Week of September 10-14 

Revised Syllabus

Personal Essays/Elements of Writing - Beginnings

Monday, September 10
Review New Syllabus
Review 6-Traits Writing
Peer edit personal essays using 6-Traits rubric
Revise

Tuesday:
Genres in creative writing: Essays, historical fiction, science fiction, memoir, fiction, plays, poetry.
Elements of Writing: #1) Beginnings
Read examples together and take Cornell Notes
Question: What methods did author use to grab the reader's attention?
Refer to 6 Traits of Writing
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin, p. 276
Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey p. 8
Write a great beginning for your own short story or chapter from novel
Share

Wednesday:
Dialogue
How is dialogue used?
Conventions of dialogue
Read examples of good and bad dialogue
How to Write a Dam Good Novel by James N. Frey
Write dialogue that reveals character.
Share

Friday:
Final revisions on Personal Essays in lab
Update blogs and post essay and 2-voice poems

New Syllabus

Course Description:

This one-semester course will explore the elements of good writing through the Six Trait Assessment Model. (See below for text.)  The six traits we will refer to are:  ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.  We will learn to distinguish between different genre’s including, non-fiction: personal essay, memoir, historical fiction, science fiction, fiction, short story, plays, and poetry. Elements to be studied include: characterization, dialogue, premise, viewpoint, pacing, plot, and poetic forms. Attention to basic conventions; i.e. grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. will be inherent in all writing. Specific readings (handouts by me) will be used for modeling and analysis.

Schedule:

August/September: Personal Essay. This I Believe.

Learn to recognize various genres in the creative writing venue: Essays, historical fiction, science fiction, memoir, fiction, plays, poetry.

October: Learn to recognize the elements of writing in short assignments, including characterization, dialogue, premise, viewpoint, pacing, plot, and poetic forms, as they relate to student’s individual projects. Appropriate readings will be provided.

November: Apply elements above to final piece of writing; i.e. short story, first three chapters of novel. Final piece will be posted on student-created personal blog.

December: Poetic forms: Folk Ballad, Haiku, Limerick, Sonnet, Sestina

Materials to Bring to Class:

Bring daily:

• 3-ring binder with dividers: Current Work; Vocabulary; Graded Work; Procedures
• journal: a composition book or dedicated spiral notebook
• planner
• notebook paper
• pens—blue or black ink only
• texts/handouts as assigned

We will write in our journals regularly to a variety of prompts that will inspire us to utilize the writing elements studied. The guidelines for journaling include filling the time, filling the page, and writing beyond the point where we think we have nothing left to say.

Proper Format for Papers:

We will use MLA (Modern Language Association) format for headings, essays and documentation of research sources. Completed work may be typed or handwritten neatly in blue or black ink.

Heading—in upper left-hand corner of the paper:

            Student’s first and last name

            Instructor’s name: Ms. Boochever

            Class name: Honors/American Literature

            Date: 

In-Class/Out-of-Class Assigned Work: Most of the writing will be done in-class, however; some will be assigned to be done outside of class. It is extremely important that you keep up with the assignments. We have a limited amount of time to cover a lot of material. We can't possibly do it all in-class. If you get behind, it will be difficult to catch up. STAY ON TOP OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS, and engage in the class discussions, and your reward will be a fun and interesting class AND a good grade.

Alaska State Standards

English/Language Arts

This course will be taught to district standards which are available for review using the Juneau School District website under the District Information: Core Content Standards menu item: http://www.jsd.k12.ak.us

Assessment:

Peer editing will be utilized along with one-on-one-conferencing with instructor. Students will create a ‘blog’ that will serve as a sharing venue. Please note that grades are cumulative throughout the semester, per Juneau School District Board of Education Policy (#5420R).

For grading purposes, assessments will be based on the 6-Traits Writing Rubric with corresponding points assigned to each trait.

A = 90%-100%

B = 80% - 89%

C = 70% - 79%

B = 80% - 89%

C = 70% - 79%

D = 60% - 69%

F = 0% - 59%

“INC” = Incomplete

Assignment categories are weighted: Every assignment serves a significant and specific purpose. While the point value of a homework assignment or activity may seem negligible, the practice is essential to develop skills.

40% - Unit assessments, including final writing projects, essays, writing process activities.

35% - Homework, in-class skills practice

25% - Participation, notes, presentations and cooperative learning activities (peer editing).