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Effective Composition
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Weekly Syllabus
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General
guidelines:
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Ø Six-traits and writing
process used, including peer-editing, student/teacher conferencing, and
revision of “final” papers.
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Ø Students maintain
personal folders with handouts/mini-lessons and two notebooks (one for class
activity work, one for journaling).
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Ø Mini-lessons to
include reviews and new concepts connected with writing.
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Ø Vocabulary development
and assessment
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Ø Proofreading practice
to develop use of correct conventions
Ø Students keep-up with
daily journals (at least 13 lines) and weekly blogs.
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Week 1
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- Reflection
on writing (experiences/successes/struggles with and knowledge of
writing?)
- Assignment: “Who Am I?” essay using the keyhole
approach. Must include an attention getter, thesis, criteria, body
(with a paragraph for each criteria), a restated thesis, and a closing
paragraph (with clincher). Essay will be read to class.
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- Interest
inventory with writing sample
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- Introduce
and begin journal and vocabulary development
- Daily
engagement activities explained:
Minute Mystery (context clues and analytical thinking), Good News, Topic
Ball
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Week 2
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- Six-traits,
outlines, and graphic organizers review
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- Proofreading
symbols review/practice
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- Comma
usage review/application
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Week 3
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- Explain
“weekly blog” and response assignment.
- Demonstrate
saving to google drive and using google docs.
- Journal
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- Comma
usage review (continued) and assessment
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Week 4
- Weekly
Blog and responses
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- Paragraph
structure review: Writing
with a Purpose, pp. 166-181.
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- topic
and supporting sentences, unity, completeness, order, coherence
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- write
expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, analogy (Writing
with a Purpose, p. 243), and definition paragraphs (topics may be
assigned/drawn from basket or self-selected)
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Week 5
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Paragraph
structure review (continued)
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- Transitions review/application
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Week 6
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Connotation
and denotation activities
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- Lively
writing activities: Writing with a Purpose, Chapter 9
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- Specificity
in writing: Writing with a Purpose, p. 238
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- Imagery:
Writing with a Purpose, p. 241
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- Similes
and Metaphors: Writing with a Purpose, p. 242
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- Minute
Mystery Assignment
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Week 7
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Narrative/descriptive
essay: Writing with a
Purpose, p. 107, 109,
and 412
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Week 8
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Essay
structure review, emphasis on effective introductions and conclusions:
Writing with a Purpose, p. 181-185
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Week 9
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Expository
essay or Persuasive essay: Writing with a Purpose, p. 468
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Week 10
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Sentence
structure review and
assessment: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex
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Week 11
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Definition
essay: Writing with a
Purpose, p. 117 and
453 or Classification essay: Writing with a
Purpose, p. 115 and 444
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- Use
sentence fluency chart strategy
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Week 12
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Process
analysis essay: Writing
with a Purpose, p. 424
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Week 13
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Comparison/Contrast
essay: Writing with a
Purpose, p. 112 and 434 (may
be in-class, impromptu writing)
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Week 14
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Causal
analysis essay: Writing
with a Purpose, p. 119 and
459
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Week 15
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Friendly
letter and business letter
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Week 16
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Résumé,
cover letter, and reference list
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Week 17
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Journal
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- Review/Critique
(may be in-class, impromptu
writing)
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Week 18
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- Weekly
Blog and responses
- Final
exam
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