The Old Man and the Sea

The Writing Program

PIECES OF WRITING YOU WILL SUBMIT: 1. The Shortest Short Story 2. Five Paragraph Essay 3. Newspaper Article 4. Persuasive Essay 5. Analytical Essay

RATIONALE

The ENG 3U language unit is comprised of various elements; composition, which includes content,

organization, style and mechanics; Word Study; Speaking; Listening; Reading; Usage; Language Study. This unit is

not studied in a block, but is integrated with the study of literature throughout the programme. It is intended to make

students develop into better writers, readers, listeners, and speakers. At least one-third is devoted to writing, and

students will have ample opportunity to develop both academic and expressive writing skills. Formal grammar study

will focus on writing conventions and control of language. Students will become more aware of how the various

elements of language work. The aim of the Language Study unit is that students will understand and improve their

language usage, and the sophistication of their expression, both in written and spoken forms. As with this English

course in general, this unit strives to make students appreciative of the power of language, and to help them harness

this power within a thematic context.

OBJECTIVES: 1. To recognize the importance of and apply the conventions of standard English usage and form, when appropriate

and related to their own writing.

2. To appreciate and use writing as a means of intellectual and emotional expression (i.e. as a means of recording

and reflecting on experience and one's responses to it), as a way of learning, as a vehicle for meaningful

communication with others, and as a means of developing and expressing one's opinions and values (e.g. by

taking and expressing a position on an issue).

3. To understanding terminology associated with different forms of writing and with the writing process itself, and

use the writing process to extend and refine their writing abilities in a variety of contexts, and in a variety of

purposes.

4. To use electronic media to share ideas, experiences, and feelings with each other.

5. To understand that a variety of forms of writing (e.g. exposition, description) are required in all areas of study,

and use different forms of writing appropriately to organize ideas.

6. To understand and appreciate that personal writing (e.g. journals, diaries, and responses to literature) can reveal

personal identity and help shape the sense of self as unique individual and spiritual being.

7. To use reading to develop their spelling ability (e.g. to increase their knowledge of roots, letter clusters, variant

endings, and affixes).

8. To reinforce their ability to write an effective five paragraph paper (500-750 words), properly punctuated and

with few or no spelling errors. Approximately ten compositions.

9. To distinguish among the different types and uses of writing (narrative, exposition, description, argument), and

have an opportunity to write in each style.

10. To understand the different purposes, audiences, and contexts for writing, and identify and use appropriately

different types of vocabulary.

11. To understand and use a wide variety of forms and genres (e.g. narration, description, exposition, poetry).

12. To recognize and write sentences with the notion of style (loose, emphatic, periodic, balanced, and parallel

sentences)

13. To write reviews or analyses using critical evaluation or assessment.

14. To identify and follow the stages in the process of writing, including pre- and post-writing activities.

15. To communicate with real and varied audiences through letter writing.

16. To observe, read, and hear different kinds of language in use in different contexts (e.g. in classrooms, the streets,

business, newspapers, radio, professions).

17. To understand and appreciate the conventions of language (e.g. grammatical forms and patterns, spelling and

punctuation) as a means of clarifying meaning and writing effectively for a variety of audiences and in a variety

of contexts.

18. To demonstrate the ability to write a thesis statement using a topic, stating a purpose and suggesting a method of

proof.

19. To integrate quotations effectively in essays from primary source texts.

20. To understand the components of the writing process, and use the process to create written works.

CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS: O1. listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;

O2. use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;

O3. reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most

helpful in oral communication situations R1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to

construct meaning;

R2. recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help

communicate meaning;

R3. use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;

R4. reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before,

during, and after reading.

W1. generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;

W2. draft and revise their writing, using a variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate

for the purpose and audience;

W3. use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors,

refine expression, and present their work effectively;

W4. reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at

different stages in the writing process.

A BASIS FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE WRITING FOLDER:

General Guidelines for Writing Submissions:

a) save all forms of writing in your folder

b) date and label everything

c) use creative titles for all compositions

Layout of Information in Compositions

All information placed on the upper left-hand side of the page. No need for a separate title page.

a) Creative title (centred on the first line; includes a figurative and literal component)

b) Student name

c) Prepared for (teacher’s name)

d) Due by (date)

e) Composition No.

f) Course code

g) Rough drafts including editing remarks

ENG 3U WRITER'S SELF-ASSESSMENT:

Begin your journal with an honest self-reflection about your experiences as a writer, and

where you want to progress to at the end of the course. Below are some samples of writing goals:

• Work on focusing on one topic when designing my thesis; narrowing the focus of my compositions.

• Supporting more in my writing. Give more specific information so readers can assess the quality of my arguments with the evidence I provide

• Experiment with alternatives rhetorical styles: several different leads (or conclusions or titles) and then choose and work with my best.

• Try some new kinds of writing, beyond essay writing: personal experience narratives, longer research papers, editorials, poetry, parodies, etc.

• “Brainstorm” topics or issues before attempting to write. Jot down as many ideas as I can, as fast as I can. Then choose the best.

• When I read, start noting how professional authors begin and conclude their essays, novels and short stories.

• Try a sustained piece of fiction: characters who change, logical plot, theme, the works.

• Try some poetry, both rhymed and free verse, as a way of developing greater originality of expression.

• Pursue some personal idea in writing; investigate a special areas of knowledge within the thematic concerns of the course.

• Continue to work on context, embedding essential information required when assessing an argument.

• Tell more about your thoughts and feelings, about why events or ideas are significant. Give readers a way into your pieces without being pedantic.

• Confer with myself more, trying to be more independent in deciding what works and what needs more work in pieces of my writing.

• Get some group response to drafts-in-progress C or at least response beyond one friend.

• Spend less time conferring. Limit myself to one conference each class period.

• Spend more time at home on my writing: at least three evenings each week.

• Work on finishing more pieces of writing. Try not to abandon first drafts quite so soon.

• Start keeping and maintain a list of potential topics for development. Jot down ideas as they come.

• Ask a serious writer/friend to interview me when I am stuck on a topic.

• Work at organizing myself. Take time at the end of each day’s writing class to straighten my folder and file papers. Make a special place in my locker to store my folder.

• Record my new skills on the skills list immediately after each editing conference or writing period.

• Take more time and care with final drafts or copies, and proofread when I=m finished with a pen in hand.

• Proofread in particular for missing words and misspelled word endings

• Make more use of direct quotations, bringing arguments to life rather than simply paraphrasing ideas.

Grammar and Writing Skills

Here are several on-line websites that offer basic grammatical concepts. Ensure that you cover all

the concepts listed below:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.h...

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writi...

http://myeslcorner.blogspot.com/2009/10/20-places-...

http://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/english-gramma...

1. Pronouns

2. Verbs/Verbals

3. Prepositions

4. Phrases

5. Sentence Patterns

6. Subject/Verb Agreement

7. Ponoun/Antecedent

8. Pronoun Form

9. Verbs

10. Adjectives/Adverbs

11. Conjunctions

12. Semicolon

13. Comma

14. Apostrophe

15. Parentheses

14. Spelling

15.Diction

16. Sentences

17. Paragraph

18. Compositions