Writers Mark 2022-23 Curriculum Outline

 

 Some of these will be covered in class and others will be homework assignments.

Some of the topics will take more than one week to cover.

 

1. Writing from KWO (from source text, audio or video source, real time lectures, from brainstorming)
2. Resume
3. Writing with DRESS UPs (integrated grammar study in essay writing)
4. Classic tale re-writes
5. Writing with OPENERs (integrated grammar study in essay writing)
6. Creative Constraints
7. Narrative (4 types / 1st person-6 / 2nd person-1 / 3rd person-3)
8. Letter (handwritten & friendly-formal)
9. Writing with DECs
   
10. INTRO/CONCLUSION study / TT/CC connection
    
11. Cumulative Tale (emphasis: cadence, alliteration, rhyme, assonance)
12. Recitation(s)
13. Writing with M3s
    
14. PORTFOLIO update
15. Writing with all stylistic & grammatical techniques (integrated grammar study in essay writing)
16. Informative Historical Research Essay (no opinions)
17. Advanced Literary Devices pt. 1 (OWLs) (integrated literature analysis study in essay writing)
    
18. Expository Great Art Essay (w/opinions)
19. Research / KWO review w/ integration of multiple sources
20. Biography
21. Descriptive 4 lessons (show v. tell)
22. Caldecott (5 paragraph study w/ 5 source minimum)
23. P.O.V. (Personification, Anthropomorphic, Creative)
24. Persuasive (logos, pathos, ethos)
25. Advanced Literary Devices pt. 2 (OWLs) (integrated literature analysis study in essay writing)
26. PORTFOLIO update
27. Argumentative (heavily logos)
28. Analytical/Analysis (analysis of data - 3 lessons) literature, character  <-our focus
29. Review Essay Book review form to be used. Book for 2022/23: ___TBA __
30. Historical Essay
31. Reflective (subset of analytical) * if time allows
32. Compare/Contrast  
33. Process (How to, Sequential, Instructive)
34. Speech (introduction, roadmap, 3 points, recap, conclusion)
35. Poetry  (Haiku, Where I’m From, &/or Psalm)* if time allows
36. PORTFOLIO update

Writers Mark - a Brief Description

Writers Mark® successfully equips students with tools to significantly improve their writing skills. Its methods not only build written and oral communication skills, but also improve critical thinking. Weekly essays are an integral part of the Writers Mark curriculum. Completed essays culminate in an end-of-the-year portfolio.

Writers Mark® teaches essential outlining, composition, and proof-reading strategies such as: keyword outlining, stylistic techniques, rhetorical devices, grammar, punctuation, and editing.

These critical writing tools are defined and practiced in order to improve students' understanding and subsequent application of these devices.

Writers Mark® Essays

• Narrative  tells a story/conveys an experience (4 types)

• Descriptive creates an image 

• Expository explains, informs, describes a topic in a clear, correct fashion (analytical)

• Compare & Contrast a type of analytical + descriptive essay 

• Persuasive/Argumentative

• Research  a type of informative essay

• Literary Analysis

• Personal Improvement resume, letters

* The SAT and ACT both test knowledge of these rhetorical and literary devices.

It is never too early to become familiar with them.

 

Mastering 4s

(4)s or "ing openers" must be set up in a very specific grammatical way. 

RULE 1  

The first part of the sentence should be a dependent clause or phrase followed by a comma. 

RULE 2  

RIGHT after the comma, the person or thing "doing the ing" is mentioned. 

RULE 3  

This part of the sentence (after the dependent clause or phrase) is an independent clause. 

RULE 4  

That independent clause must be happening at the same time as the "ing dependent clause."

EXAMPLES:

(4)Drumming her fingers on the desk, Kaitlyn stared blankly at the teacher.

(4) Brushing the eraser shavings off the paper, he felt the orange crumbs slip through his fingers.

(4) Opening the wardrobe doors, the kids squealed in surprise at the wonders inside.

(4)  Wading into the river, he searched for the mermaid who had saved him when the ship crashed on the rocks the night before.

Here are some great "ing" words to use in your 4s

KWO rules

1. You MUST handwrite your KWO.

2. Always write the complete title  (& author if applicable).

3. 3 words maximum per sentence.

4. Numbers, symbols, and abbreviations –> do not count as words. (Do not overuse!)

     Symbols Rule: It must take less time to draw the symbol than to write the word.

5. Remember to number the sentences. 

6. Keep track of the paragraphs.

7. Proper names and places and businesses/organizations – you can write out completely.  These do not count against the 3 word rule.

8. You can also write out all the words in a  “Quote.”

EXAMPLE:

Solar Eclipses (Source Text)

 Solar Eclipses

     A solar eclipse is a special astronomical event. It happens when the moon comes between the earth and the sun and blocks people’s view of the sun. Solar eclipses can be either total, annular, or partial. A total eclipse happens when the sun is completely blocked from view by the moon. An annular eclipse is seen when the moon blocks the sun, but a portion of the sun can be seen around the edges of the moon. The last type of solar eclipse is a partial eclipse. It occurs when only part of the sun is covered from view of the moon. If you decide to view a solar eclipse, it is very important to do it safely as you could damage or destroy your vision. Solar eclipses are exciting to view.

 

Solar Eclipses

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Newton

 Isaac Newton

        Isaac Newton was a student at Cambridge University when the black death, also called the Great Plague, struck nearby London again. It was a horrible disease that the people did not know how to cure. Thousands died. Misery, despair, and fear were everywhere. Soon fear turned to panic. Riots broke out in the streets. London was locked down, and Cambridge was closed. Isaac retreated to his mother’s home in the countryside. Isaac Newton had many questions about the universe. He did not let the closing of the school close his mind. He used the time to experiment and think. One day he went into his mother’s garden. It was a beautiful sunny day, but he hardly noticed. He was sitting in the shade of an apple tree, deep in thought. As he sat there, an apple fell from the tree. It plummeted straight down.

        That caused him to ask questions. Why did the apple fall straight down? Why did it fall at all? Why did it not float in the air or fall up? And why do all things fall to the ground when not supported? Why does everything seem stuck to the earth? To answer his questions, Newton developed a new kind of math. He labored over many equations. He eventually figured out that all objects attract other objects. He reasoned that since the earth is so large, its force must be very strong. So, when the apple broke from the branch, it was pulled toward the center of the earth by this force. He believed that this was the same force that kept the moon from flying away from the earth. He wrote about it in a book called Principia. He called his idea the Law of Universal Gravitation. Isaac Newton discovered much about gravity!

Epilogue

        The story of the falling apple is likely true, though the apple probably did not fall on his head as some stories say. The incident is included in Stukeley’s biography of Isaac Newton, Memories of Sir Isaac Newton’s Life

The Preamble & the First Ten Amendments

The Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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The first ten amendments simplified:

1	Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
2	Right to keep and bear arms in order to maintain a well regulated militia.
3	No quartering of soldiers.
4	Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
5	Right to due process of law, freedom from self-incrimination, double jeopardy.
6	Rights of accused persons, e.g., right to a speedy and public trial.
7	Right of trial by jury in civil cases.
8	Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments.
9	Other rights of the people.
10	Powers reserved to the states.

The first ten amendments in their exact wording:

First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Seventh Amendment

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.