Detailed Info On Writing Journeys

This page and the following links are provided for those who would like details on the Writing Journeys Program.  Since writing skills are so important to the success of students, I thought it necessary to make available the details of the program so parents and advisors can look at, analyze, and determine if the writing class I offer will meet the needs of the students in your care.

In the class, students will cover:

--learning to write paragraphs and sentences

--develop a thesis statement

--write introductions, transition statements,

and conclusions

--research a topic for a research paper

--write a topic outline

--organize notes

--use proper language mechanics such as: 

punctuation, grammar and usage,

spelling, and parallelism

--avoid passive voice and use active voice

--maintain verb tense consistency

--Reflective writing

--Comparison/contrast papers

--Argumentative papers

--Descriptive writing

--Daily Journaling

--Instructional Writing

--Creative writing

--preparing for the new writing portion of the

SAT College Entrance Exam

When writing essays, students will be:

Organized--they will write an introduction that focuses the paper and provides a clear thesis.  Paragraphs will develop one point that relates to the thesis. The conclusion will draw the paper smoothly to a close.

Logical--they will write essays with a clear, logically-directed plan of development with transition between ideas. Paragraphs will support and develop the thesis of the essay and include no irrelevant ideas. Each point will be developed with evidence, details, examples, and explanation.

Imaginative--written essays will make a perceptive, thoughtful, original response to the assignment. The writing is audience-centered, going beyond a basic attempt to address the assignment.

Grammatically Correct--sentences will be clear and varied and essays will contain almost no grammatical problems in sentence construction, punctuation, and usage. Careful proofreading will eliminate surface errors such as misspelled words, capitalization errors, and typos.

Appropriate to Audience and Purpose--the essays will demonstrate a level of formality and sophistication appropriate to a high school level class and the particular discipline in which the paper is written.

Well-researched and Documented--the essays will demonstrate an appropriate level of research, using a variety of outside sources from traditional library resources and computer-based research to develop and support its points. The essay will go beyond simple summary of ideas, demonstrating an understanding of ideas and critical evaluation of sources. Sources will be documented internally and smoothly worked into the student's writing as well as documented clearly and precisely in a works cited page in standard bibliographic format.