Writing Topics

Writing Topics

            Becoming a better writer means learning about developing content, organizing information, and putting all of that information into clear sentences.  I’ve listed the topics we’ll discuss in the order that we’ll discuss them.  I haven’t assigned them to particular weeks due to the fact that I intend to be flexible in order to meet the specific needs of the class.  In other words, we may speed through one topic and take time with another.

·        Writing to learn

·        Steps of the writing process

·        Pre-writing activities

·        Creating a writing Sourcebank of ideas

·        Writing outlines

·        Developing a thesis

·        Expanding a topic

·        Shaping a topic

·        Logical thinking about a topic

·        Introductions and Conclusions

·        Paragraph development

·        Coherence and Unity in paragraphs

·        Arranging paragraphs and details

·        Organization for emphasis

·        Tone

·        Audience appeal

·        Subjective/objective perspectives

·        Style:  formal/ informal

·        Style:  clear/concise/concrete

·        Style:  figurative/ diction/illustrations

·        Style:  problems

·        Developing Sentences:  transitions

·        Developing Sentences:  variety

·        Developing Sentences:  diction

·        Revising Strategies:  grammar/mechanics

·        Revising Strategies:  clarity/unity/coherence

·        Revising Strategies:  details

·        Peer editing

·        Researching:  primary/ secondary sources

·        Researching:  how/where

·        Researching:  note-taking

·        Plagiarism

·        Format for citing

·        Critical Thinking

·        Logical Thinking

·        Specific essays:

–         Personal

–         Narrative

–         History

–         Biography

–         News Story

–         Editorial

–         Theme study

–         Characterization

Books Clarification

Greetings!

I want to clarify the issue of books for the Writing 1 class.  With the exception of Animal Farm (George Orwell), the books for both semesters (A Christmas Carol, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Great Short Poems) will be ordered through Dover Publications.  This company prints thrift editions of these books.  I like using these books in the classroom because all the students  can have the same copy of the text and can experiment with writing and underlining in their books without the concern of spoiling an expensive copy.  I will order these books.  Regarding Animal Farm, I will find copies of this copy unless you already have a copy,   I've already ordered some used copies from a supplier and will have enough copies for the whole class.  If your family has a copy of Animal Farm, let me know.

Again, contact me if you have questions.
Tammy Prichard

Initial Syllabus

 

Writing 1 Syllabus

Semester 1

Tammy Prichard

Resources:

·         Animal Farm (George Orwell)  (Note:  If you have a copy of this book, the supply fee will be reduced.)

·         A Christmas Carol  (Charles Dickens)  Dover Publications

·         various worksheets and handouts

Objectives:

Literature

            In his book, Animal Farm, George Orwell not only tells an engaging story, but he forces his readers to think critically about government systems, class, status, and hypocrisy.  While we read this book, we’ll discuss the historical context, the implied meanings and themes, and the many literary techniques that have caused this book to become a classic. 

Writing

            The students will write 4 papers for this class.  We’ll focus on developing clear thesis statements, building strong sentences, selecting the best words, understanding organizational techniques, and revising and editing strategies.  For the first two papers, we’ll use a 2-step process (rough draft to final copy) because they will be shorter and less formal.  The final two papers will be longer and will follow a 3-step process (pre-writing to rough draft to final copy).

Grammar

            Many of the students have covered the basics of grammar.  As we write and put our grammar to use, we’ll discover what areas need to be reviewed and worked on.  The class will start with some basics and move into some areas that are more complex. I’ve left open space on the syllabus so that I can focus on specific areas that appear in their writing.

Initial Draft – Subject to change

Week	Literature	Writing	Grammar
1	Introduction to Animal Farm		Review basic sentence structures
2	Preface & Introduction	Personal History Rough Draft	Coordinating/ Subordinating clauses
3	Chapters I & II		Review common errors in rough drafts
4	Chapters III & IV	Personal History Final Copy	Compound/ Complex sentences
5	Chapters V & VI	Narrative Rough Draft	Run-on sentences
6	Chapters VII & VIII		Review common errors in rough drafts
7	Chapters IX & X	Narrative Final Copy	Agreement:  S-V
8	Character Presentations	History Essay Pre-Write	Agreement:  Noun-pronoun
9	Final for Animal Farm	History Essay Rough Draft
10	Christmas Carol Introduction		Review common errors in rough drafts
11	Stave One	History Essay Final Copy	Misc. punctuation
12	Stave Two	Biographical Essay Pre-Write
13	Stave Three	Biographical Essay Rough Draft
14	Stave Four		Review common errors in rough drafts
15	Final Exam	Biographical Essay Final Copy

Writing 1 Syllabus

Semester 2

Tammy Prichard (tamprichard@gmail.com)

Resources:

·         A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court  (Mark Twain)  Dover Publications

·         Great Short Poems (Philip Smith, ed.)  Dover Publications

Objectives:

Literature

            As we read Mark Twain’s classic, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (ACY), we will specifically study the character development, themes, and humorous language of the book.  Not only is this book an entertaining story, it is well-crafted and artful.

Writing

            The students will write 4 papers for this class.  Since Mark Twain was a reporter, it seems fitting to do some journalistic writing.  The first assignment will require some research, while the second one will utilize some persuasion techniques.  The third papers will be an analytical response to our literature.  All of these papers will follow the 3-step process (pre-writing to rough draft to final copy).  The final paper will be a re-write of any of the papers that they’ve written this year.  “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.” (Louis D. Brandeis)

Grammar

            We will continue to study grammar, paying special attention to building strong, clear, accurate sentences.  Again, the open spaces on the syllabus leave room to work on weak areas.

Initial Draft – Subject to change

Week	Literature	Writing	Grammar
1	Introduction to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (ACY)		Sentence construction review
2	ACY:  Intro; Ch. 1 – 4	News Story Pre-Write	Correcting weak sentences
3	ACY:  Ch. 5 – 9	News Story Rough Draft
4	ACY:  Ch. 10 – 14		Review common errors in rough drafts
5	ACY:  Ch. 15 – 19	News Story Final Copy
6	ACY:  Ch. 20 – 24	Editorial Pre-Write
7	ACY:  Ch. 25 – 29	Editorial Rough Draft
8	ACY:  Ch. 30 – 34		Review common errors in rough drafts
9	ACY:  Ch. 35 – 38; Final PS	Editorial Final Copy
10	ACY:  Presentations	Theme & Character Pre-Write
11	ACY:  Baseball	Theme & Character Rough Draft
12	American Poetry		Review common errors in rough drafts
13	American Poetry	Theme & Character Final Copy
14	American Poetry & Poetry Presentations	Re-Write
15	Poetry Presentations & Final Exam	Re-Write

Writing 1 News

Greetings!
Welcome to Writing 1!  Registration is still open for the class, but I wanted to connect with families to give some preliminary information.

I have an initial draft of the syllabus for the class. I'm still working on specific lesson plans.  We'll be reading 2 books for the first semester:  Animal Farm (George Orwell) and A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens).  The students will be writing 4 papers this fall.  I plan to buy the thrift edition of the Dickens book through Dover Publications.  Dover does not have the Orwell book available, but I did find a "lot" of books on EBay.  I like to have students use the same books whenever possible.  If you have copy of this book at home, let me know.  Please, no library copies; the books become due before the end of the class.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.
Looking forward to the class,
Tammy Prichard