Lesson Info:

     Each lesson contains four parts: One - Points to Review, Two - the Lesson, Three - the Assignment, and Four - Just For Fun. Part One includes a brief review of a few writing principles. Part Two includes the lesson, which focuses on the featured topic and includes examples and/or self-check questions for the student to keep in mind while writing. Featured topics have included fiction, persuasive writing, advertising, and news writing, among others. Part Three includes directions and specifics about the assignment.

     Often the student is given a choice of assignment options, and all reinforce previous and current lesson content. Completed assignment length varies depending on the lesson and the student, averaging two to four paragraphs. Assignments range from writing fiction to advertising copy, personal life experiences to interviews, etc. depending on the topics covered in a particular session. Part Four includes suggestions for further, but not mandatory, writing related activities or games that can be done alone or in a group.

An Excerpt from a Lesson:  

.....Writing is a process. This means it takes time and practice. Most things in life require this. You cannot learn algebra or get a driver's license, for example, without investing time and practice. Things included in the writing process are brainstorming - thinking about a topic and getting ideas, writing, revising, and editing. Today's technology makes the editing part easier, with spell and grammar check in word processing programs. So that leaves the brainstorming and writing parts. Not so hard either, once you give it a little time and gain some confidence....

.....Choosing Words Wisely.....To write well, appropriate word choice is important. You don't need to be a walking dictionary or have a giant vocabulary to write well. For good, concise writing you usually only need words that you already know. Choose precise, descriptive words that give the reader a sharp visual image and get your point across efficiently. It is better to use words that you are familiar with to be sure your writing is clear and says what you want. Consider the following example:

Before: The meteorologist ascertained that the precipitation would be voluminous.
After: The weatherman determined that the rain would be heavy.

     Is the second sentence easier to understand? Sometimes choosing bigger words will cause you to lose your reader because they get bogged down trying to read the words. Simpler is often better.....

Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the author, Karen Lange.