Writing 1 Syllabus Overview

Writing 1 Syllabus Overview

Fall Semester

Week	Date	Literature	Writing	Grammar
1	8/29	Introduction to Animal Farm		The Sentence
2	9/5	Preface & Introduction	Observation Rough Draft	Parts of Speech:  Verb
3	9/12	Chapters I & II		Parts of Speech:  Noun, pronoun
4	9/19	Chapters III & IV	Observation Final Copy	Parts of Speech:  Adjective, adverb, preposition
5	9/26	Chapters V & VI	Personal History Rough Draft	Parts of Speech:  Conjunction, interjection
6	10/3	Chapters VII & VIII		Verbs:  Tense, principle parts
7	10/10	Chapters IX & X	Personal History Final Copy	Verbs:  Voice, mood
8	10/17	Character Presentations	Biography Pre-Write	Verbs:  Linking, conjugation
9	10/24	Final for Animal Farm	Biography Rough Draft	Agreement:  subj/verb, noun/pronoun
10	10/31	Christmas Carol Introduction		Reference of pronouns
11	11/7	Stave One	Biography Final Copy	Types of Sentences
12	11/14	Stave Two	History  Pre-Write	Phrases:  Prepositional, appositive
13	11/28	Stave Three	History Rough Draft	Phrases:  Verbal, restrictive, infinitive
14	12/5	Stave Four		No grammar
15	12/12	Final Exam	History Final Copy	No grammar

Writing 1 Class Notes -- August 29

Greetings!

Those of you who have children who have taken classes from me may remember these weekly class notes on our work in class.  I try to send them out to parents and students as soon after the class as I can.  In the updates, I include our activities, points of discussion, and assignments.  Occasionally I will share links to websites that might be helpful or interesting to our study.

I begin each class with a Quick Write.  These short exercises are usually light-hearted and are intended to get the “writing juices” running.  This week’s Quick Write was to write their names on one sided of a note card and 2 truths and a lie on the back.  The purpose of this activity was for me to get to know the students a little better.

I like a lot of discussion in my classes, but this week I did most of the talking.  I had a large packet of papers for the students, which I’m also attaching to this e-mail.  This packet included:

Syllabus Overview

Classroom Policies

Grammar Plan

Week 1 Grammar – The Sentence

Animal Farm Introduction

Animal Farm Study Questions

Personal Essay

Pre-Writing Strategies

I mistakenly handed out the information for the Personal Essay when I should have given them the handout for the Observation Report.  I’m attaching that also to the class notes.

Please take some time to read through theClassroom Policies document.  This explains some of the components for the class; always feel free to contact me if you have questions.  As you see, I have a place at the top of the paper for your signature.  I found last year that requiring the students to get a signature caused them to be more aware themselves of the details, requirements, etc. of the class.

The students will write 4 essays this first semester.  Our first essay is an Observation Report.  They can observe anything they want (an activity, place, person, etc.) and write about it.  This is a short, one-page essay.

As you’ll notice in the Classroom Policies, I have 2 other online resources:  a blog (www.chatwriting1.blogspot.com) and Dropbox (an online document storage site). For the most part, the blog contains the same information as the e-mails.  You will be receiving an invitation from Dropbox to join the folder connected to this class.  I will put copies of all the handouts on this site.

Assignments for Next Week (Sept. 5)

-- Animal Farm:  read the handout and the Preface and Introduction

     -- In paragraph or list form, write what qualities you think makes a good leader.

-- Writing:  write the rough draft for the Observation Report

-- Classroom Policies:  read and get a parent’s signature

Have a great holiday weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

PS. For some reason I can't access my blog site or Dropbox at this time.  I will send those links later.

New Syllabus for 2012-2013

Writing 1 Syllabus

Semester 1 (Fall, 2012)

Tammy Prichard (tamprichard@gmail.com)

Class Blogsite:  www.chatwriting1.blogspot.com

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) (Note:  the tutor will purchase this book)

·         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.  We’ll read the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, at the end of the term.

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
1	Introduction to Animal Farm
2	Preface & Introduction	Observation Rough Draft
3	Chapters I & II
4	Chapters III & IV	Observation Final Copy
5	Chapters V & VI	Personal History Rough Draft
6	Chapters VII & VIII
7	Chapters IX & X	Personal History Final Copy
8	Character Presentations	Biography Pre-Write
9	Final for Animal Farm	Biography Rough Draft
10	Christmas Carol Introduction
11	Stave One	Biography Final Copy
12	Stave Two	History  Pre-Write
13	Stave Three	History Rough Draft
14	Stave Four
15	Final Exam	History Final Copy

Writing 1 Syllabus

Semester 2

Tammy Prichard (tamprichard@gmail.com)

Resources:

·         The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  (Robert Louis Stevenson, Dover Publications)

·         The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories.  (O. Henry, Dover Publications)

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

Objectives:

Literature

            As we read Stevenson’s classic, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we will specifically study the character development and themes of the book.  Not only is this book thought-provoking, it is well-crafted and artful.

Writing

            The students will write 3 papers for this class.  The essays for this semester will include some a journalistic-type paper and a literary analysis.  The first assignment will be a non-fiction, thesis-driven narrative essay.  The second paper will be an analytical response to our literature.  The third paper will require some research  for a news story.  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
1	Introduction to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
2	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 1 - 2	Narrative Essay Pre-Write
3	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 3 – 4	Narrative Essay Rough Draft
4	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 5 – 6
5	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 7 – 8	Narrative Essay Final Copy
6	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 9 – 10	Theme & Character Pre-Write
7	Jekyll/Hyde:  Ch. 11 – 12	Theme & Character Rough Draft
8	Short Stories
9	Short Stories	Theme & Character Final Copy
10	Short Stories	News Story Pre-Write
11	Short Stories	News Story Rough Draft
12	American Poetry
13	American Poetry	News Story Final Copy
14	American Poetry & Poetry Presentations	Re-Write
15	Poetry Presentations & Final Exam

Comments About Grades

Dear Parents and Students,

I've just finished calculating the grades for the second semester.  Please remember that I am a ‘tutor,” and  these are suggested grades for you as homeschooling families to consider.

Some students handed in assignments on the last day of class.  If those change the score and grade, I will send adjusted grades next week.  (I’m currently on vacation in Florida!)

Before I send them, let me again share my thoughts on grades.  As I homeschooled, I didn't give my children grades.  I felt that grades were far too subjective.  I taught my own children for mastery and diligence.  We didn't proceed with a topic until they were ready no matter how long that took. 

Letter grades are a funny thing.  For some students, it becomes the only motivation for doing well.  For some, it becomes a measure of their worth as a person or as an academic learner.  I personally don't like these "side effects" of the grading system.  On the other hand, grades can be a valid reward for working hard, being diligent, and understanding the materials.  Incentives and consequences are a part of life; God uses them, too.

When teaching students to be good writers, I give a lot of consideration for growth and improvement. Each student has a starting place; over time I look for him or her to learn the mechanics of grammar, good writing techniques, and analytical thinking skills.

For this class, I gave points for attendance, participation, short assignments and longer papers.   I tend to be an "easy grader" and like to see my students encouraged to do their best.  Becoming a good writer is hard work, and too often students are discouraged before they’ve given themselves a chance to succeed.

Each student (and parents) will get an e-mail with percentages and suggested grades for this semester. 

Blessings,

Tammy Prichard

Writing 1 Class Notes -- May 8

Greetings!

We're done!  This has been a great group of students and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to teach them.

Even on the last day, we had a Quick Write.  I asked the students to be a bit reflective about their involvement in the class this year.  They answered these two questions: 1)List 3 things you've learned in Writing 1 this year; and 2)Tell how you've improved in Writing 1 this year.  I had each student share something.  In addition to some funny comments, I heard statements about essay writing, literary analysis, and grammar points.  I feel confident that we've all learned some important "stuff" this year.

For the next part of our class, each student took a turn sharing some poetry they had chosen.  They don't love poetry, but I think they're developing a greater appreciation for those metered lines that rhyme and have deeper meanings.

The last section of the class was an unusual, and a bit unconventional, "final exam."  We played a Bingo game in which I gave clues; the answers on their cards were from our literature and writing discussions.  The Bingo prizes were books that I had gotten from the "Great Northfield Book Raid."  ($4.00/ bag)  

I have almost have all of the grades compiled.  A few students have handed in more assignments that need to be figured into their totals.  I'll have grades out to you next week.  

Have a great summer!  I hope to see many of these great students again next year!

Tammy Prichard

Writing 1 Class Notes -- May 1

Greetings!

We're so near the end of our CHAT classes that I almost forgot to write my weekly note to parents. 

As always, we started the class with a Quick Write.  Since Tuesday was May Day, I had the students write words that rhyme with "May" and then to use those words to write a poem.  Again, the students were creative.

I collected the Re-Writes and any outstanding assignments.  I also handed back their worksheets from our literature study and their essays about A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  We discussed, again, some writing issues that came up in their essays.

Last month was National Poetry Month, and we continued our discussion about the poetry selections.  We started our discussion with a favorite of mine, "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams.  This is an imagist poem that some students liked, and some didn't "get."  I like it in part because of the visual image and how the phrase, "so much depend upon....."  seems to hit me.  We also discussed by son's poem which was selected from a number of entries to be part of the Sidewalk Poetry Project of Northfield.  Below are both poems. 

Next week is our last week.  I've asked the students to do some brief reviewing of the short stories, ACY, and the poetry.  I'll have a cooperate "final exam" for next week.  I also want the students to come prepared to recite a poem as part of our final.  They can choose a poem from our book or from another source.  They could also write one of their own, but it needs to be at least 8 lines long.



"The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.


"Untitled"
I long for the thunder to wake me
For the lightning to shock, to shake me
For my thoughts to rule the night
For the weather's heartless bite.


Looking forward to next week.  I have some surprises for the class.
Mrs. Prichard