8th -12th grades Level 2 Prerequisite: One full year of Level 1 in
grades 7-11; (Students who have taken the
WFD Elementary programs must take WFD 1 for grades
7th-11th
before moving to WFD 2 for grades 8th-12th)
Overall Course Description for WRITING FOUNDATIONS 1 and 2: Writing Foundations is a two year course designed to build a solid foundation of powerful writing skills for students in grades
7-12. In some ways, this program approaches writing as an art to be imitated and shaped by the author. In other ways, Writing Foundations reduces writing to simple building blocks that empower young writers to master written language where they may have struggled hopelessly before. Using pre-written models as inspiration, student will experience and practice the structure and style of quality written work. Although it is not a substitute for separate lessons, naturally and purposefully, participants will gain strength in basic skills such as handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
TWO LEVELS of Writing Foundations Classes
Starting at the elementary level, students need as many years of writing practice as possible. They must start with small bites and gradually work to bigger bites after the small bites become easy. It takes time
to digest effective writing skills. Therefore, during the high
school years, Writing
Foundations offers two levels: Level 1 for grades 7-11,
and Level 2 for grades 8-12. These courses provide time
for meaningful practice, skillful competence and significant refinement of individual style. Only students who have successfully - with independent competence - completed Level
1 should proceed to Level 2. Students may
repeat Level 1 as often as desired before
moving on to Level 2.
NOTE:
Pre-requisites: A student may take only fall semester of Level 1, but
may not proceed to Level 2 without a full year of Level
1.
Regardless of past WFD
history, no mid-year entry is allowed. Students
must take Fall and Spring semesters of each level within the
same school year.
Students should repeat
WFD Level I until they are ready to take Level 2. Taking
a break between levels is NOT recommended. It is best
to take WFD every year until the student has successfully
completed Levels 1 and 2.
*Students who have
taken WFD 1 or 2 at the Elementary levels must start
anew with Level 1 for grades 7-9.***
WRITING FOUNDATIONS 1
Prerequisite: none.
Course content: vocabulary, note taking, editing and
grammar lessons, periodic quizzes and games, factual writing,
fables, narratives, summarizing, essays, timed essays and a personal
portfolio at the end of the year.
WRITING FOUNDATIONS 2
Prerequisite: Satisfactory Completion of Writing Foundations
1 ideally during the previous school year.
Course content: vocabulary, note taking, editing and
grammar lessons, periodic quizzes and games, summarizing,
"read search" reports, citations and bibliographies,
narratives, essays, timed essays, and a personal portfolio at the end of the year.
• Parental Involvement: Parents must function as "Narration Listener" and as "Personal
Editor" on a weekly basis for rough and revised drafts of various assignments. To better nurture,
reinforce and benefit from these skills, parents are enthusiastically encouraged to attend classes with their students.
While Ms. B. edits and offers points for each
assignment, parents are responsible for all
record keeping and cumulative course grading of
their student's work.
• TEXT: Level 1 and 2: The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale, available through
www.Amazon.com or any
bookstore, or a quality dictionary.
Level 2 must also purchase the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook (available from
www.Amazon.com ).
• Students must provide:
3-ring binder (1" minimum), 12 dividers, loose leaf paper (please avoid spiral bound notebooks), pens and
16 different colored fine tipped markers or
colored pencils: yellow, orange, red, maroon,
light pink, dark pink, light green, dark green,
teal, light blue, dark blue, light purple, dark
purple, light brown (tan), dark brown, black,
and grey (Or students may use a color printed
for printing colors from the computer. Go
to www.writingfoundations.com
to download color coding handouts and directions
for setting up dividers.)
Total Due:
$225.00 per semester
Tutor
provided manual/handouts and portfolio cover included. See above for
text to be provided by students.
Payment Options:
$225.00 due with Registration per semester - paid in full per
semester at the time of registration.
Students with some previous
writing experience. It will be extremely difficult for
inexperienced or reluctant writers.
Class Type:
One semester
Class Description:
Essays on Demand
is a one-semester class that will teach students how to write
spontaneous essays from the brain in class - on demand. This
course will meet the needs of students who have had some
previous writing experience. It will prepare students for
2 major rhetorical challenges:
1. High school, PSEO, and college classes that require on
the spot written evaluations, responses, reflections, summaries,
and opinion essays.
2. On demand tasks such as the SAT®, ACT®, and CLEP® essays
and other such standardized tests.
Essays on Demand will cover essay structure, topic
sentences, thesis statements, supportive reasoning and examples,
introductions, conclusions, critical thinking, focus,
organization, effective vocabulary, sentence variety, standard
conventions of grammar, usage and mechanics, and more.
Please note: This class is will be extremely difficult for
inexperienced or reluctant writers. Beginning writers
should enroll in Writing Foundations 1.
TEXT: Required
materials to be determined.
Total Due:
$225.00 per semester
Tutor
provided manual/handouts included. See above for
materials to be provided by students.
Payment Options:
$225.00 due with Registration per semester - paid in full per
semester at the time of registration.
Introduction to Writing Basics is
a one semester course that will offer a gentle introduction to
the basics of solid writing skills for students in grades 7 and
up. The course will cover basic sentence and paragraph
skills, drafting and revising skills, and fundamental
punctuation and grammar knowledge using principles from Writing
Foundations and the Institute for Excellence in Writing.
Weekly assignments will draw from simple factual sources for the
first 6 weeks and a number of Aesop’s fables for the remainder
of the semester. Students will have time to complete their
outlines and drafts in class, so homework will be limited to
polishing the work on computer. The class will also use
interactive games and activities to reinforce the skills and
techniques presented. There will be no journals, quizzes,
essays, or portfolio projects in this preliminary class.
Introduction to Writing Basics will give students the basic
writing skills that they need for future writing courses such as
Writing Foundations I or other composition classes.
TEXT: No text, but compilation of
handouts provided by Tutor
Students must provide:
3-ring binder (1" minimum), 8 dividers, loose leaf paper (NO spiral bound
notebooks), pens/pencils, and 16 different colored fine tipped markers/pencils
or students may use a color printer for printing colors from the computer.
Go
to www.writingfoundations.com
to download color coding handouts and directions
for setting up dividers.)
Total Due:
$225.00 per semester
Tutor
provided manual/handouts included. See above for
materials to be provided by students.
Payment Options:
$225.00 due with Registration per semester - paid in full per
semester at the time of registration.
