WRITER’S WORKSHOP Mr. Giaconia
Grade 8 Demarest Middle School
COURSE OVERVIEW
Welcome to Writer’s Workshop, a class designed to teach you the tips necessary in becoming a better writer.
During this course, you will be required to:
- Develop an understanding of the basic elements and techniques involved in improving your creative writing skills
- Learn how to write an informative speech and to effectively present it to the class
- Participate in writing and speech related exercises
- Make use of your imagination and the skills learned from class to produce quality assignments which reflect your abilities
- Brainstorm ideas for projects via the use of an outline or graphic organizer
- Complete 4 writing assignments which are both creative and original
- Make use of the revisement process to proofread assignments before they are handed in/presented
- Design creative and interesting visual aids to enhance your projects
MATERIALS
You are responsible for having the following items in class with you at all times:
- Pen or pencil
- One subject notebook with pockets
CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
- Enter the classroom quietly and sit down immediately in your seats
- Once attendance is taken and any necessary announcements are made, you may begin working on your projects
- At the end of each period, a “Work Check” will be performed in which you will present the work that you completed that day. Anyone who cannot present an adequate amount of work for any particular day will lose 5 points from the current project.
- You will have approximately 5 – 8 days to complete each assignment (1 – 2 days for Brainstorming, 2 – 3 days for writing the Rough Draft, and 2 – 3 days for Proofreading, Corrections, and Visuals)
- Proper behavior will be maintained in the classroom at all times to allow students to concentrate on their projects. Any misbehavior will be dealt with accordingly.
GRADING POLICY
Final grades for the marking period will be based upon the following criteria:
Biography Project: 25%
Short Story Project: 25%
Demonstration Speech: 25%
Persuasive Speech: 25%
The work for each project will be completed in class on an individual basis and then graded according to either a Creative Writing or Speech Rubric.
In regards to the Biography and Short Story Projects, all 3 stages of the writing process (Brainstorming, Rough Draft, and Final Copy) must be submitted on the day the project is due. The Brainstorming portion must be logically organized and easy to follow, the Rough Draft should contain evidence of the Proofreading process (i.e., Proofreading marks) and the Final Copy should be a reflection of your best effort.
In regards to the Demonstration and Persuasive Speeches, you will be responsible for handing in copies of the Brainstorming and Rough Draft, as well as for presenting your projects to the class. The order of the speeches will be chosen at random. However, each student will be required to show a completed copy of his/her speech on the day of the first performance (failure to do so will result in a grading penalty of 5 points).
All projects will be assigned a due date. Any project or portion of that project which is not handed in on time will result in a deduction of 5 points from the overall grade for each day it is late.
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