Students who want to improve on their academic writing skills
Grades 8-10
One-on-one and small group (Max. 7 students/class)
Class Introduction
In this academic writing class, students will learn how to write persuasive, argumentative, and rhetorical analysis essays. Students will also be taught the purpose of citations and how to cite and quote sources effectively in their writing. Each lesson will also feature editing advice for students. Lessons 1-3 will feature instruction on persuasive essays, then lessons 4-6 will feature instruction on argumentative essays, then lessons 7-9 will feature instruction on rhetorical analysis essays, with the final lesson featuring instruction and review of all three essay types. Throughout the program, students will write 3 persuasive essays, 3 argumentative essays, and 3 rhetorical analysis essays.
In addition to our monthly regular sessions, in the summer, we also offer a 2-weeks long Academic Writing Intensive Course.
Outcome
After completing the course, students will:
- Understand how to assess the rhetorical situation of other speakers and writers and how to assess their own rhetorical situation for a writing assignment.
- Understand the purpose of thesis statements in academic essays and be able to craft their own thesis statements.
- Be able to craft effective claims and body paragraphs in persuasive, argumentative, and rhetorical analysis essays.
- Understand how to use personal anecdotes as evidence.
- Be able to make concessions and refutations in their writing.
- Understand how to handle counter-arguments in their writing.
- Be able to craft effective conclusions in their writing.
- Be able to introduce the arguments of other sources into their writing as evidence backing up their claims.
- Understand how to format citations in-text and on a Works Cited page.
- Be able to read and analyze arguments to understand the claims writers are making and the evidence they are using to support their claims.
- Understand the three Aristotelian rhetorical appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) and other rhetorical strategies.
- Understand how to use SOAPSTone to help them analyze another speaker’s rhetorical situation (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone).
- Be able to smoothly integrate quotes and paraphrases from other writers in their essays.
- Understand the weaknesses of certain rhetorical strategies.
- Understand how to avoid common citation and grammar mistakes
Class Content
Texts:
- There is no required textbook for this course. The arguments students read and analyze in class and for homework will be provided by the instructor and will be from famous commencement speeches and presidential speeches as well as from news articles, letters, and essays.
Topics include from rhetorical situation to argumentative essay, from persuasive essay to writing and editing, etc.
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 homework assignments via email.
Schedule
Regular Course: 10 group classes, 1.5 hours each, 15 hours in total
Intensive Course: 6 group classes, 2 hours each, 12 hours in total
Need to prepare?
To best prepare for this program, we recommend reading:
