COMPOSITION AND Research I & II Syllabus
General Objects: To prepare students for college writing requirements by reviewing and reinforcing the
fundamentals of good sentence structure, introducing the terminology used to discuss student writing, and
writing essays typical of a college writing class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Failure to meet these requirements will result in an “F” in this course. Late penalties
of one letter grade for each day late up to five days applies. After five days, essays are accepted as completion
credit only if that meet the standards of the assignment.
1. All essays assigned from the list of Common Patterns of Development.
2. All tests and final exams
Other Requirements: Failure to meet these other requirements will result in zeroes used to determine your
final average. In addition, habitual failure to complete course work will result in one percent off of your final
quarter average for each skipped assignment. Late penalties of one letter grade for each day late up to five days
applies. After five days, essays are accepted as completion credit only if that meet the standards of the
assignment.
1. Read daily assignments in Composition Research I & II: A Model Approach and other handout
essays.
2. Do all assigned problems and exercises.
3. Take part in class discussions and critic sessions.
4. Do all additional themes and writing assignments.
GRADES: A point system is used for all assignments and activities.
1. Quizzes and homework are generally 10 points. (Note: Not all homework is graded)
2. Major tests equal 100 points.
3. Minor essays rate 100 points.
4. Major essay are worth 200 points and are course requirements.
5. Participation and time on task grades are generally 10 points assigned as needed.
Final grades will be determined according to school guidelines, including the method for figuring final grades as
described in your student handbook under “Arcanum-Butler School District Grading Scale.”
Text: Composition and Research I & II: A Model Approach
FIRST NINE WEEKS by Units with I Can statements:
Unit 1: Issues of sentence structure and grammatical forms.
I can… recognize basic sentence patterns and elements.
use my understanding of these patterns to expand and vary sentence patterns,
to write more logical, effective sentences, to create active rather than passive
sentences, to maintain parallel structure, to maintain effective word order, to position
modifiers for greatest effect, to make comparatives more emphatic.
Unit 2 and 3: Creating Purposeful Writing
I can… use the writing process to create essays that are consistent with the rules of effective
scholarly writing and creative enough to reflect originality.
Unit 4, Unit 5, and Unit 6: The Common Patterns of Development
I can… Apply the writing process with the common pattern of development typical of the
following scholarly essays: ILLUSTRATION, COMPARE/CONTRAST, CLASSIFICATION.
Unit 7: Diction
I can … make appropriate word choices when it comes to word affectiveness, approporiateness,
distance, specificity, imagery, and standards
SECOND NINE WEEKS by Units with I can… statements:
Unit 8: Issues of sentence structure and grammatical forms.
I can… write using conciseness
eliminate instances of sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, and errors
in subject/verb agreement.
establish the best use of verb tense, adjectives and adverbs,
know when slang, colloquialisms, and jargon are appropriate and inappropriate.
Unit 9, Unit 10, Unit 11 The Common Patterns of Development
I can… Apply the writing process with the common pattern of development typical of the
following scholarly essays: PROCESS, DEFINITION, PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
THIRD NINE WEEKS by Units with I can…statements:
I can… apply strategies of sentence and paragraph patterns of development for emphatic
effectiveness.
use the writing process to plan and then to write papers requiring the collection and
use of research for the purpose of persuasion.
use the writing process to plan and then to write a research paper requiring the
collection and use of research for the purpose writing a research paper based on a
current trend.
FOURTH NINE WEEKS by Units and I can … statements
I can… make decisions on appropriate tone and style in the writing of others and in my own
works.
I can… critically analyze different genre of literature for the purpose of writing critical analysis
essays based on conclusions based on logically supported evidence.
I can… improve my writing skills by making educated choices in the use of support, transitions.
show and tell, title selection, voice, audience, and gender bias.
Plagiarism sometimes becomes an issue in a class like this. Be aware that any use of materials or ideas
that are not your own is regarded as cheating. The penalties for plagiarism range from zeroes assigned
for the assignment which could result in failure of this course. Other more serious penalties include
detentions and suspensions. The punishments make plagiarism not worth the risk. Do your own work.
Refer to the student handbook for Arcanum’s policy on plagiarism and study the mini-lesson on
plagiarism found in your textbook on page 124.
PLAGIARISM ON A MAJOR ESSAY OF THIS CLASS WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE IF NOT
CORRECTED. IT IS UP TO YOU TO SHOW THAT YOU HAVE NOT PLAGIARIZED BY KEEPING ALL PARTS OF
YOUR WRITING PROCESS AND COPIES OF ANY RESEARCH THAT YOU MAY HAVE DONE.