Writing for the College Bound Fall 2012
Ms. Carol Spring
cspring@usd497.org
Primary Goals
Be able to write coherent, logical and well-argued essays across the curriculum at the
college level
Dissect successfully written pieces by numerous authors from a variety of sources
Defend one’s point-of-view by utilizing several types of appeals
Construct well-crafted three-prong thesis statement
Increase variety of sentence structure
Build more sophisticated word choice
Process
Practice, practice, practice!
In-class writing
Reading and responding to essays, non-fiction, magazine articles and other sources
Regular vocabulary practice, including both Greek roots and words from Hot Words for the
SAT/ACT
Locating effective sentences from media and other written work, and defending/explaining those
sentences in class
Product
Weekly vocabulary work
Review and revision of written work
Reading and responding to assigned pieces from a variety of sources
Minimum of three full-length essays
Timed in-class written work from a variety of prompts
Schedule
August 16-17
Introduction to course; “Time Capsule” narrative writing piece due Monday, Aug. 20
August 20-31
SAT/ACT vocabulary lists 1 and 2 with quizzes on Aug.24 and 31; revision of
“Time Capsule” assignment; introduction of Forbidden Word Wall
September 5-7
Peer evaluations; sentence structure review and check; Forbidden Words check;
Final revision of “Time Capsule” due Sept. 7 at end of class NO LATE PAPERS!
September 10-21
SAT/ACT vocabulary lists 3 and 4 with quizzes Sept. 14 and 21; “Cinderella’s Stepsisters”
by Toni Morrison; identifying effective sentence structure; knowing your audience; using
vocabulary to strengthen your appeal
September 24-28
Persuasive appeals that work; advertising study; persuasive paragraph writing; capturing the
“sound bite”; who is your target audience?
October 1-5
Commercial Week: convincing your audience that they need your product or service. Groups
may utilize iPad video, Prezi, PowerPoint, video camera. Presentation in class Friday, Oct. 5th
October 8-11
Continue work on persuasive essay; peer editing; review of appropriate appeal strategies.
Persuasive essay DUE October 11th by end of class.
October 15-26
SAT/ACT list 5: using deductive reasoning as a test-taking strategy. Quiz October 26.
Humorous essay writing: how to make your point and be entertaining at the same time! Using
hyperbole in your writing, appropriate use of satire in an academic setting, and comic irony.
“Why We Strike” by Larry Doyle: how to use sarcasm without alienating one’s audience.
“Confessions of a Nature Hater” by Eugene Weinstock: satirical writing.
October 29-November 2
Creative writing and the short story: building suspense in one’s writing, gaining and keeping the
audience’s attention, show don’t tell, and learning from listening. Open mic day Friday,
November 2nd.
November 5-9
Greek Roots list 1: Quiz November 9th.
The Op-Ed Piece: stating your case in the public forum. “Teens, Nude Photos and the Law”
by Dahlia Lithwick (Newsweek); “I Have Had to Learn to Live With Peace” by Alephonism
Deng (Newsweek); “A Mixed-Race Romance” by Elizabeth Mayo (CNN).
November 12-20
Greek Roots list 2: Quiz November 16th. Op-Ed writing continued; how does a letter to the
editor differ from a full-length magazine piece? How to think like a journalist. Op-Ed Pieces
DUE November 20th by end of class. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 26-30
Greek Roots list 3: Quiz Friday, November 30th. Critical Literary Analysis unit with “The
Sociologically Examined Life” by Michael Schwalbe, “The Nuclear Winter” by Carl Sagan
and “Is There a text in This Class” by Stanley Fish: how to dissect and analyze academic
writing.
December 3-14
Greek Roots list 4: Quiz December 7th. Latin Roots list 1: Quiz December 14th.
Choose ONE of three previously studied academic essays to utilize for Critical Analysis Essay
DUE on December 14th by end of class. NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED.
December 17-20
Read and respond to Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” in preparation for in-class timed
essay for final exam. Good Luck!