Students with some academic writing experience
Advanced
One-on-one and small group (Max. 7 students/class)
📝 Study argumentative essays, persuasive writing, and rhetorical analysis
📚 Master core skills such as paragraphs, arguments, and citations
✍️ Complete 3 short writing assignments
📊 Research design & methodology
🧠 Develop advanced academic research and critical reading skills
🗂 Train in writing research projects and overall structural planning
Class Introduction
In this academic writing course, students will learn how to research and write advanced argumentative essays that engage with multiple perspectives on complex, debatable topics. Students will be taught how to craft research questions, locate credible scholarly sources, evaluate author credibility, and analyze the strength of different arguments. Throughout the course, students will develop a research-based argumentative essay that presents both sides of a debate while ultimately taking a clear, well-supported position. In addition, students will receive continued instruction on properly integrating quotations, paraphrases, and summaries into their writing, as well as refining their in-text citations and references pages. Each lesson will also include targeted editing and revision strategies to strengthen their writing. By the end of the course, students will complete a polished 1,500–1,750 word argumentative research paper.
Outcome
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- Craft complex, debatable research questions suitable for argumentative writing.
- Narrow broad topics into focused, researchable issues.
- Locate and gather credible secondary sources from scholarly databases and research tools.
- Evaluate the credibility, bias, and expertise of authors.
- Analyze arguments within sources, identifying claims, evidence, and reasoning.
- Map out multiple sides of a debate using graphic organizers.
- Weigh competing arguments and assess the strength of evidence.
- Develop complex thesis statements that address both sides of an issue while taking a clear position.
- Organize research-based essays using balanced argumentative structures.
- Integrate quotations, paraphrases, and summaries smoothly into body paragraphs.
- Apply correct in-text citation formatting (MLA or APA) to avoid plagiarism.
- Construct polished works cited or reference pages using proper formatting guidelines.
- Write effective introductions that engage the reader and clearly establish the research question.
- Compose strong conclusions that reflect nuanced thinking and acknowledge complexity.
- Revise and edit their work for clarity, coherence, grammar, and academic tone.
Class Schedule
| Lesson | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Research-Based Argument Writing; |
| 2 | Refine Focus and Research |
| 3 | Evaluate Information |
| 4 | Explore Multiple Perspectives |
| 5 | Essay Planning |
| 6 | Body Paragraph Development |
| 7 | Build Strong Arguments |
| 8 | Write the Full Draft |
| 9 | Editing and Revising |
| 10 | Review of Revised Essays |
Feedback
Students and their parents will receive brief feedback after each class regarding the student’s general participation in class. Students will also receive feedback on graded assignments via email.
