Do you like writing?  Are you going to college?  Do you want to learn how to be a more EFFECTIVE writer?  Have you ever watched a video or read something about a topic that FASCINATED you?  Have you ever done a deep-dive into a subject of YOUR CHOICE by watching videos, reading Wikipedia articles, or going down a social media rabbit hole?  If you have, then this class is for you!

Ideally, before you begin this class, you have written a 5-paragraph paper, understand thesis statements, conclusion statements, and body paragraphs, and have conducted outside research.  The outside research can be falling down rabbit holes to further your understanding on a topic that interests you! 

The entire year will be split into two semesters, mirroring collegiate-level English composition classes.  Composition I consists of research papers and different argumentative style papers whereas Composition II takes the research and argumentative skills and allows you to begin analyzing literature and other texts. 

The first semester:

• Learning, reviewing, and fine-tuning MLA formatting and guidelines (including in-text citations, headers, and the works cited page)

• Learning to write at the collegiate level.  This will include eliminating first and second person pronouns in writing, limiting to-be verbs, strengthening thesis statements, and incorporating sources into your writing.  This will be done by a few smaller essays OF YOUR CHOICE that will be read and reviewed by me and a college professor.  Feedback will be provided on Google Classroom, electronically.  

• We will read articles from professionals, professors, and authors on what makes writing "effective" and how to improve your skills

• We will write persuasive research papers, argumentative research papers, and a Rogerian research paper.  For this semester, the final will be an 8–10-page research paper of your choice.

• If necessary, revisions will be allowed and accepted.  I believe the art of writing is rewriting.  For this reason, the week prior to an essay deadline, we will have mandatory peer-review workshops where students will gain feedback from one another.  This is part of the overall grade for the essays. 

The second semester:

• Reading poetry, dramas, and short stories.  Instead of summarizing, which is a good skill to have, we will begin to develop the tools of analyzing.  This will consist of many in-class discussions where we are deep diving into what we believe the author wants us to know, but may not be explicitly telling readers.

• Learning how to properly cite different literary forms in MLA format. 

• Reading brief literary criticism articles about the works we read.  Then, we will discuss as a group if we agree or disagree with the interpretation the author of the literary criticism argued.  For one assignment, the students will be expected to write their own "literary criticism" on whichever work they choose.  This will be about 2-3 pages. 

• Writing short analysis essays that will be reviewed by me and a college professor which will provide the best possible feedback. 

• If necessary, revisions will be allowed and accepted. I believe the art of writing is rewriting. For this reason, the week prior to an essay deadline, we will have mandatory peer-review workshops where students will gain feedback from one another. This is part of the overall grade for the essays.

• The final will be an 8–10-page literary analysis paper which will closely analyze a portion of either a drama, poem, or short story.  If a student is reading a book "for fun" outside of class and would like to write about that novel, I am willing to discuss this option. 

Each week in class we will have a short lecture, the students will conduct in class writing assignments that will challenge and encourage students to reinforce their analytical, argumentative, critical thinking, and literary analysis skills, group discussions, and LOTS of writing practice.  At the end of the year, the students will have the necessary tools to excel in the college composition classroom.