Writing+ Program: Publish Your Writing

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This is a comprehensive English program that teaches vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, and most importantly, writing techniques. This program aims to help students perfect and publish their writing.

 The Writing+ program has five levels, spanning K-12, each with the same goal but with a varying pace of progression. All levels aim to educate students on polishing and perfecting their writing techniques, with each writing level governed by a 6-point rubric. Students will spend one hour learning the week’s lesson and reviewing homework. In addition, a half hour will be spent working on individual writing skills such as grammar, vocabulary, or spelling in order to improve their areas of weakness.

In our Writing+ classes, students will cultivate stronger writing skills through various types of compositions (narrative, expository, persuasive, cause and effect, response to literature, book reports, summaries, biographies, etc.) Students will produce one written piece per week and writing techniques will be reinforced by weekly assignments.

Here are some writing strategies that students will be using:

  • Setting a purpose
  • Focusing on an audience
  • Forming and supporting a main idea
  • Organizing ideas in a coherent fashion
  • Using a unique, personal voice
  • Perfecting word choice
  • Varying sentence structures to increase effectiveness
  • Elaborating with facts and details
  • Proofreading to check for errors
SyllabusSample EssaysGradeDurationDay & Time
WjsK-1
1.5hr
Cupertino: N/A
Fremont: Thu 4 – 5:30 pm
Dublin: Tue 4 – 5:30 pm
W1text-document2-3
1.5hr
Cupertino: Sun 1:30-3pm, Tue 4-5:30pm
Palo Alto: N/A
Fremont:Thu 4 – 5:30 pm
Dublin: Fri 4 – 5:30 pm
W2text-document4-5
1.5hr
Cupertino: Sun 1:30-3pm, Tue 4-5:30pm
Palo Alto: N/A
Fremont: Thu 5:30 – 7 pm
Dublin: Fri 5:30 - 7 pm
W3text-document6-7
1.5hrCupertino: Sun 3-4:30pm, Tue 5:30–7pm
Palo Alto:N/A
Fremont: Wed 5:30 – 7 pm
Dublin: Fri 7 – 8:30 pm
W4text-document8-9
2 hr
Cupertino: Sun 4:30-6:30pm
Palo Alto: N/A
Fremont:Wed 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Dublin: Fri 7 – 9pm
WSAT10-11
2 hr
Cupertino: Sun 11am-1pm
Palo Alto: N/A
FFremont: N/A
Dublin: N/A

Writing+ Traits and Rubrics

Well-developed writing has six traits that characterize it to be a successful piece. A student that can recognize and learn each trait thus learns how to be a better writer. These six traits are:

  1. Conventions
  2. Organization
  3. Voice
  4. Word Choice
  5. Sentence Fluency
  6. Ideas

 These six traits are introduced to students through the Writing+ program. Beginning with Conventions, the traits are taught and practiced over the course of the year. By the middle of the second semester, all traits will have been introduced, leaving the rest of the semester for review further writing development.

 The Writing+ program uses a 6-point rubric to score writing assessments, with 6 being the highest score. Through this rubric, Writing+ instructors can then evaluate each student’s strength in a specific trait. For example, an instructor may give feedback to a student by saying “You need to work more on Voice, but you’re really strong in Organization.”