Texts
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing. A
Rhetorical
Reader and Guide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2001.
Warriner, John E. Holt Handbook. Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston,
2003.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level E. New York: Sadlier Oxford, 2005.
Course Objectives and Procedures
Most writers agree that before writing can become an art, it is a
craft. Thus, we will write every day to develop the skills of our craft. I
hope along the way you are able to recognize your own narrative voice. That
is the tone, diction, and pacing that reflect you and you alone. No one else
in the world writes or conceives of ideas quite the way you do. You are
unique! But writing cannot stand isolate from reading. The reading
selections from Patterns are not intended to serve as the only models for
good writing. However, they reflect various possibilities for developing
ideas and arranging materials that can be helpful in practicing the modes of
discourse. Close reading and discussion of assigned selections will help you
understand the techniques of effective writers and begin to apply such
techniques to your own writing. These readings will also help you explore
new ideas about which you will want to write. Reading broadly and deeply on
your own will always impact and strengthen your writing!
The Holt Handbook can be of use to you when you need to review grammar
or for actual tips on writing introductions, body paragraphs, and
conclusions, even whole essays and research papers. Although you may use it
on your own in the classroom as a resource, the teacher will assign, from
time to time, some exercises when they are appropriate for the class or for
individuals.
Two of the following novels will be discussed first, third, and fourth
quarters. Second quarter will be devoted primarily to research. Students
should be reading independently the assigned novels or their outside reading
texts when they complete their writing assignments for the day. A test over
each text can include identification of quotations and/or essays that draw on
the writing skills emphasized in the concurrent unit.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye
0316769487
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies, Casebook Edition 0-399-50643-8
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea 0684801221
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew 074347757x
(Folger Edition)
Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 0-451-16396-6
Paperback Texts
Please have the editions indicated of the above paperback texts for this
course. The reasons for this are that all students should be on the same
page simultaneously with the teacher when reading discussion and analysis
occurs. Also, when students write papers with quotations from the text, I
will be checking page numbers in their documentation from the required text.
It is vital that we stay together in the designated paperback texts. You can
find the approved versions of our texts at Steve’s Sundry (27th and Harvard).
Writing
The primary purpose of this course is to give you practice writing the
kinds of essays you will be assigned to write in high school and in college.
You will write all the modes of discourse—narration, description, exposition,
and argumentation. Of course, research will be a component of the course as
well. You will write a minimum of two papers each quarter in this course.
Each paper will consist of a first draft and a final draft, indicating
revision. In some cases, your teacher may require an intermediate second
draft before you prepare the final version. You may also write a test essay
over each novel assigned and discussed to help you write in a prescribed and
limited amount of time. Paying close attention to handouts and the
Composition quarterly calendar will keep you current with assignments and
well on your way to feeling a sense of accomplishment in this course.
Homework
You will do daily readings in Patterns as assigned by the instructor, or
you may be reading an assigned novel. You will make written responses to
questions posed by the instructor, or you will write reader-response entries
in your journal. These journal entries and homework assignments will be
checked by your teacher.
Journal
Your teacher will assign reader-response journals for each reading and
prewriting exercises for each major essay. These are to be completed in the
journal and handed in on Fridays (see quarterly calendar) for a journal
grade. The journal is a place to prepare for writing a finished paper.
Treat it as a place where you put ideas you will use later, and then use it
often when you are looking for subjects to write about.
Homework and journals will be graded weekly based on completion of all
class and home exercises. The teacher may also choose to grade one
assignment that is especially representative of the week’s work. You will
not know which assignment is the chosen one until homework and journals are
returned for the week; therefore, it is wise to complete all assignments to
the best of your ability, and neatly! Keep all homework on notebook paper
and journal entries in a separate Mead Composition Book. Generally, the
journal will be collected on Fridays, but the teacher may ask to see your
work at any time, so keep the homework and journal with you at all times in
class
Late Work Policy
You are expected to hand in work on the due date or the day you return
from an absence. Your teacher may deduct one letter grade for each day that
assignment is late and may refuse to accept an assignment more than three
days after the due date. Of course, in light of a hospital stay or major
illness, you may have extended time, if you will speak with the teacher.
Grading Scale
Grades on writing assignments will be converted to the following
numerical values which will be used to compute your final grade:
A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = below 60
Assignments will have the following grade weights:
Homework and Journals = 40%; Essays and Tests = 60%
Proficiency Testing and Portfolio
The purpose of this course is to help you learn to write with
thoroughness and clarity. The daily exercises and papers planned will help
you discover your own writer’s voice and many techniques for effective
writing—both creative and expository. However, as with any skill, writing
proficiency cannot be acquired overnight. Writing takes constant practice
and scrutiny. You do not become a skilled tennis player by playing once a
month and only at tournaments. You must practice daily, just as in writing.
Only then will you begin to see improvement. The more attention you give to
writing, the more you will begin to enjoy your own and be fascinated by the
styles of others. Remember, however, before writing can become an art, it
must be a daily craft!
At the end of the second semester you will take a Writing Proficiency
Test and submit a Portfolio of some of your best papers of this year. You
will then be graded on the basis of coherence, structure, paragraph
development, correct usage and grammar, and effort in stylistic development.
The quality of the Test and Portfolio will determine whether or not you are
ready to move on to Literary Analysis.
Students who do not pass the Writing Proficiency, will be allowed to
attend a summer Comp. Camp here at Cascia, usually beginning the first Monday
after graduation and lasting two weeks. Upon successful completion of this
summer session, students will take a final Proficiency Test and submit their
Comp. Camp Portfolio. The quality of work and consistency of work effort
will determine whether or not a student passes on to Literary Analysis.
Outside Reading and News Day
Each quarter it is necessary that students read a book outside of class
of at least 180 (or more!) pages in length. Not only does this widen and
broaden the reading experience of the students, but it also develops their
writing in subliminal ways beyond the intentional strategies learned in a
writing classroom. Research has shown that students who read broadly also
write more fluidly and insightfully. But I want the students to be able to
discuss their reading as well with their peers in Literature Circles. Thus,
I am recommending the following books for this first quarter. With a limited
number, several students can be in each discussion group. If all goes well,
we may take some class suggestions for the 2nd or 3rd quarter. So, choose
from the following texts and purchase (or check out of a library) one of
these so you can begin reading it soon. Don’t wait until the end of the
quarter! Bring it to school, so when you have finished your daily work, you
can read it quietly in class. I will be giving brief “Book Talks” on each of
these:
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Return with Honor by Captain Scott O’ Grady
Firehouse by David Halberstam
Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beal
In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke
All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein
Also, we will have a News Day Friday every other Friday to read and
write a five-paragraph summary of a current news story. This will go into
the Journal and may be graded when the Journal is submitted. These
assignments keep us up to date on current issues in non-fiction journalism
and prepare students for summarizing and synthesizing material for the
research paper in 2nd quarter.
I look forward to getting to know you this year through the class and
through your writing. This is a time for you to find yourself in the written
word. As much as we Twitter and text, the writing in Comp .may seem formal to
you. But it will sharpen your analytical skills, your close reading, and
also help you to be more creative and expressive. Good writing should always
reveal something about the personality of the writer. I look forward to
hearing your writer’s voice!
Let us commit to a successful year together through Truth, Unity, and Charity,
Mrs. Luccock
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