Writing Lab

So many subjects, so little time! If this feeling has led to your 5th-8th grader receiving less direct writing instruction than you had intended, this writing course is worth considering. Similarly, if your student's writing assignments come from literature, history, science or other content subjects areas, but the quality of writing is stagnant, consider this writing course to help your student grow as a writer and a thinker while continuing to write primarily for those subject areas.

Rather than assigning unique lengthy writing assignments, this writing lab aims to make use of students’ upcoming or recently written assignments. Using those existing assignments, the students will develop skills in proofreading, editing, and revising. Students will learn to conform to MLA formatting conventions. They will also be instructed in specific stylistic elements to apply during their revisions.

Although essay organization is not a current aim of this lab, if illogical organization is discovered to be a common struggle for the majority of students, the instructor will provide organizational templates for students and may consider revising the course map mid term to address organization on a deeper level.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT supplementary tutoring for any Writing and Rhetoric class.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
Binder with at least 3 dividers

Amy Morgan, Scholé Academy’s Writing & Rhetoric Department chair, earned her BA in liberal arts at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and continued her education with an MA in TESOL/applied linguistics at Indiana University in Bloomington. For over 18 years, Amy has taught English to speakers of other languages in the university, community, and private tutoring contexts. Additionally, Amy educated her own two children at home in grades PreK–8. When Amy’s not teaching, you might find her serving families who care for children in vulnerable circumstances, hosting international guests, reading aloud with her family or smiling at the antics of her backyard chickens. [email protected]

Quarter 3

Introduce journal uses, mechanics & proofreading tool/s
Whole class & Individual Proofreading
Grammar correction & sentence variety
Confirmation & Refutation arguments
Vivid & Specific word choice, formal tone

Quarter 4

Deepening support for arguments
Textual/testimonial support, MLA formatting
Biographical writing with vituperative or eulogizing elements
Rhetorical devices such as: hyperbole & parallel structures, analogies
Comparison writing
Speech delivery

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

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First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.

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Please take careful note of our teaching philosophy, our technology requirements, our school policies, the parent agreement, and the distinctions between our grade levels.

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Make sure they don't conflict with other activities in your schedule or other courses you are purchasing. Our system will not catch double-bookings!

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Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.

This registration will be finalized when the student's placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.