
​Bristol Academy
High School Courses for Home-Educating Families
Writing Effectively
with Clarity, Precision, and Conciseness
At its core, writing is communication. Many teenagers have plenty of thoughts in their head but struggle with how to communicate them effectively. Others may not feel they have any “good ideas” for writing. Still others may already be good writers but welcome the chance to further polish their skills.
All are welcome in this class.
Writing Effectively will cover
-
Brainstorming ideas
-
Organizing thoughts
-
Word choice for precision, clarity, and effectiveness
-
Various types of writing (and when to use each)
-
Descriptive writing
-
Narrative writing (storytelling)
-
Informative or expository writing (often, the school essay.
-
Persuasive writing
-
-
Editing, revising, and proofreading
-
Rewriting a rough draft
-
How editing, revising, and proofreading differ
-
Grammar, punctuation, spelling
-
Style, tone, voice
-
How to lengthen a work that is too short without “padding”
-
How to shorten a paper that is too long
-
Homework:
Students’ writing speeds will vary, but the goal is to learn writing by practicing writing and practicing a lot. Most weeks will have roughly 3-3 ½ hours' worth of homework.
​
Credit: ½ credit for English/composition. Parents are responsible for managing the transcript for their student. The teacher will communicate the end-of-course grade within 2 weeks of the final class date.
​
CLASS TIME
Fall, 2022
Thursdays
10:00-11:30
CLASS FEE
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS​
​
Texts Supplied by Student:
-
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
-
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
​
*Any edition is fine
​
​​
Students should also have a folder or binder to keep handouts and plenty of paper.