Making the leap into early academic writing can feel overwhelming — for learners and teachers alike!
So many skills are required to successfully navigate the demands of academic writing, and trying to focus on them all at once can leave learners with a lack in confidence and experience.
This foundational middle school writing class pulls out note-taking and summary (key skills necessary for academic writing at any level) and gives learners time to practice them with focus.
Gain Key Academic Writing and Reading Foundations
Academic writing requires learners to respond to information around them, and figuring out how to make sense of that information is often the first step to producing essays, reports, and presentations.
This class focuses on how to take notes effectively and then use those notes to summarize different sources of information including news articles, videos, narratives, and visuals.
Meet Live Weekly
This is a live class, which means we meet weekly to discuss the reading and explore writing tips. Learners can also interact with each other and the instructor between class meetings on our discussion boards.
Provided materials include reading guides and activities to help with vocabulary and comprehension as well as writing tips to apply to the creation of focused summaries.
Find Individual Processes and Embrace the Mess
This class does not offer a note-taking "system." There is no one way for learners to best take notes. It's a personal process of finding how they best negotiate information and make meaning. This class will model different approaches and encourage experimentation and personal reflection on what works and doesn't work.
Learners are going to find their own methods for lifelong learning rather than be plugged into an existing framework that may or may not work for them.
It may look messy, but the best thinking usually is, and writing is — at its core — thinking brought to the page.
Class Details
Age Range: 11-14
Class Size: 3-10 learners
Schedule:
Class runs from January 15-March 10, 2024
We’ll meet via Zoom for a live discussion session each Tuesday at 12-12:45pm Eastern/11-11:45am Central/10-10:45am Mountain/9-9:45am Pacific
If a learner cannot attend a session due to illness or a schedule conflict, they will still have access to all class materials and can check in with the instructor with any questions.
Supplies
To participate successfully in class, learners will need the following:
- Microphone and camera for in-class participation
- PDF Reader
- Zoom (free account)
- Learners will submit work through Google Drive (a Google (Gmail) account can be acquired for free)
- (Note: There are no required texts to purchase. Learners will receive access to links of class materials.)
Meet Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason
Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason is the founder of Dayla Learning. She has a PhD in rhetoric and composition, a passion for helping students find their writing voice, and two homeschooling children of her own.
Michelle has taught in a wide variety of settings including six years as a full-time college professor. She has been teaching virtual and in-person homeschool writing and humanities classes for more than five years.
Michelle believes in meeting students where they are and — as any of her previous students will tell you — believes deeply that there is no such thing as a bad rough draft!
Is this the right fit for your learner?
This class is a beginner option for my Middle School level classes (Middle School Foundations). It’s designed for learners who are new to academic writing expectations. Learners will do best if they have the following skills:
- Can write about 150-200 words (about one-half page double spaced) on a single topic
- Confidently reads texts at or above ~650L on the Lexile rating
This class is a good fit for middle school readers and writers who have not had much formal academic writing experience. It’s an especially good fit for those who need practice in understanding the main idea of a text and capturing key ideas for comprehension and summary.
Finding the Right Challenge
More advanced writers with experience writing academic essays may benefit from this class if they struggle with reading comprehension.
Writers who can confidently summarize texts, take notes with focus and clarity, and have experience writing academic essays may find this class lacks challenge.
These writers may instead benefit from a Middle School Level 2 class.
Skills Gained
We will practice note-taking and summary with a range of texts (including news articles, videos, narratives, and visuals).
Students will gain the following skills:
- Developing reading comprehension and note-taking strategies
- Reflecting on what works to build strong writing habits
- Writing unbiased and clear summaries
Common Core Standards Alignment
For those who are using Common Core standards, this course meets the following:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2, 7.2, and 8.2 (identifying central ideas)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3, 7.3, and 8.3 (analyzing details in informational texts)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.4, 7.4, and 8.4 (determining word meaning in context)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4, 7.4, and 8.4 (write appropriately to audience
- CCS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10, 7.10, and 8.10 (write routinely over extended time frames)
Upon successful completion of class, instructor provides detailed exit letter suitable for inclusion in portfolio. Families may request numerical grade at beginning of class for a detailed course grade summary, but it is optional.