In this course, students will study and become proficient in the writing process. Students will learn about essay structure and organization through the development of four common types of essays (narrative, informative, argumentative, and compare and contrast) as well as proper format and etiquette to write a formal e-mail. In addition, they will also learn several grammar concepts that involve sentence structure, punctuation, word usage, and guidelines for academic writing, such as an objective tone, MLA formatting, and in-text citations.
Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Understand and use the writing process
- Understand the elements of a formal letter
- Develop a formal letter to share a proposal
- Develop sound thesis statements
- Organize a variety essays
- Use concise and engaging word choice/vocabulary that is appropriate for academic writing
- Use narrative language and techniques
- Develop engaging introductions and conclusions
- Create effective paragraphs that use supporting details and evidence to support claims
- Conduct meaningful research for information that support claims
- Cite sources correctly in the bibliography and in-text citations
- Create digital media to support the idea of written ideas
- Use digital media to enhance understanding of information
- Publish writing using a digital platform
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Academic Writing Basics
Unit 2: Writing a Narrative Essay
Unit 3: Writing an Informative Essay
Unit 4: Writing an Argumentative Essay
Unit 5: Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay
Unit 6: Writing a Proposal Email
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: None