The Training Ground

Writing with Purpose for Sr. High — New!

Who is eligible?   Students in gr. 9-12 with solid grammar skills who are serious about developing the life skill of practical writing for college, business, newsletters, everyday correspondence, narratives, persuasive speeches, or any type of writing that is NOT fiction.

When is it?   Meets 10 weeks on Wednesdays in the PERINTON COMMUNITY CENTER (Turk Hill Road) from 2:45-3:45 PM in ACTIVITY ROOM 211 on the following dates in fall 2010:

(See course description below about special ARCHERY event and object lesson for the writing students on Sep. 8, from 2-4 pm, preceding the 10-week course!)

Sep 15, 22, 29

Oct 6, 13, 27

Nov 3, 10, 17

Dec 1

NOTE: Dates listed above that fall on or between Sep 29 and Nov 17 are when writing and Volleyball dates coincide, the classes being back to back. (Volleyball meets in Perinton Rec from 1:00-2:30 PM on 8 Wednesdays in fall.) There are a few writing dates when Volleyball does not meet, and vice versa.

Who teaches it?   Mrs. Becky Mancini

Mrs. Mancini is the director of The Training Ground, but she also teaches several classes for the teens each year. Her particular interests are Bible, Logic & Critical Thinking, Social Studies, Literature, Language, Writing, and Geometry.

About the course:   This highly practical NON-fiction writing course (with skills for college, business, and everyday life) is based on the material in the book Write to the Point, by Bill Stott, with exercises in part from Writing with a Point, by Harper & Stephens.

Mrs. Mancini will cheerfully instruct students in the following skills –

Writing strong, correct sentences

Methods of organizing writing

Writing worthwhile material – that focuses on a POINT, or clear purpose

….all while considering the CONTEXT of the particular paper.

The writing that most of us do in most of our life is non-fiction writing, whether it is for business or correspondence with businesses or government, personal letters, newsletters or other articles, course descriptions (!), essays submitted for college or job applications, essays for exams, emails, written proposals and agreements, arrangements for family reunions or advertisements for special events, speeches and presentations, and so forth. What all of these papers have in common is that they require a purpose—a point– as well as the clarity to communicate that point.

To stress the importance of a POINT, or target, Mrs. Mancini has made arrangements with Camp Arrowhead for a special pre-course event. We have reserved September 8, 2010, from 2:00-4:30 PM at CAMP ARROWHEAD in Pittsford for an Introductory Archery Workshop! This event precedes the 10-week writing course. Plan to arrive at 1:50 PM at Camp Arrowhead (See below for Driving Directions), and then plan for pick up at 4:30 PM, after we enjoy some refreshments.

Later dates, from Sep 15-Dec 1 (no class on Oct 20 or Nov 24), class will meet in Activity Room 211 at the Perinton Rec Center on Turk Hill Road. High school age students who register for this Writing course and also participate in TG Volleyball will have 15 minutes between Volleyball and Writing class in the same building. This allows them to change clothes for writing class.

The course will include a look at common writing weaknesses and also objectives for improving written communication. We will discuss: the difference between expository writing that uses an original approach or point (which is the thrust of our class) and creative writing (which is not what we are studying); selecting and narrowing topics; scope and context of a paper; substantiating your point; making connections; using the plain writing that readers most appreciate; making your paper coherent and logical; common writing faults; and lots of things that a writer should TAKE OUT of non-fiction writing, including redundant expressions, flowery language, over-quoting, jargon, etc. UNCOMPLICATED writing is our goal, and good thing, too, because that is so much easier for us everyday writers to manage and for our readers to understand. That’s a win-win!

Expect some writing assignments for homework. The longest assignment is 1-2 pages typed doublespaced, but nearly all original written work assignments (from a paragraph to a two page essay) are broken up into smaller objectives for a couple of weeks. There are no traditional research papers, although some research may be helpful for particular assignments. If students do cite material from other writers, they should credit the source. The other type of homework will be activity sheets (focusing on particular skills and approaches) rather than original paragraphs or papers.

Mrs. Mancini will integrate some examples of well-written speeches and writings from famous people in history. Those considered the most famous for their use of expository language used surprisingly direct (point-driven) speech, not lofty eloquence.

Students will find themselves quickly distinguishing between well-written articles, essays, and announcements and poorly written ones, which in turn will sharpen their own writing.

Consider the taking of this course as you approach the adult world of responsible writing like learning a phonics chart before you read. It is intended to equip the students with a skill through observation of patterns and principles so that they can move forward confidently. It is meant to take the mystery out of writing.

Mrs. Mancini is very enthusiastic about the enjoyable, practical, and encouraging nature of this material. She has found an author who is able to put in a nutshell her own writing convictions. The subtitle of Bill Stott’s book is And Feel Better About Your Writing, which is the intended outcome of this course. You WILL feel better about how you write when every part of your paper or letter is focused on clarity of communication. Others will enjoy reading what you have to say, too. And isn’t that the point?

SYLLABUS

PART ONE – Special pre-course event at no extra charge:

Sep 8- ARCHERY WORKSHOP at YMCA CAMP ARROWHEAD, Pittsford. This will be a fun intro to (or review of if you have done some archery before) archery—no experience necessary. The archery motif will recur in our class lessons.

PART TWO – Writing classes at Perinton Rec Center Activity Room 211:

Sep 15 – POINT & TARGET: Getting your point across to your target audience

Sep 22 – THE SIGHT: Taking aim at your target

Sep 29 – THE ARROW SHAFT: Supporting your point

Oct 6 – THE BOW: Framing your paper

Oct 13 – FEATHERED VANES: Directing your thoughts to your target

Oct 20 – No class

Oct 27 – DRAW & RELEASE: The Flow of ideas

Nov 3 – QUIVER: Unified whole in communicating your point

Nov 10 – GOOD FORM: Avoiding common writing faults

Nov 17 – PRACTICE & Proofreading

Nov 24- No class

Dec 1 – MASTERY: Written Test on class material (NOT an essay test); compilation of all class members’ writing for a particular assignment into a “book”.

Important information about the class requirements are listed below.

How much does it cost?   $60 plus cost of book*

What does it include?   Instruction, facility fee at Perinton Rec,, handouts, and regular evaluation of students’ writing assignments as well as final test on content of course. The entire cost of the archery workshop is also covered!

What do I need to bring?   To participate in this course, students must :

FOR THE ARCHERY WORKSHOP ON SEP 8 -

1. Wear comfortable clothing (shorts or jeans) for the weather, but do not wear clothing that is too loose with strings, for instance, that could get caught on archery equipment. Wrist guards are provided.

2. Wear closed-toed shoes: REQUIRED! NO sandals permitted.

3, Bring a rain jacket if needed. Actual area for shooting is under cover, so we will only cancel if lightning storm or major wind/rain storm.

FOR THE WRITING CLASSES BEGINNING SEP 15 -

1. Bring with them a solid background in grammar. We will review some common errors as we learn proofreading skills, but this is NOT a remedial class in grammar or basic writing!

2. Bring a 1-and- ½ inch three ring binder with some lined paper (either regular or college ruled) and a pencil, pen, and highlighter to class each week. Please bring writing utensils in a pencil pouch or backpack—not loose.

3. Display a positive attitude and engage in class discussions. Students should willingly apply their lessons to writing assignments and class activities. Each student will be writing at their level of maturity, but all students can and will improve their writing if they so choose. Students will have a wide range of choices in writing assignments.

4. Arrive promptly to class and minimize disruptions, such as leaving early. Parents should make arrangements to pick up students promptly after class at the front of the building or in parking lot.

5. Complete all writing assignments (and any re-writes) to the best of student’s ability. There will be a fine for any assignments not completed or turned in, so please advise Mrs. Mancini of any expected absences so that you can get the homework.

How long will homework take? It really depends on how focused the student is with homework in general. It should take, on most weeks, an hour and a half per week or less to do the assignments, but if the student tends to daydream and lose focus, it will take longer, of course. Most of the activities are guided and focused in and of themselves and actually require very little writing from scratch (more observation and making improvements in point sentences, for example), and most of the three to four writing assignments have such a wide variety of prompts that it is easy to focus on something in which the student is interested. After the first class, there is no homework for the second week. We ease into some activities, and a few weeks have several exercises to complete; but overall it should not feel overwhelming if the student follows the direct approach I will teach; I made certain of that since the goal is to help the students to NOT feel overwhelmed when faced with a writing assignment or activity. This course is intended to equip students with a life skill for the writing they will have ahead of them rather than make them do lots of laps in the writing pool, so to speak.

6. Attend all classes. This is mandatory, not merely suggested. Only illness and family travel, or other such reasons explained by parent, are excused absences.

7. Purchase, at the END of the course, a new or used copy (from Amazon, for example) of Write to the Point, by Bill Stott. Anticipating this purchase, I am trying to keep the course cost reasonable. A new book is $27, and used ones from Amazon run around $10 or less. Since I am taking so much material from the book, it is vital not only that I credit the source, but that we purchase the material, as well. The course, as I have outlined it, will be more useful to the students if they do NOT read the book in advance, but instead have it available for later reference —In high school, college, and beyond.

Dress Code Exceptions:   None

When do I need to register?:  

Other notes:

We encourage parents of TG members who take Volleyball and/or Writing with Purpose this fall at Perinton Rec Center to make carpool arrangements. I will make the class lists available for this purpose.

The Perinton Community Center is only about 7 minutes from the TG.

For the Archery Workshop on Sep 8, here are the Driving Directions:

To Camp Arrowhead–

From Bushnell’s Basin, take Thornell Road to East Street.

Turn LEFT onto East Street at the four-way stop.

Turn LEFT onto Park Street.

At the elementary school (on left), turn RIGHT onto Railroad Mills.

Turn LEFT onto Arrowhead Drive.

Go straight (slowly, over multiple speedbumps) to the camp.