True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance.
'Tis not enough no harshness gives offence,--
The sound must seem an echo to the sense.
--Alexander Pope
Of all those arts in which the wise excel,
Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well.
--Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire, Essay on Poetry
Utilizing a variety of methods and employing some of the material from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing, we will focus on various stages in the writing process. (Note: The IEW material is an effective, proven method for teaching writing that can blend with any subject of study. This approach is beneficial for elementary, middle, and high school students. For an idea of the nature of his program, please see the website at www.writing-edu.com. ) Beginning with the basic skills of crafting interesting sentences, we will progress through the effective structuring of coherent paragraphs, and ultimately practice writing the classic five-paragraph persuasive essay. In addition, basic instruction on formulating arguments and avoiding fallacious reasoning will be included. Some assignments will involve the imitation and outlining of the work of established writers from history. In order to avoid the error of merely discussing essay-writing and never actually writing, there will be ample practice in writing essays.
This is not merely a writing class, however. Students will have opportunity to read, savor, analyze, discuss and and enjoy some classics of English Literature. In that way, our class times will be divided fairly evenly between writing instruction and discussion of the weekly readings. These works will include the following:
COURSE TEXTS
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
"Julius Caesar" by Shakespeare
"Macbeth"
by Shakespeare
Ivanhoe,
Sir Walter Scott
The
Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
100 Best-Loved Poems, edited by Philip Smith
Jeeves in the Morning, P.G. Wodehouse
Select
Essays, Francis Bacon
Click on the link on each title to go to the page for purchasing the version we will use for the course. Generally, we use Dover Thrift editions whenever possible since they are so economical and easy to mark in.
ASSIGNMENTS
Writing will be assigned nearly every week. Most assignments will be sent to me for critique. I endeavor to provide written feedback on them within a week's time. Some assignments are to be read by the writer to the class. The tutor and the class will provide feedback at the time of the reading. (This is great practice that allows students to gain confidence in reading their work to a "live" audience.) Some assignments will be sent to a fellow student for critique; and some will be submitted to mom or dad for feedback.
COST AND REGISTRATION
The cost for this tutorial is $235 per semester. Registration is reserved for families of Alexandria Tutorials until April 1st, at which time registration is open to all families. This class fills quickly. Each class is limited to 15 participants. To register, you may use my e-mail address tutor.alexandria@gmail.com and include the following:
Re: "Registration for Writing the Essay"
Name, Parents' Names, Address, Age, Year in School, phone number, Background in Writing, How you heard about Alexandria, and an attached sample of a past essay. Indicate which section (early: 8:00 a.m. or late: 9:40 a.m.) you would like to participate in.
Checks are made payable to Matthew Turnbull and a non-refundable deposit of $50 to reserve your seat is required by August 20th, the remainder is due the first week of class. This deposit is part of first semester tuition. Second semester tuition is due the first week of that semester. Tuition is not refundable after the first month of the semester.
Please send payment to: Matthew Turnbull/ Alexandria Tutorials/ 248 Benton St./ Leavenworth, WA 98826
COURSE SCHEDULE
This class meets on Thursday mornings in two sections from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. and from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m., Pacific time. This course will begin in early September. We will break for a week during Thanksgiving, and we will break for Christmas after class in mid-December. Class will resume in early January, and end on the last week of May, with a break for a week in April. This schedule allows for approximately 34 class periods. This is a year-long class. Please do not register for the class if you are not able to complete both semesters.
Generally, the tutor is able to meet each week, although there may be exceptions due to illness, or family emergencies. If you know you are going to miss a class, please e-mail your tutor to give him warning. If you would like a copy of the chat notes from that missed class, just request one. We will have our first semester exam in mid-January (which is, not surprisingly, an essay). The final exam will take place the last week of the course. Since this is a tutorial I will not issue final grades but will provide comments and feedback on your work.
Parents, if you would like to discuss your son's or daughter's work, I would be happy to "suggest" a grade at the end of the year if that is necessary for your records. It is my hope that this course will aid you in fulfilling that great calling of being your child's teacher.
As you have any questions about this tutorial or the tutorial service, please feel free to contact the tutor at tutor.alexandria@gmail.com.
