Writing

Writing is a complex process that begins with the recording of one's thoughts. It is used for composition, communication, expression, learning, and engaging the reader. As it is with any skill, writing requires daily practice to see notable improvement. At Prime Education, students will be putting pen to paper every day, be that in the form of journals, essays, reflections, interpretations, letters, vocabulary exercises, grammatical drills, narratives, or more formal academic papers.

The 12-week 36-hour class will also seek to improve the level of reading for each student by exploring a sampling of classic and contemporary works from our high quality writing and reading materials both in and out of class time. A considerable amount of class time will be given to allowing students to present their work to the class to hear his or her "voice" as a presenter. This will also, of course, allow the rest of the students to work on their skills as listeners.

Writing I

Writing I will practice the following concepts:

• Writing Main Ideas
• Writing Facts and Opinions
• Writing in Sequence
• Writing about Cause and Effect
• Writing Comparisons
• Making Your Point
• Writing Details
• Point of view

Classes are structured to practice daily writing skills in the form of two weekly writing assignments - one in class and one at home. Regular vocabulary enrichment exercises will also take form in weekly quizzes. By the end of this spring course, students will have learned the necessary fundamentals of writing to engage in our Writing II course.

Writing II

Writing II will place its focus on the writing process:

• Prewriting - Different strategies work best for different writers, so we encourage many different types of prewriting. These might include outlining, webbing, free writing, brainstorming, interviewing, drawing, conducting a discussion, or taking notes.
• Writing - The student discovers, develops, explores, and arranges ideas, perceptions, and/or facts in a first draft.
• Revising - Organization, word choices, sentence structure, and clarity can all be improved by conferencing with peers, teachers, or adults. Students can also re-examine their own pieces.
• Editing - The student checks his spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. This step is better delayed until ideas are clear and organized.
• Presenting or Publishing - The final draft prepares the writing to be shared with others. Papers might be simply to fulfill a class assignment, or they might be for inclusion on a web site or in a publication.

Students of Writing II will practice writing processes daily and will complete two writing projects at the end of the course.

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