Wherever you are in your writing journey, this course is for you. I'm not exaggerating. 

In this student-centered,  fun and lively class, we start at the very beginning, reviewing how to create an outline and how to write a paragraph. Then the course takes students step by step through writing paraphrases, summaries, creative story telling, writing from research, responding to essay prompts, and writing formal story critiques. It may sound impossible and overwhelming, but I assure you it is possible and very comfortable for even reluctant writers. 

We start each class with a game that reviews a concept we have covered in class. We then proceed to learn new material. Students are encouraged but not required to share their work with the class. This course is also a great supplement to your history curriculum.

In my years teaching this writing method, I have seen students who struggled to write more than a handful of sentences at the start of the year finishing the year with an original, five page research paper. And it wasn't just a one-time occurrence. Wherever they are now, your student will grow and be challenged throughout the course, but they will also find the support and encouragement that they need to grow into a more comfortable and skillful writer.

This course will  focus primarily on writing structures, elements of style, and vocabulary development. We will also touch on some aspects of grammar in some classes. 

Please note this is a two semester course. This listing is only for the first semester. Students will need to register for the second semester separately.


We will cover the course material as follows: 
(Week # Lesson #: Structure/ Style element/ topic/ vocabulary)
Week 1	Lesson 1: 	Note making and outlines/ no new style/ Printing press/      Disperse, efficiently, meticulously, promote
Week 2	Lesson 2:	Writing from notes/  -ly adverb/	Age of exploration/	Aggressively, boldly, commodity, inadvertently
Week 3	Lesson 3:	Writing from notes/  no new style/     Ivan the Terrible/  	Agitated, erratically, shrewdly, subdue
Week 4	Lesson 4:	Writing from notes/  Who/which clause/	The Seven Year’s War/	Inflame, relentlessly, succumb, ultimately
Week 5	Lesson 5:	Retelling Narrative Stories/  Bian He’s Jade/  Haplessly, lament, prudently, scoff
Week 6	Lesson 6:	Retelling Narrative Stories/	Strong verbs; banned words- go, went, say, said/	The Ant and the Dove/	 
                                        Discern, ingeniously, strive, witness
Week 7	Lesson 7:	Retelling Narrative Stories/	Because clause/ The Sun and the Moon/ Bound, disheartened, immense, steep, 
                                        astound, coerce, content, overbearing
Week 8	Lesson 9:	Summarizing a Reference/  American Revolution/	Detest, embolden, enrage, tyrant
Week 9	Lesson 10:	Summarizing a Reference/	Quality adjectives; banned words- good, bad/  French Revolution/	 
                                        Deplorable, extravagant, luxurious, oust
Week 10	Lesson 11:	Summarizing a Reference/	www.asiawub clause/ Revolution in Latin America/  Prevail, prominent, 
                                        resolute, valiant, covet, meager, ravage, rustic
Week 11	Lesson 13:	Writing from Pictures/	#2 prepositional opener; banned words big, small/  Telegraph Invention/ 
                                        Commend, erect, jubilantly, thwart
Week 12	Lesson 14:	Writing from Pictures/	#3 -ly adverb opener/	Discovering Dynamite/  Frenzied, laborious, recklessly, 
                                        scramble, bleak, devastate, endure, fervently
Week 13	Lesson 16:	Summarizing Multiple References/no new style/ Australia/ no vocabulary this week
Week 14	Lesson 17:	Summarizing Multiple References/  #6 vss opener/ Communism around the World/ no vocabulary this 
                                        week