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Description:

Overview

Modern Narratives in Nonfiction Work is a seminar-style course that focuses on the incorporation of style, voice, and tone in literature and in writing. Viewing literature as "published writing", students will examine the products and processes of other writers in order to understand and refine their own. Through the analysis of professional and student works, students will explore what makes truly great writing.

Literature

First semester of Modern Narratives in Nonfiction will examine the works of great essayists. A partial list of reading selections includes I am Malala (Malala Yousafzai), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou), essays by Joan Didion and Ray Bradbury, speeches by Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, etc., Ted Talks, and an discussion of "real" versus "fake" news. In addition, the class will use style manuals and classic writing texts such as Strunk & White's The Elements of Style and William Zinsser's On Writing Well. The full reading list will be presented in the course syllabus at the beginning of the term. In addition, students will be asked to read several selections over the summer. Students will be assigned brief, individual research assignments and take turns leading the class discussion on topics related to the featured author or event.

Composition

First semester Senior Composition, dovetailing with the college admissions season, will focus on "the personal essay", writing to prompts, writing with a deadline, and ruthless editing (a.k.a. "meeting a word count"). Going beyond the five-paragraph template that encourages "cookie cutter" essays, students will create a unique architecture embedded with personal style, voice, and narrative structure. In short, students will uncover not just who they are as individuals, but who they are as writers... and how to fuse these two identities into a creative, organized, clear, and elegant essay.

In the process, students will master their writing process and identify personal writing strengths. These strengths will be developed into a writing workshop that they will present to classmates and the Compass community. Portfolios (now a potential college resume addition) will be expanded to include essays, research papers, and extracurricular support (artwork, performances, PowerPoints, etc.).

Class Structure This course is part of a custom curriculum developed and team-taught by Anne Sharp and Melanie Kosar. The courses are designed in a sequential program that complements the developmental skills of the adolescent learner. It is a seminar-style approach that mirrors university literature and writing classes. Note:All class meetings will be in a virtual classroom, providing synchronous online instruction via videoconferencing for fall semester. At the instructors' option, the class may transition to in-person instruction for second semester as COVID-19 scenarios improve.

Topics in this Series: Modern Narratives in Nonfiction Works (Semester 1) and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize Writings (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Prerequisites: Students should be able to read at grade level.

Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class

Assignments: will be posted on a Google Classroom.

Assessments: are portfolio-based. Students will create a digital portfolio that incorporates annotated reading lists, reflects individual interests and accomplishments and showcases a variety of writing. See the Compass memorandum for more information on assessments in Language Arts.

Textbook: Students should purchase or borrow the assigned literature. In some cases, specific editions will be identified with ISBN numbers so students can be on the "same page" (literally!)

What to Bring: Students should bring paper or notebook, pen or pencil, current literature selection, and personal writing journal to both class meetings each week.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript.