Academic Writing I provides foundations of writing in order to enhance skills in the upper elementary grade levels. Students will learn grammar usage and mechanics, content organization and focus, and written applications across different genres. Students will progress through the different stages of the writing process, from pre-writing to drafting and revising to final drafts. These skills will scaffold the student’s writing success in all educational environments.

In Academic Writing II, students experience increasing complexity in their writing skills. They will review the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing their compositions. Conversations about writing are framed by essential questions and mini-lessons. Sample text and teacher models will be provided to support students in their independent writing.

The Academic Writing III course is designed to prepare the student for academic writing in different educational environments. The goal is to provide the student with the proper tools to become a proficient writer in order to succeed in an academic setting. Depth and Complexity icons (GATE) and Thinking Maps will be incorporated into each class. 

The Academic Writing IV focuses on composition of narratives as well as expository and argumentative pieces, with additional instruction on research, language, speaking and listening, and multimedia integration. The ultimate goal is to produce writers who can be successful in late middle school and high school. General concepts covered throughout the 36 classes include narrowing a broad topic to a specific topic, brainstorming skills, developing strong, well developed sentences, and improving self-editing techniques to produce revised, well-polished compositions.