The Wright Way

College Writing / Room P903/ Semester 2

FOR PARENTS:

This syllabus answers 5 questions you may have about this class:

  • Why should my senior take this class?
  • What will be learned?
  • How will my senior earn a good grade?
  • What are the rules and policies?
  • Anything else we should know?

After you have reviewed and talked about the syllabus with your senior, please initial and sign the attached PARENT/GUARDIAN signature form.

If you haven’t already done so, please contact the registrar and sign up for your Skyward Grading password so you may check on your senior’s grades throughout the semester. Please, when you have a question, talk with your senior first and then if you still have questions or concerns, contact me. My phone is (253) 804-5l54 and my email is (or send an email through my website).

FOR STUDENTS:

“It’s my last semester of high school. Why should I take College Writing?”

I know this class sounds intimidating; you may think you’ll spend sunny spring days miserably chained to a writing desk. You may even wonder if it’s too late to transfer to an easier senior English elective.

However, if you’re planning on attending any type of college or post-secondary school, you will find this class quite helpful. Students from the past decade have told us that this class should be required for all seniors. You will have plenty of time to complete most of your work in class, and as long as you meet rewrite deadlines, you may rewrite any essay as many times as you like until you earn the grade you want. So, please do not freak out about having tons of homework or destroying your GPA. Work hard, learn, and instead prepare yourself for writing when you get to college.

A highlight of this class is that we will guide you through thecollege scholarship process. We’ve seen hundreds of students fail to earn scholarships because they did not apply! While your friends are panicking and working late nights trying to finish their applications at the last minute, you will rest peacefully knowing that yours is a) well-written, b) completed, and c) submitted.

What about the rest of the semester? We’ve looked at the course syllabi of private, public, and two year colleges, then patterned the class after a typical college freshmen writing class.We’ve heard from former students thatfreshmen college English classes are mostly about research, and that they were ready for this. We’ve even had a number of students recycle their research papers for their college classes (not that we condone this, of course) . . . so it’s like “two for the price of one!” Our most meaningful compliment is when former students tell us they earnedtheir highest grades in English due to what they learned and practiced in this college writing class.

Students who have absolutely no intention of attending any post-high school education are the only seniors who should drop this class. Students who have earned a 2.0 GPA (or in that range, especially below a 2.0) in language arts classes are the only seniors who should drop this class. Statistically, these groups of students do not have the preparation or work ethic necessary to succeed in this class. This is not a remedial catch-up program—it is a college prep class and we move quickly.

“What am I going to learn in this class?”

This is what we have planned so far. The course content is subject to change at Mr. Wright’s discretion.

Self-Assessment / Reflection

SKILLS:Know and understand terminology important to academic college life

Know and understand terminology and information pertinent to financial aid

Reflect on progress in college/scholarship searches and applications

Reflect on skills, interests, and goals

ASSIGN:College related terminology (3 vocabulary quizzes)

Life Map and presentation

Senior Portfolio work (post-secondary plan, artifacts, etc.)

Senior Reflection: 2-4 pages explaining

  • Where you are in the college process right now
  • Your interests, activities, hobbies, work experience, etc.
  • Your strengths, weaknesses, and other ways that you are described by your family, your peers, and yourself

Individual conference with me

Description Essay: Strength/Weakness Essay for the Senior Biography

SKILLS:Identify the elements of quality descriptive writing

Write a descriptive essay using concrete details

Craft an engaging and meaningful introduction and conclusion

Provide and incorporate meaningful peer feedback

ASSIGN:In a well written 1-2 page essay, describe your strengths and weaknesses

Narrative Essay: Significant Experience Essay for the Senior Biography

SKILLS:Identify the elements of a quality narrative

Write a narrative essay using concrete details, an engaging introduction and conclusion

Use active tense

Provide and incorporate meaningful peer feedback

ASSIGN:Describe a success, failure, achievement, or another meaningful experience, and explain its importance to you

Application Form Skills

SKILLS:Know and demonstrate how to fill out an application completely, accurately, and thoughtfully

Show you can actually turn in an application

ASSIGN:Senior Biography Form

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

SKILLS:Know who and how to ask

Know how to say “Thank you” appropriately

ASSIGN:Write two letters requesting recommendations

Provide two “thank you” notes/cards

Scholarships

SKILLS:Know how to fill out an application completely, accurately, thoughtfully

Careful writing, revising, proofreading, editing personal statement

Requesting the necessary letters of recommendation

ASSIGN:Auburn Community Scholarship

Application form

Personal statement

2 letters of recommendation (1 from school; 1 from outside the school)

Submission by deadline

1-2 more scholarships of your choosing (independent work in-class)

Beginning Synthesis: College Reading Strategies, Compare/Contrast, Timed Writes (Synthesis)

SKILLS:Understand difficult texts

Reading skills (S-RUN-R)

Annotation skills: highlighting, summarizing, responding

Using sentence frames

Comparing/contrasting

Timed Writes

ASSIGN:SRUNR two or three challenging, current, and interesting articles

Compare/contrast paper

Timed writes

Research Techniques

SKILLS:Understand and demonstrate mastery of the steps in a college level research project

Understand and demonstrate mastery of MLA citation/documentation formats

Understand and demonstrate mastery of APA citation/documentation formats

Utilize conferencing times with teacher to individualize learning needs

ASSIGN:6+page research paper on topic of your choice

  • Topic selection
  • Preliminary research (highlighting, summarizing, reacting)
  • Working thesis
  • Detailed research
  • Note-cards
  • Refine thesis, create outline
  • Works referred
  • Multiple drafts of the essay
  • In-text citations
  • Works Cited (MLA)
  • Submitting final draft on time
  • Conferencing with Mr. Wright throughout the process
  • Oral presentation on your topic
  • Reformat the completed MLA essay using APA style documentation

“How do I earn an A or a B in College Writing?”

This class is designed to prepare you for college level writing assignments. Thus, we expect you to exhibit the habits of aspiring college students. This includes, but is not limited to,

1.Attending class regularly.

  • If you have an excused absence, make up the work within a reasonable amount of time. Always check the SWIFT page for updates.
  • The responsibility to find out what you missed is yours. Always check the SWIFT page for updates first. The best time to ask for missing work is before school or after school.
  • DO NOT, under any circumstance, ask to miss class to finish work in another class, for a club, or for any other extracurricular activity or sport. Pre-arranged field trips and competitions are not included in this policy.
  • Miss more than 10 days (excused or unexcused) and you will need to make arrangements to make up class time after school with Mr. Wright.
  • If your grade falls below a C, it is your responsibility to make an appointment, before or after school, to meet with me outside of class time to create a plan of action.

2.Submitting your work

  • Late assignments worth fewer than 20 points may not be made up for any reason
  • Assignments worth 20 points or more may be submitted late, but you will automatically lose 40%.
  • I will never, ever, ever accept computer problems as an excuse for late work
  • You must not come to class and expect to print your work. It is due as you walk in—so make sure you make arrangements to have papers/work printed and ready to submit when you walk in.
  • If you miss a day of school, the assignment is due the day you return at the beginning of the period. For assignments with extended due dates (three or more), the due date stands. I will explain when an assignment is due—at the start of the period, at the end of the period, at the end of the day, at 4:45…it will be clear.
  • If you are going on a field trip and an assignment is due that day, you must turn it in before you go on the field trip or it will be considered late.
  • Assignments may not be emailed to me. They must be printed and turned in on time in class. Do not place them in my mailbox—place them in my hands.
  • Assignments may only be revised after individual conferencing with your teacher. This is when learning AND teaching happen.

3.Ask questions, use class time wisely, work!

  • The best students are the ones who listen and ask lots of questions. They also conference with me often, take help with a smile, and transfer what they learned on to subsequent papers. They want to learn! When it’s time for me to enter grades for the semester, I consider intangibles such as work ethic, class participation, willingness to learn, conferencing, etc. Thus, if you have an 88% and work hard, actively participate, and show improvement, you likely earn the +2% for an A-. This does not apply to students who have failed to submit assignments regularly and promptly.

“What are your rules?”

  1. Leave electronic devices home or turn them off completely when you enter room 408. You may not use a phone, text message, ipod, MP3 player, and/or any other electronic devices during college writing. If you do, you will automatically lose 100 points, be assigned detention with me, and be placed on a contract. The Rohlffinator will enforce this rule to the max so be forewarned.
  2. If its’ in the ARHS Student Handbook or a school/district rule, I will support/enforce it.
  3. We rigorously enforce the ARHS tardy policy.
  4. When it’s time to work, please use the time wisely. Students who do so will have less homework to complete.
  5. Disrupting others’ learning and work is unacceptable.
  6. My room is a drug and alcohol free area. Please arrive at school clean and sober. If I suspect that you are using drugs or alcohol, I will refer you to the Student Assistance Team or to your counselor.
  7. Keep your comments constructive.
  8. Work honestly. Misrepresenting another’s work as your own is unethical and illegal. If you plagiarize another’s work (in full or in part), you will lose my trust, receive no credit for the assignment, be placed on academic probation, and be required to complete a time consuming packet on plagiarism. Expect no mercy in this category.
  9. Miss ten days and you may be placed on an attendance contract which is monitored carefully..
  10. All other ARHS rules are strictly enforced.

“Anything else I should know?”

What College Writing is NOT

What you should not expect in College Writing (we apologize for the negativity, but the following is based on some recurring and unfortunate experiences we’ve had):

  1. A personal college / scholarship application counselor
  2. A personal editor; we will give you as much help as you need , but we do not take requests to “read over” college and scholarship essays outside of conference times.
  3. An editor / advisor / counselor for your friends who did not sign up for College Writing
  4. A guarantee that your essay, application, letter of recommendation, resume, or interview will earn you a letter of acceptance
  5. A guarantee that your application, essay, or letter of recommendation will yield scholarship money

GRADING SCALE + EXTRA CREDIT:

100-93% / A

92-90% / A-

89-88% / B+

87-83% / B

82-80% / B-

79-78% / C+

77-73% / C

72-70% / C-

60-60% / D

59%- / F

I may assign “extra credit” assignments during the semester. Students who submit quality work will earn the maximum points possible. I do not assign bonus points at the last minute to rescue grades. Just come to class, work, follow the rules/guidelines, be nice, and your grade will take care of itself. I will not average your quarter grades for the final semester grade.

MANUFACTURER’S GUARANTEE AND WARRANTY:

You need this class to graduate. If you use your class time wisely you will have manageable amounts of homework. Don’t wait to see me if you have concerns about your grade or your assignments! I will post grades frequently so check Skyward often. It is your (the student’s) responsibility to make and keep an appointment with the teacher if you fall below a C. I will provide you will plenty of help with your work, but I will not “gift” you a passing grade.

FOR PARENTS:

______

Legibly print your (STUDENT) name on this line

I understand and agree to the requirements of this College Writing class:

Student signature:______

Parent/Guardian signature: ______

Do you have a study skills class?

If so, what period? ______Teacher? ______Room?______

To Parents:

If I need to, how may I reach you during the school day?

Name:

Home phone number:

Cell phone number:

Work phone number:

Email:

PLEASE make contact with the registrar if you have not signed up for Skyward grade access. This way you can learn how your son/daughter is progressing.

Please write any questions below. I also appreciate any comments that will help me to be a better teacher to your daughter or son.