Language Arts: Sentence to Paragraph (6th-8th): 2011-2012
Class: Sentence to Paragraph: Junior Level writing course from The Write Foundation
Course-length: Year
Course Track: Weekly
Teacher: Heather L. Sanders
Class Fee: $10.00 for copies/supplies for Spring Semester
Class Limit: 10; Not open for additional Spring Registrations.
Grades: 6th-8th
Description (Per “The Write Foundation” website):
“Sentence to Paragraph Writing is designed for the student who can write a basic sentence and follow directions. The student learns how to incorporate grammar into writing more descriptive sentences, while also becoming skilled at the organizational process. Creative writing is taught by the inclusion of speech and grammar.”
This class will:
- Reinforce the construction of a basic sentence
- Improve sentence structure with basic grammar and figures of speech
- Teach the organizational process of brainstorming, outlining, rough draft and editing
- Help students develop more interesting, informative sentences
- Teach steps to writing the basic paragraph
- Progress students to writing two-paragraph papers
- Involve creative poetry writing
Recommended Ages:
This class is recommended for students ages 11-14 with stipulations. After speaking with the author of this curriculum (who has taught it for over a decade and has years of experience under her belt to solidify these stipulations), I strongly recommend you read the following information before considering this class for your student.
Only a few students are ready by age 11, more by age 12, and many at age 13, but some may even need to begin at ages 14 or 15. They should be mature enough to begin learning how to organize abstract thoughts in writing at the level dealt with in Sentence to Paragraph. At this level, students write basic one and two-paragraph compositions using a variety of brainstorm techniques and outlines, while using the writing process to organize their writing.
If your student has run-on or incomplete sentences when he/she writes on his/her own, if your students hates to write, or if your student primarily writes simple sentences, they are not yet ready to begin “Sentence to Paragraph”. Becky Celsor let me know that many 11 year old boys that take Sentence to Paragraph end up taking it again the following year as 12 year olds before they can continue on to “Paragraph”. Holding them out even one year makes a huge difference.
Proper placement depends on student’s maturity, writing experience and interest in writing.
- If your student hates writing, if you fight him to get him to follow directions, start him at the level where he is in the upper end of the suggested ages.
- If your student loves to write and is craving guidance to learn how to write better, then start him at the level where he is in the younger end of the suggested ages.
- Most boys are not ready in their physical development to seriously start learning composition until they are around 12 years old.
Supplies:
The Sentence to Paragraph Writing Student Worksheets: Lessons 1-30 is available to order online from The Write Foundation for $18.00 + tax and/or shipping.
Each level of The Write Foundation curriculum packages come with 1 set of notebook ready (3-hole punched paper) worksheets of approximately 200 worksheets per level. Parents schooling at home have permission to print extra copies of worksheets for use with their own immediate family members unless they prefer to buy more sets already printed and ready to use.
For the FIRST DAY OF CLASS students will need to come prepared with:
- (1) 3-ring binder (2-3 inch)
- Sentence to Paragraph Class Worksheets – Lessons 1-30 (purchase link above)
- Loose leaf notebook paper in the 3-ring binder
- Pens or pencils
- 6+ highlighters (6 different colors)
- (8) notebook divider tabs
- Thesaurus
- Dictionary
