To prepare for college, students need a strong background in writing. In this course, we will cover the fundamental skills to creating a strong essay.  We will look at examples and practice with each other to learn the art of writing and argument.  We will focus on writing a strong thesis, organizing, using evidence to argue persuasively, writing strong introductions and conclusions, and polishing the essay.  We will discuss how to conduct research, what makes a source reliable, and how to present their ideas and research in a clear and logical manner.  Class will be based on discussion, as well as practical activities to apply the skills we are discussing.  It will include hands on activities we complete together, as well as individualized feedback for the student for each step of the writing process.  I have extensive training in both research and writing and love to help students see the joy in research a topic in which they are interested and presenting their findings. Outside of class, student will have the opportunity to complete and submit argumentative, persuasive, descriptive, and research essays applying the skills we have been developing during class time.  No previous writing experience is required for this course.  We will cover all the basics needed.

Week 1-We will discuss the elements of a strong thesis, as well as its role in the process of constructing a cohesive essay.

Week 2-Next we will cover how to create an effective outline, to create a smooth writing process present an effective argument.

Week 3-We will discuss how to choose and narrow down a topic to match the scope of the assignment.  We will discuss the foundational aspects of a different types of writing, the main purposes and functions of writing, and explore descriptive writing.  

Week 4-This week we will explore research skills and techniques.  We will discuss the elements of effective note taking during an extended research project.  We will discuss what information is important to include for each source, as well as what is not important.  We will also discuss how to creatively find information that might be useful when sources are limited.

Week 5-Then we will discuss how to evaluate the credibility of sources.  Class discussion will involve bias and point of view, how to choose reliable sources, how to account for sources that are less reliable, and common research techniques.  This class will involve the practical aspects of working with sources to find information from both primary and secondary documents.

Week 6-After working on credibility, we will discuss how to use supporting evidence in essay writing to creative persuasive essays.  We will discuss how to use the evidence found in the sources, how to use quotes effectively, and how to avoid common pitfalls of plagiarism.

Week 7-This week we will discuss more advanced techniques to to improve your writing style to create interest and impact.  We will explore using hooks for introductory paragraphs and how to write a strong conclusion.

Week 8-Finally, we will discuss how to properly cite and format research essays, as well as important considerations when polishing and finalizing all styles of writing.