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February 27, 2020 By fuzati Leave a Comment

Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills

9-2

HIGH SCHOOL

Simplified Writing 1:
Strong Foundational Writing Skills

Suggested Grade Level: 9th grade

Make your writing strong & clear
with the foundations needed to
master high school writing…

Your Course Description

In this foundational course, you can gain the skills that make writing strong and clear, lacking nothing—to articulate ideas well in writing for all of high-school level work. The most important foundations of high school writing are introduced and discussed, and students learn the keys to perfecting strong sentences and paragraphs; learn nine basic forms of rhetoric; focus on linear academic writing for a purpose; practice transitions and connectives, parallelism, paraphrasing, and summary; review punctuation as it influences excellence in writing (comma, semicolon, colon, and dash use); learn how to recognize and correct common grammar struggles; understand the characteristics of an effective introduction, body, and conclusion; learn prewriting, drafting, and editing skills; and practice sculpting a piece of writing with direction, receiving specific feedback from the instructor.

Your Course Outline

Class 1: Audience, purpose, and word choice
Class 2: Perfecting strong sentence and paragraph construction
Class 3: Nine forms of rhetoric (and what they have to do with great writing)
Class 4: Linear writing for a purpose; more how-to’s for crafting strong sentences and paragraphs
Class 5: How to use transitions, connectives, and parallelism to make writing cohesive
Class 6: Punctuation and excellent writing: the comma, colon, semicolon, and dash; conquering common punctuation struggles
Class 7: Key components of an essay/paper; the introduction, body, conclusion, hook, and thesis; prewriting for success
Class 8: Drafting for success; editing and polishing your writing

Your Course Details

Total Number of Classes: Eight (8)
Prerequisites: Because courses in the program are sequential, for your student’s success, it is required that your student take the 9-1 course before enrolling in this course. If your student is unable to take the previous courses LIVE, then at a minimum, he or she can watch the recordings on Unlimited Access before taking this course. Special permission may be granted for attending this course without prerequisites, and a passing score on the Aquinas Writing Advantage Writing Assessment allows you to begin high school writing courses with this course. Please contact [email protected] for any questions on permissions.
Suggested Grade Level: 9th – 12th grade
Duration: 55 minutes
Suggested Credit: When combined with the 9-1 Course, this course is worth a full semester’s credit of writing.
Required Materials:

  • All documents are turned in as Microsoft Word documents. If you do not own Microsoft Word 2007 or a later version, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE. Please email us if you need assistance.
  • Purchase the book, Simplified Writing 101: Top Secrets for College Success, by Erin Brown Conroy
    • Buy the hard copy of the book here: http://amzn.to/2FMCose
    • OR, buy the Kindle version of the book here (Download the FREE Kindle app to easily read on your computer, tablet, or mobile device): https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp

Homework: There is an estimated one to four hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student’s ability.

How this course fits with your other High School Writing courses...

Fall Semester Spring Semester
9-1**9-2*9-39-4
10-110-2
11-12311-457
12-112-2
This is your second High School Writing course — and your second 9-Series course. Take the four courses in the 9-Series to create a full year of high school writing (9-1, 9-2, 9-2, and 9-4).
** The 9-1 and 9-2 courses are consecutive courses. To create a full semester of High School Writing, sign up for the 9-1 course when you sign up for 9-2, and look ahead/sign up to complete the series with the 9-3 and 9-4 courses.

Your Instructors

Live, Interactive Courses

During the week, multiple course sections, times, and instructors are offered for this course. Sign up for the time and the instructor that best meets your needs. Click here to see the days and instructors for the LIVE course offerings — and to sign up for a LIVE course.

Recorded, Independent-Learning Course

When you sign up for Unlimited Access and take this recorded course, your instructor is the designer and Director of Aquinas Writing Advantage, Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka author EB Conroy/Erin Brown Conroy).

Three Sign Up Options (Choose One)

1. Live, Interactive Course

Students attend a LIVE class in a virtual classroom on a specific day, at a specific time. After class (during the week), the student independently completes the coursework that includes readings, activities, and weekly quizzes. Quizzes are graded automatically by the computer for instant feedback. Written assignments are graded with feedback by the instructor. Your instructor is also available for communication outside of class via email, to help answer questions. Homework time outside of class is estimated to be two to three hours per week.

Sign up for a LIVE class here

2. Unlimited Access: Recorded, Independent-Learning Course

When you take the Recorded course, you will independently view the recorded video lesson and complete the coursework in the learning management system. Quizzes in the course are graded automatically by the computer for instant feedback. If choosing to not use Instructor Access, grading with feedback is provided by the parent; however, Instructor Access grading is available (see below). There is an estimated two to three hours of homework/coursework per week outside of watching the weekly video lecture.

When you get “Unlimited Access,” you get 24/7 access to ALL of the writing courses — AND access to 400+ middle and high school courses, in all subject areas, for only $34.97 a month.

Sign up for Unlimited Access here to get this course

3. Unlimited Access with Instructor Access Grading Services

Instructor Access is an optional service, for an additional fee, that accompanies Unlimited Access. When you sign up for one-on-one tutoring with Instructor Access, the Instructor Access instructor will grade your student’s work, and there is an estimated one to four hours per week for homework for your student outside of watching the video lecture. If you’d like Instructor Access, once you sign up for Unlimited Access, you’ll receive email instructions on how to sign up.

Sign up for Unlimited Access here to get this course

Specific Course FAQs

Is this course required? Can I skip this course?

Because the content in this program is sequential, for your student to be successful and not miss any prerequisite content, it is requested that he or she watch the videos of the previous 9-Series courses before taking this course.

Can I start the 9-2 course in the Spring Semester?

The LIVE 9-1 and 9-2 courses are held in the Fall Semester only. If you are beginning in January (or any other time of year), simply take the recorded course in Unlimited Access (with or without Instructor Access grading services).

Sign up for a LIVE class here...
Sign up for Unlimited Access here to get this recorded course…

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