COMPOSITION SYLLABUS

GRADES 6, 7, 8

Please Note: A composition folder must be brought to class everyday with the current assignment and an up to date work for the process steps. Review these steps on the Web site under The Writing Process. Basically, on Tuesday of Week I, you should have a focused topic; Wednesday, a simple plan and ideas; Thursday, a more detailed plan; Friday, a rough draft. For Week II, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are used for revising. Print out a revision each day and bring to class. Thursday, proofread and finalize. Most papers will be due on Monday, so you can use the weekend for further revision and polishing. Occasionally a paper will be due on a different day due to holidays and special scheduling. Please keep a copy of this syllabus available and try to look ahead and plan for what you have to do. Writing is an extremely important part of the English curriculum. It shows what you have learned not only about how to write, but also about grammar, mechanics, and word usage.

WORK PERIOD	DUE DATE	TYPE	EXPLANATION
Aug. 29 – Sept 8	Sept. 8 Keep in mind that the top date is the actual due date. The second date is the last due date before the paper loses points. Sept. 11	Read “Why Write,” “Why People Write,” “Writing Fulfills a Purpose,” “The Vocabulary of Writing,” and “Formatting a Paper” – on the school website in Mrs. Schickler’s Information Pages – go to The Art of Writing. Write a paragraph telling what you use writing for in your life.	Use whatever techniques you know to write expressively, descriptively, or informatively, etc. Use Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week to plan and rough draft the paragraph or composition. Then revise on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Use Wednesday and Thursday to edit and finalize.
Sept. 11 - 22	Sept. 22 (Sept. 25 is the final date. After this the paper loses points.)	Write a Descriptive Essay; three to five or more paragraphs. Read “The Writing Process,” Ordering a Composition,” “Building Vocabulary,” and “Tools of the Writer.”	Three or more paragraphs describing an event, object, place or person. Use a dictionary and or thesaurus to create a mood. Keep in mind that the words you choose and the tone (attitude) you take toward your topic creates the mood.
Sept. 25 – Oct. 6	Oct. 6 Oct. 9	Write an expository (informative) essay of three to five or more paragraphs. Read “Developing Sentences” and “Developing Paragraphs.”	Three or more paragraphs that inform about a topic or explain how to do something (how to paper). Use the skills of varying sentence structure and sentence beginnings. Use “strong” verbs and specific words rather than general ones. Avoid trite expressions. Be mindful of unity and coherence. Make sure you have topic sentences, supporting sentences. Have a good introduction and a good conclusion.
Oct. 9 – Oct. 27 October 13 – bibliography cards and working Bibliography . October 20 – notecards from at least five sources (print and internet) October 27 – a simple plan, a topic outline and a detailed outline of research paper	Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 No late dates on this assignment.	Research – use the research process which you will find on the school web site in rubric form. Remember that rubrics are to guide you and help you understand what is expected of your work. Read the section in The Art of Writing on “Internet Research” Write: bibliography cards and/or a working bibliography list; coded notecards from a minimum of five sources; and 3 plans – a simple plan, a topic outline, and a detailed outline.	For the seventh and eighth grade – this will be research for your science fair project. It is important you follow the Science Fair timetable and be ready with your topic, idea for the project, and an idea for a narrowed topic. For the sixth grade, you will research your experiment experience topic. Be sure it is a narrowed topic and you have some idea of what you might want to do for your project. Mrs. Smith will make the final decisions for this.
Oct. 30 – Nov. 13 Nov. 6 - Continued research and note taking and enriched detailed outline. Nov. 13 – Rough draft of paper	Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 9 Nov. 16	Write the Science Fair Research Paper Rough Draft / or the Experiment Experience Research Rough Draft. Read about Thesis statements, introductions and conclusions. Read about Expository writing in The Art of Writing on the web papge.	Follow the timetable in your Science Fair Project booklet or set by Mrs. Smith for the sixth grade. You should have been taking notes from your sources since at least the time you narrowed the topic. Continue taking notes until Christmas at least – even if you have started your project. The more information you amass, the better prepared you will be for the judges. Don’t forget Science Fair and Experiment Experience are on Feb. 1.
Nov. 16 – Nov. 20 Revise the science research paper	Nov. 20 Nov. 23	Revisions of your research. You will continue to revise and edit until January. But you will be graded on this paper now, so do the test.	Be sure to follow all the rules of revision. Look at the order of ideas, the development of the paragraphs, the structure of sentences and all the other elements of revision and editing to ensure that the paper can be the best it can be at this point. You will have time to let it “gel” while you complete your experimenting. Then in January, you will do a final revision and set the research paper up according to the Science Fair rules with your experiment research, etc.
Contest	TBA	Knights of Columbus Essay	Topic: TBA
Nov. 27 – Dec. 8	Dec. 8 Dec. 11	Write a Persuasive Essay – three or more paragraphs for seventh and eighth grade; one or more for the sixth grade. Read about persuasive essays on the web site. Follow the hints and directions for writing a good persuasive paper.	Seventh and Eighth grade will write Letters to the Editor. Sixth grade may also use the format of a letter to the editor of the newspaper, or they may write an essay that tells about something controversial and works to convince the reader to agree with the stand that they have taken or to perform some action that shows agreement.
Dec. 11 – Dec. 22	Dec. 22 No late date!	Write a persuasive essay that has a definite call to action. Review about persuasive writing.	Find a cause that requires the reader to act in some way – strike, march, send money, etc. Be sure to have logical arguments and supports. Use powerful and loaded vocabulary.
January 1 – January 12	Jan. 12 Jan. 15	Read about personal narratives on the web site. Write a personal narrative that is at least 3 paragraphs.	Choose an event in your life that is meaningful to you and tell about it in an interesting and engaging way. Be sure to read about how to write a personal narrative and to follow the teacher’s directives. Follow the narrative diamond
Jan. 15 – Jan. 26	Jan. 26 Jan. 29	Review the information about personal narratives. Write a personal narrative that reads like a story.	Use the magic of three and the concept of expanded climaxes to create an exciting PN. Personal narratives are about events that really occurred but they can be worded in ways to make them exciting.
Jan. 29 – Feb. 9	Feb. 9 Feb. 12	Write your autobiography focusing on the events that have made you who you are today. Read an autobiography or part of one to use as a model for your own..	Autobiographies are written to share experiences that are meaningful to the author but will also help inspire other people. What about your life might inspire others to see you in a new way or inspire them to try harder with their own lives?.
Feb. 12 – March 2	Mar. 2 No late date.	Write a Speech for the Oratorical contest – Topic to be announced as soon as possible. Read how to write a speech from the web site.	This speech must be 4 minutes in length, so once you’ve written it, it is important to read it at normal speed and time how long the speech is. Use what you have learned about expository and persuasive writing to create a speech that will fascinate your audience.
March 5 – March 16	March 16 March 19	Write an article about one of your parents or grandparents using a biographical interview to acquire information.	The interview should pick out one or two salient points about the person and go into detail about them. Don’t get sidetracked with too much basic information. This article or essay is not be written in interview form, but should include quotes from the person and hold our attention and help us really see what the person is like.
March 19 – March 30	March 30 April 2	Write: Expository How to paper Read some How to papers to model the format.	A how to paper can cover a serious topic like how to make something where exact directions are important. Even a topic like how to build a kite, however, can be written in an entertaining fashion. Some how to papers are also written to be humorous such as “How to Buy a Camel” or “How to Eat Like a Child,” both fun examples found in the Elements of Writing books
April 2 – April 13	April 13 April 16	Write a short story – prompt may be given in class or you may choose your own plot line. Read about Writing Short Stories on the web page.	It is important that you follow the writing process and utilize your best descriptive, expository, and creative writing in telling your story. Listen carefully in class on how to write a good short story. Also remember, that it needs to be good – not necessarily long! Be sure to include dialogue, follow the narrative diamond, and include all the elements of a short story.
April 16 – April 27	April 27 April 30	Write a descriptive paragraph or essay and a descriptive poem about the same topic. Read about writing poetry on the web site.	Use your skills and knowledge of words to describe an object, a place, a person, an event, etc. After you’ve written the paragraph, write a poem using the same description. You can use whatever poetic format that you wish. Turn in both pieces.
April 30 – May 11	May 14	Write a second short story. Review short story writing on the web site.	Learn from your last short story work. Develop a plot and make sure that you use the narrative diamond and your descriptive skills to create a story that isn’t contrived (in other words, sounds realistic!).
May 14 – May 25	May 25 May 29	Write an expressive paragraph and an expressive poem on the same topic using the same description. Create for extra credit a poetry portfolio trying several different styles of poetry on the same topic. Review poetry information on the web site.	This will probably lend it self to lyrical poetry, but use the form you prefer. Turn in both pieces! The portfolio can contain any type of poetry you wish. Just remember to show all different revisions you try.

Writer’s Journals will be due the first (sixth grade, second (seventh grade) and third (eighth grade) Wednesday of every month. You must write a full page five days a week. Extra credit will be given to those who write everyday. Your journal can be written as a response to things you see or read or hear. It can be used to create short stories, poems, essays, etc. It can be a place to experiment with different techniques and styles of writing (letters to the editor, songs, non fiction, drama, etc.) It is not a place for drawing, unless the drawing is something you are going to write a full page response or explanation about.

Remember, the process and the presentation are important parts of the grade – not just the final paper. You may be a genius in creativity, but you must learn the process of writing and the techniques of presentation.

Use the web site and the information about writing using the process to help you with each paper. You have sufficient time to revise and make every paper a work of art, so please work to your full potential. Students who do not use the process will receive at least one grade lower than the paper is graded. Students who do not revise will also be marked lower. Remember that reprinting is NOT revising. Neither is correcting spelling and punctuation. These are part of the proofreading step. Make changes in sentence structure, add more information to make your communication clearer, take things out that are redundant (repetitious) or unnecessary, reword the vocabulary for exactness. These are ways to revise!