Objectives
By the end of the year students
- should have received practice in writing paragraphs and short essays
- should be able to review, edit and correct their own and others' work for both content and language.
- should be able to write accurately and appropriately on a restricted range of topics and short tasks.
- should have improved the grammatical accuracy of their writing

Course registration
Students are assigned to classes according to their students numbers.

Assignments
Every week there should be something for students to write – whether a new piece of writing, or redrafting an old piece.
First semester: sentence practice for grammar practice; paragraph writing for organization, cohesion and coherence.
Second semester: sentence and paragraph writing (as above); later moving on to at least one 300 word composition.
6-8 assignments per semester.
Redrafting and editing of essays (possibly in response to feedback from teacher, classmates or both).
Journal writing an optional extra.

Subject matter
Effective paragraph writing: unity, coherence, development.
Variety and accuracy of sentence structure.
Rhetorical modes: narration, description and expository writing (e.g. an introduction to...).
Library skills (including library tour).
Grammar review and practice.
Mechanics and format of writing:
Format: titles, paragraphs, punctuation, presentation of assignments.
Plagiarism – what it is, and why it must be avoided (i.e. it is dishonest).
Citations and paraphrasing – introduction to ways to avoid plagiarism while making use of others’ writing in an honest way.
Writing emails – students should be given guidance in how to write formal emails (e.g. to a teacher).