New to Outschool? Use code JULIEWI20 when you sign up, and get $20 off your first class.  

Welcome to my self-paced class that will help you gain the necessary skills to be successful in all your college classes that require writing! 

This class has 9 pre-recorded video lessons that will each guide you through one aspect of writing, and you will have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on your work. 

No live meetings.

I have been a college English professor for 18 years, and I designed this class based on needs I see in my college classroom.  

This class will help you take your essay writing to the next level. How? We will learn how to fully develop arguments, use sources effectively for support, establish credibility, and avoid plagiarism. We will discover how to use well chosen evidence to add to the writer's credibility and persuasiveness. You will gain foundation skills that will help you in college.

Each lesson video will demonstrate a strategy. Then you will have an opportunity to practice each skill. Homework will be submitted in a message to the teacher, and I will provide feedback. Feedback is designed to be positive and encouraging and to offer ideas for taking your writing to the next level.

A final argumentative research paper will be submitted the last week, and I will provide detailed written feedback.

Topics will include--

Lesson 1: 
Topic: Annotation Skills 
Homework: Use google to locate a specific article I will assign; print, read, and annotate the article 

Lesson 2:
Topic: Why, When, and How to Summarize within an Essay
Homework 3: Write a one-sentence summary of the article provided

Lesson 3: 
Topic: Paraphrase Like a Pro
Homework: Paraphrase and cite a passage provided

Lesson 4:
Topic: Effectively Choose and Use Quotations in Essays 
Homework: Review an assigned article; choose 2-5 passages to quote in your final essay project; write a quote sandwich

Lesson 5: 
Topic: How to Avoid Unintentional Plagiarism 
Homework: Worksheet on academic honesty in college
  
Lesson 6:
Topic: Know Your Purpose and Audience
Homework: Identify the purpose and audience for your essay

Lesson 7: 
Topic: Write an Effective Thesis Statement
Homework: write a working thesis statement

Lesson 8: 
Topic: Research and Note Taking 
Homework: Transfer your paraphrases and quotes to notecards

Lesson 9:
Topic: Synthesizing Sources and Getting Organized
Homework: Write your final essay


Before enrolling, learners should have a basic grasp of how to structure an essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Some basic knowledge of transitions and topic sentences will be helpful as these concepts will not be addressed in this class.