EWC4C- Writer's Craft (College)

 

An Invitation to Students of Writing

Instructional materials in this course open up the world of writing for senior students who write with reasonable proficiency but want to refine communication and thinking skills. There is no magic formula to meet this challenge, but three steps will point you in the right direction. First, think of yourself as a person who writes – an individual with a story to tell. Next, set personal goals. Whether you wish to build a strong foundation for post-secondary education or compose the perfect advertisement or sports column, you can make a unique contribution to the class. Finally, adopt a risk-taking attitude; a willingness to experiment and objectively assess results will carry you a long way toward your goals.

Course Description

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills related to the craft of writing. You will investigate models of effective writing; use a workshop approach to write a variety of works; and make considered decisions for improving the quality of your writing. You will also complete a creative independent study project and investigate opportunities for publication and for writing careers.

“Investigating the Writer’s Craft”
By the end of this course, you will:

  • Analyze a variety of forms of writing to evaluate their effectiveness.
  • Describe the distinctive elements and conventions of a variety of forms within specific genres.
  • Analyze and explain the connections among the ideas in a passage, its purpose and audience, and the writer’s choice of techniques, vocabulary, voice, and style.
  • Summarize interviews with and articles by a variety of writers about the craft and practice of writing.
  • Conduct research to learn about a variety of careers in writing and communications and the skills needed to pursue them.

“Practicing the Writer’s Craft”
By the end of the course, you will:

  • Write regularly for various purposes and audiences.
  • Use information and ideas generated from research, discussion, reading, viewing, and exploratory writing to develop the content of written work.
  • Edit and proofread written work, applying correctly the grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation conventions outlined in class.
  • Produce a major creative independent study paper, with emphasis on at least two forms selected from the following: poems, novels, stories, plays, media scripts, critical reviews, essays, opinion pieces, and reports.
  • Use group skills effectively during the production and assessment of written work.

Evaluation and Assessment

The Ministry policy on assessment and evaluation requires that 70% of the final mark be based on term work divided into the four strands [Literature, Writing, Language & Media]; and 30% on a final evaluation which may take a variety of forms [10% Culminating Activity & 20% Final Exam]. The student's final percentage grade is based solely on achievement of the expectations to the level indicated in the categories of the Achievement Chart contained in The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9, English curriculum document. Learning skills, punctuality, and attendance are reporting variables recorded separately on the Provincial Report Card. The Learning Skills include: independent study, teamwork, organization, work habits, homework, and initiative. The development and practice of these skills will be encouraged throughout the course.

 
Steps to Writing - The Writing Process

Thinking

  • Exploring ideas
  • Brainstorming
  • If you are ‘stumped’ – think about it when you are otherwise occupied [walking, on the bus, doing the dishes], but be sure to jot down any ideas that strike you, before you forget them.

Planning

  • Organizing ideas [lists, webs – whatever works for you]
  • Establishing goals [what do I want to achieve? What do I need to achieve it?]
  • Gathering resources [library, asking necessary questions, gathering information]

Writing

  • ‘Free-writing’ to ‘warm up the engine’
  • Rough draft [written with structure and style, audience/purpose in mind]

Editing/Revising

  • Checking for structure and style – POLISHING – which may mean re-organizing, re-thinking and re-writing!
  • Checking for grammatical errors, spelling, punctuation, ‘typo’s’
  • Read it ALOUD..get someone else to read it ALOUD.

Publishing

  • Writing/Typing the final draft – as per instructions
  • Final edit – read it aloud…get someone else to read it aloud…read it backwards
  • Sharing [if requested]


Rules for Major Writing Assignments

  1. Include a title page [on blank paper].
  2. On the first page of the assignment, write the title at the top center.
  3. Skip two lines between the title and the first paragraph.
  4. Indent [5 spaces] at the beginning of every paragraph.
  5. Use one-inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom.
  6. If the last word of a line does not fit, use a hyphen [ - ] to break it. You can only break a word between syllables [equip-ment]
  7. In formal writing, most paragraphs have 4-10 sentences. A paragraph usually has more than one or two sentences.
  8. In formal writing, avoid contractions [‘doesn’t’ should be ‘does not’] and write out words of numbers instead of using the numbers themselves [‘2’ should be ‘two’].
  9. Double space final copies.
  10. If you do not have access to a computer, write in blue or black ink on ONE SIDE of the page only. Do not scratch out mistakes or over-do the liquid paper.