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 |
No comments:
Post a Comment