Middle School Writing

Description

Middle School Writing / Grades 6-8 / Period 2 / MJH / 1T – 2T – 3T 

This course is designed to review and reinforce the stylistic writing techniques introduced in Beginning Writing while further developing students’ compositional abilities through The Lost Tools of Writing curriculum. Students will learn to construct detailed outlines, compose effectively from those outlines, and incorporate advanced grammatical structures, including adjective and adverbial clauses, as well as precise and purposeful diction through the use of well-chosen verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

Instruction will emphasize the development of cogent thesis statements, the construction of persuasive arguments supported by evidence, and the refinement of students’ ability to communicate ideas logically and coherently through clear, effective prose. Each trimester, students will complete one original essay and two subsequent revisions. The revision process will focus on improving logical organization and grammatical accuracy while also introducing additional rhetorical and stylistic techniques such as exordium, refutation, and narration.

This course will consist of both reading and writing assignments.

Required Reading Books: Library usage is fine
Trimester 1: Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling
Trimester 2: Esther (book of the Bible)
Trimester 3: The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry

Class size: Minimum 8
Class time: 10:00 – 10:50 a.m.
Class level: Grades 6-8
Class Code: MJH 2
Material fee: $10
Materials needed: 

• The Lost Tools of Writing Student Level 1 Workbook (available for purchase at circeinstitute.org)
• 3 ring binder
• paper
• access to a computer with word processing software
• printer