WRITING FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS
INSTRUCTOR:
Ms. Cheryl Rosenbaum
Email- rosenbac@highlands.k12.fl.us
Website- http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~rosenbac/
PURPOSE OF COURSE: This class prepares students for entry level College English. Major
topics include writing effective sentences, using patterns of paragraph development, solving
common sentence problems, reading essays, writing essays, and understanding basic grammar
and mechanics.
GRADES: In general, grades for each unit will be done in a point system and calculated as
followed: a grammar and vocabulary packet (worth 50 points), computer lab assignments (worth
10 points), group assignments (worth 25 points), essays and projects (worth 75 points), quizzes
(worth 50 points), journals (worth 10 points) and tests (worth 100 points). The final exam will
each be 20% of a student’s final nine weeks grade.
JOURNALS: You have a journal due at the end of every unit for this class by 11:59 pm. (Please
see your addendum to this syllabus to find journal due dates.) Your journal should be submitted
directly to www.turnitin.com, so you will not need to print it out. Each journal should be
between 250-500 words. (You may write on as many topics or as few topics as you wish to
reach your word limit; journal topics are listed toward the end of the syllabus.) Your class id and
password for www.turnitin.com is as followed:
Class id: 4693208
Password: awesome
COURSE OUTLINE:
Unit One: Focus on Paragraph Structure
-Go over course rules/syllabus/honor policy/parent letter
-Measure reading rate
-Writing Focus: In Wadsworth, read chapter on paragraphing and do exercises
-Punctuation Focus: Commas, Apostrophes (p. 263-266, p. 277-278)
-Vocabulary Focus: Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes (p. 293-296)
-Computer Lab Focus: www.collegeboard.com –Junior Action Plan or Senior Action
Plan
-Read excerpts from The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra
Robbins, do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #1
Unit Two: Focus on Writing Illustrative/Exemplification Essays
-Writing Focus: Read excerpt from The Last Lecture and write your own essay giving
advice.
-Punctuation Focus: Colons, Semicolons, Dashes, Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation
Points (p. 243-248; p. 267-268)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Mythology (1), Social Sciences, From Sunny Spain,
Time on Our Hands, Short but Challenging
-Computer Lab Focus: www.actstudent.org
- Read additional excerpts from The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by
Alexandra Robbins, do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #2
Unit Three: Focus on SAT and ACT Writing (and writing under Timed Pressure)
-Writing Focus: Go over format for SAT and ACT writing; student will complete sample
essay question on SAT and ACT
-Grammar Focus: Subject and verb agreement (p. 155-158; p. 163-164; p. 169-170)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Medical Science, Animal World, Numbers, Legal
Language, Appearances and Attitudes (2)
-Computer Lab Focus: Vocabulary Building
-Read excerpt from Triple Your Reading Speed by Wade E. Cutler, do questions,
activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #3
Unit Four: Focus on Comparison/Contrast Writing
-Writing Focus: Read chapter on Comparison/Contrast writing in Patterns for College
Writing; read examples of comparison/contrast; write a comparison/contrast essay
-Grammar Focus: Verb forms; Pronoun forms and cases (p. 145-148; p. 183-186; p. 191)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Mystery and the Occult, Size and Shape (1), with Tales
Attached, Of Loves and Fears and Hates, Science
-Computer Lab Focus: Test Anxiety
-Read “Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s…Supermom!” by Amanda
Robb, do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #4
Unit Five: Focus on Classification/Division Writing
-Writing Focus: Read chapter on classification/division writing in Patterns for College
Writing; read examples of classification/division; write a classification/division essay
-Grammar Focus: Comparative and superlative modifiers, Idioms (p. 61-62; p. 195-198)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Appearances and Attitudes (3), Legal Language (2),
Foreign Terms (1), French, Crossword Puzzles
-Computer Lab Focus: Choosing four colleges that are right for you
-Read excerpt from Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger, do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #5
Unit Six: Focus on Argument Essays
-Writing Focus: Read chapter on argument writing in Patterns for College Writing; read
examples of argument essays; write an argument essay
-Grammar Focus: Use of subordinate and dependent clauses (p. 101-108)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Mythology (2), Appearances and Attitudes (4), Foreign
Terms (2), Appearances and Attiudes (5), Size and Shape (2)
-Computer Lab Focus: Downloading and completing four college applications
-Read excerpt from They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #6
Unit Seven: Focus on Fiction Analysis Essays
-Writing Focus: Read chapter in Literature on Fiction Analysis Writing and write an
analysis of a short story
-Grammar Focus: Errors to avoid in sentence structure, such as run-ons, comma splices,
fragments, misplace modifiers, shifts in verb tense or voice, shifts in pronouns (p. 109114; p. 117-188)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Language, Speech, History and Government (1),
Travel, Foods and Taste
-Computer Lab Focus: Scholarships (go to www.fafsa.ed.gov)
-Read excerpt from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, do
questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #7
Unit Eight: Focus on Poem Analysis Essays
-Writing Focus: Read chapters in Literature on Poem Analysis and Drama Analysis
writing and write an analysis of a poem and/or drama
-Grammar Focus: Understanding writing strategies (p. 311-314)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Fun and Frolic, History and Government (2), Legal
Language (3), Philosophy and Logic, Beliefs and Religion
-Computer Lab Focus: Now That You’re Accepted—Financial Mistakes to Avoid as a
College Student; Planning Your Future Beyond College
-Read excerpt from Everything’s An Argument by Andrea A. Winsford and John J.
Ruszkiewicz and from Suze Orman’s The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous,
and Broke; do questions, activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #8
Unit Nine: Research Writing
-Writing Focus: Read chapters in Wadsworth on research writing; write a short research
paper on a Florida Social Issue
-Grammar Focus: Understanding organization and style in writing (p. 316-317 exercise
2; p. 325-327)
-Vocabulary Focus: Words from Proper Names, Appearances and Attitudes, Words
about Groups, Sounds Italian
-Computer Lab Focus: How to Succeed on the CPT (College Placement Test)
-Read “School” by Kyoko Mori (found in The Language of Composition), do questions,
activity, discuss
-Critical Skills Quiz #9
Note: This course outline reflects the tentative schedule to be followed. The outline may change
to suit the needs of the students. Of course, the outline might also change to include additional
readings, essays, tests, quizzes, or homework.
JOURNAL TOPICS:
1. Describe your first brush with danger.
2. Tell the story of a job interview that goes badly. (The more your character wants the job, the better the story will
be.)
3. According to officials at Graceland, Elvis Presley receives an estimated one hundred valentines every year.
Write a story about one.
4. Write an argument between two characters that begins in the middle of the argument.
5. Imagine that you could wake up tomorrow in someone else’s body. Whose would it be? How would your life
change? What are some of the first things you’d do?
6. Write about a near-death experience.
7. Write a story about the 1980s (or any other time period in the past). Use as many period elements as you can.
8. Since 1980, more than fifty forgeries have been discovered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Write about one
of them.
9. Write about the biggest secret you failed to keep.
10. Write a story set in the kitchen of a fast-food restaurant.
11. According to the National Coffee Association, there are more than 300,000 Americans who drink more than ten
cups of coffee a day. Describe one of them.
12. Chronicle the longest amount of time you’ve ever gone without sleeping.
13. Write about your first artistic expression.
14. Describe the most disappointing gift you have ever received. What did the gift reveal about the giver?
15. Describe the worst driver you have ever known.
16. Think of a person you don’t like, and describe what you might say if you had to share an elevator ride together
with this person. Then describe what happens when the elevator breaks down. For six hours.
17. Tell a story that begins with the discovery of a ransom note.
18. Write a story in the form of a political apology.
19. Describe the worst time you ever put your foot in your mouth.
20. Seventeen percent of Americans claim they have seen a ghost. Describe one of their encounter, or one of your
own.
21. Describe the youngest baby you ever felt, and how he or she felt in your arms.
22. Write about a time you’ve been lost.
23. Write about a beauty pageant without using stereotypes.
24. Describe the worst date of your life.
25. By the early 1990s more than 30,000 Americans held reservations from Pan-Am airlines for a trip to the moon.
Write about one of these people.
26. Set a small mirror beside your desk and write about your reflection. Describe how you might be perceived by a
stranger passing you on the street—what assumptions might he or she make about you, based on your appearance?
27. Describe the largest crowd you’ve ever been a part of.
28. Write a story that begins with the words, “Why didn’t you call me?”
29. Tell a story in the form of a prayer.
30. More than 10 million prescription medications are filled incorrectly every year. Write about one of them.
31. If you were going to be marooned on a tropical island with one person, who would you want it to be? Write
scenes that take place five hours after the shipwreck, five weeks after the shipwreck, and five years after the
shipwreck.
32. Describe the last time you were physically involved in a fight.
33. Begin a story with a character who has lost something important to them.
34. Invent a character who has won 76 million dollars in the Florida State Lottery. What is the first thing he or she
buys? How much is given to charity? How long before an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend re-enters their lives?
35. Describe the most boring event you have ever suffered through.
36. Write from the point-of-view of someone who committed murder today. Do not mention the murder.
37. Write about the first time you defied your parents.
38. Tell the story of how your parents became engaged.
39. Write about your worst habit.
40. Create a character who is trying to gain access to a club or organization.
41. Create a character who is falsely accused of a crime.
42. Update a classic fairy tale for readers of the 21 st century.
43. Write about the black sheep in your family. What is your opinion of him or her?
44. How well do you respond to criticism?
45. Describe your most embarrassing experience.
46. Trace the journey of a five dollar bill through the lives of five different owners. What was exchanged during
the transactions? How much (or how little) did these transactions mean to each of the people involved?
47. Tell the story about “the one who got away.”
48. Write about a physical trait you would have loved to have changed in middle school.
49. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, more than 100 people have registered on a waiting list to
see an execution. Write about one of them.
50. Describe a time when you pretended to be someone you are not.
51. Describe the biggest risk you have ever taken.
52. Write a story that begins, “The last time I saw my mother was fifteen years ago…”
53. Write a story that begins, “Three days passed before they found the body…”
54. Write about the worst driving you’ve ever done.
55. Thirty-four percent of new American school teachers say they plan to quit their profession within their first five
years. Write about one of them.
56. Invent a character that must choose between the lesser of two evils.
57. Write a love story in MySpace. Have the story consist entirely of alternating messages.
58. Describe a time you’ve settled an argument between two friends.
59. Write about a library or bookstore that has a special significance to you. What authors did you discover there?
60. Invent a character whose life is governed by Murphy’s Law (that is, anything that can go wrong will go wrong).
61. Write a story about a phone call that begins at three o’clock in the morning?
62. Write about the worst lie you ever told someone? Did they find out? What was the result?
63. Write from the point of view of a character on his or her deathbed.
64. Write about your favorite childhood toy.
65. Write about a character that is granted three wishes.
66. Write about a victim of “year-end fiscal cutbacks and corporate downsizing.”
67. Write about a wedding in which the bride or groom changes their mind.
68. Tell a story in the form of a love letter.
69. Tell a story that centers around a recipe.
70. Describe an encounter with a celebrity.
71. Write about the most serious injury or illness you have ever faced.
72. Invent a character that sees a phone number on the wall of a bathroom. Describe what happens when he or she
dials the number.
73. Describe the most meaningful gift you have ever received. What does it reveal about your relationship to the
giver?
74. Describe your favorite experience with Mother Nature.
75. Describe the secret life of a school bus driver.
76. More than 25,000 Americans seek help each year with gambling addiction. Write about one of them.
77. Describe your favorite family holiday, and explain what made it so special for you.
78. Describe a bad hair day.
79. According to the Gallup Organization, more than one million American dogs have been named as beneficiaries
in a will. Write about one of their owners.
80. Write about your earliest childhood memory.
81. There are approximately 3500 members of the International Flat Earth Society (people who insist the Earth is
flat). Write about one of them.
82. Write about the most important event you have ever been late to.
83. Tell the story behind your nickname or the most unusual nickname you have ever heard.
84. Write about your greatest childhood fear.
85. If you could script the plot for the dream you will have tonight, what would it be?
86. Write a dialogue between a radio talk show host and a troubled caller.
87. Every year, more than four hundred Americans are injured or killed by lightning. Write about one of them.
88. Write about a childhood experience that made you cry.
89. Write about the most difficult phone call you’ve ever had to make.
90. Write about a dream or goal you failed to achieve. What went wrong? How did this experience change you?
91. Check the horoscope in today’s newspaper, and use any of the twelve forecasts as a basis for a character.
92. Describe the unhealthiest meal you’ve ever eaten, and how you felt after eating it.
93. Write a description of your dream automobile.
94. Write a story that begins with an explosion.
95. If you won the Texas lottery, what would you do?
96. Why do you think some people don't exercise their right to vote?
97. What is your favorite Disney character or movie and why is it your favorite?
98. My full name and how it was decided on
99. I am the one who....
100. First Grade Memories
101. In the left corner, behind the filing cabinet.....
102. The Holiday I Wish We Had
103. Summer Memories
104. My Dad
105. My Mom
106. My Grandma
107. My Grandpa
108. If I was President of the United States...
109. Bugs
110. In 20 Years I'd Like to Be....
111. It was so funny when...
112. Good things about me
113. When I get to college, I will....
114. The best book I ever read...
115. I'm thankful for...
116. My hero
117. I wish I was there when....
118. What My Best Friend and I Have in Common
119. Something people usually don't notice about me is...
120. You are a small animal at a historical event. Tell what is happening.
121. Write an alphabet journal entry 26 sentences long, with each sentence starting with the alphabet letter as it
appears in sequence.
122. Make a list of all the words that are related to or describe heat. Write a story about Florida in the summer using
these words.
123. Write about places you have never been to, but want to go to.
124. Write about people you don't know, but would like to know.
125. Write about things you have never done, but would like to do (conduct an orchestra, etc.)
126. What if our school classes only went until noon each day?
127. I Did Something Really Nice
128. Observe at least 5 things you see happen on your way home from school. Write about them.
129. What does a classroom sound like?
130. What is a typical day in the school cafeteria?
131. Write about a perfect day.
132. What I Would Change About My School
133. What I Would Change About My World
134. Where Would I Go in a Time Machine
135. Give advice to a new student who will start school at SHS next year
136. I'll never forget the day ______(teacher's name) did __________
137. Some of the richest times in your life can come from your quiet thinking and/or praying alone time. Discuss
these times in your life.
138. Review the last movie you saw.
139. Describe the BEST ice cream and tell why you feel that way
140. What is an experience you would hate to repeat?
141. What is the ideal age to be? Why?
142. Do you accept yourself as you are, or would you like to be someone else?
143. Answer this question," Have I in any way done something that has hurt my parents?"
144. "How I think will determine how I live." Do you agree or disagree? Explain
145. Describe a summer thunderstorm
146. Describe the plight of an animal caught in a forest fire.
147. Tell abut a ride on the most exciting amusement park ride you have ever ridden.
148. Write about an Old West shoot-out in the streets of a western town
149. How might an astronaut feel that discovers that he/she will have to return to earth early because of a rocket
malfunction?
150. Describe the actions of a person who has just hit his or her thumb with a hammer
151. Describe the feeling of being chased in a dream
152. Tell about the moment when a person realizes that he or she has forgotten to do a major assignment that is due
today.
153. Describe the actions of an athlete in the final moments of a close contest when he or she makes a winning (or
losing) shot, play, move, or effort.
154. It isn't fair....
155. Write about some compliments people have given you
156. Write about some compliments you have given others recently.
157. Create a menu from a fictitious restaurant and describe the entrees.
158. The dispute over comic books. Are they good or bad?
159. Should grocery stores continue to throw away good food each day?
160. Do you get enough sleep? How or why not?
161. A horrible babysitting experience was when…
162. What one non-living item would you take from your house if it caught on fire?
163. You’ve landed on another planet. Tell the inhabitants all about earth.
164. If you were your teacher, how would you treat you?
165. What if your teacher fell asleep in class.
166. How would you think your parents’ view would change if they walked in your shoes for a week?
167. List 25 uses for a toothbrush.
168. Assume you are the last person on Earth and you have been granted one wish. What would it be?
169. Imagine a world that contained no written language. What would be different?
170. If you could step back in time to re-live one day, what would you do differently?
171. Imagine you are 25 years old. How will you describe yourself as you are today?
172. Imagine you had a hundred dollars, but you couldn't keep it. You had to give it away to a person or charity.
Who would you give it to? What would you want them to do with it?
173. Describe one time when you were brave.
174. If you could cook any meal for your family, what would you cook? Describe the meal and tell how you would
make it.
175. Describe your favorite character from a book, a movie, or television.
176. If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be? Describe the pet and how you would take care of it.
177. Do you have any brothers or sisters? If you do, tell what they're like. If not, tell whether or not you would like
to have a brother or sister.
178. If you could have lunch with any famous person who would it be? What would you talk about with this person?
179. Describe the oldest person you know.
180. Describe the youngest person you know.
181. Do you think a monkey would make a good pet? Explain why or why not.
182. How old were you four years ago? Describe some things you can do now that you could not do then.
183. Imagine you worked at a football stadium. What would your job be? (examples: quarterback, cheerleader,
coach, referee, ticket seller) Describe what you would do while you were on the job.
184. What do you like best about your home?
185. If you could be on any game show, what would it be? Describe what happens when you're on the show.
186. Describe your favorite season (fall, spring, summer, or winter). Tell what kinds of things you like to do during
that season.
187. If you could spend an afternoon with one member of your extended family, who would it be? Tell why you
chose this person and tell what you do together.
188. Which superpower would you most like to have-- invisibility, super strength, or the ability to fly? Describe
what kids of things you would do with your powers.
189. Think of a time when you've won something. Tell what you won and how you won it.
190. Invent a new kind of sandwich. Describe what is on it and how you would make it.
191. Describe one thing you're really good at.
192. Imagine you were twenty feet tall. Describe what life would be like.
193. Take out a photo album or magazine. Find the 14 th photo (counting any way you like) and write the story of
that photo.
194. Find a poem that you like. Make the last line of that poem the first line of your poem.
195. Make a list of 40 things that have happened to you this month.
196. Write a story about someone you know who is weird.
197. Where do you go when you want to get away from the pressures of life?
198. Rewrite “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” from the perspective of one of the dwarfs.
199. Imagine your life is now a book. Write a blurb for the back cover.
200. Write about the easiest decision you ever had to make.
201. Write an excuse for not working today.
202. Use the following words in a story: hypocrite, cookie jar, telephone, city, onomatopoeia
203. List fifteen simple pleasures. Pick one and write about it.
204. Begin a story with “I wish someone had told me…”
205. List 50 things you’d never do.
206. Write a pure dialogue story. No narration, no description, just dialogue.
207. Write a story 200 years from now about a day in the life of a window washer.
208. Write a feature story about the following: Giant Flies Invade Norway!
209. Write a story about a beggar who loves to hear himself sing.
Bibliography:
Topics 1-94 are from The Writer’s Block by Jason Rehkulak
Topics 95-161 are from http://www.angelfire.com/ok/freshenglish/250journaltopics.html
Topics 162-171 are from http://712educators.about.com/cs/writingresources/l/bljrnlspec.htm
Topics 172-192 are from http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/journal-prompts.html
Topics 192-209 are from http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
1. You will be expected to be WELL PREPARED FOR AND TAKE AN ACTIVE
ROLE in class sessions. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, ASK! It is
preferable that you speak up and are wrong than for you not to speak at all. You will need to
have all reading and work done at the assigned time or else.
2. Late work is not accepted.
3. Make-up work is your responsibility. When you return from an EXCUSED absence
look at the lesson plan book for the days you missed. Then speak to either of us about making
up the work. If you do not to either of us, we will simply assume you want a 0 for the
assignment we did the day you were absent. We will not remind you if you need to make-up a
test or quiz. You need to get your make-up work into us in a reasonable amount of time. For
example, if you were absent on Monday, get your make-up assignment on Tuesday, and turn it in
on Wednesday. You also need to keep in mind if you are absent on a Friday, you need to be
aware that you will have a different teacher on a Monday. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT
WEEK TO MAKE UP AN ASSIGNMENT!
4. If a student knows ahead of time that he or she will be absent on a day when an
assignment is due (for example, a pre-arranged absence or field trip), it is the student’s
responsibility to turn in the assignment prior to the due date, or send the assignment to the
teacher with another student or a parent. Any work may be taken to the school’s office
and put in the teacher’s mailbox.
If a student misses class the day an assignment is due but is on campus at any time
during that day (for example, missing part of the day due to a half-day field trip), the
student is responsible for bringing the assignment to the teacher or getting it to the teacher.
Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0.
RULES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Follow directions first time given.
Be prepared: in seat, on time, with materials.
Show respect for the rights, property, and feelings of others.
Stay on task.
Speak only at appropriate times.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
1st time--Warning
2nd time--One detention
3rd time--Two detentions and parental contact
4th time--Referral to office
Severe Clause--Immediate Referral to office
REWARDS
-Verbal praise
-Written praise
-Stickers
GRADING SCALE
90-100= A
80-89= B
70-79= C
60-69= D
0-59= F
ASSISTANCE
If at any time you need help, please feel free to make an appointment to speak with or e-mail me.
Due Dates for Journals:
Journal #1- February 3 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #2- February 15 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #3- March 2 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #4- March 23 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #5- April 4 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #6- April 19 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #7- May 3 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #8- May 17 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Journal #9- May 30 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Computer Lab Time to Work on Journals/Other Writing Activities:
Wednesday, February 1
Monday, February 13
Wednesday, February 29
Wednesday, March 21
Monday, April 2
Tuesday, April 17
Tuesday, May 1
Tuesday, May 15
Friday, May 25
Due Dates for Assignments for Each Unit:
Unit #1- February 3
Unit #2- February 15
Unit #3- March 2
Unit #4- March 23
Unit #5- April 4
Unit #6- April 19
Unit #7- May 3
Unit #8- May 17
Unit #9- May 30