with my children (great family time), cosplaying (last year it was Mystery Men), and spending time with my children and grandchildren (soon to be six).
Reviews
Live Group Class
$160
for 16 classes1x per week, 16 weeks
55 min
Completed by 93 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
3-9 learners per class
