Brave Writer

Essay Writing 202: Timed Essay gives the writer practice in the art of timed writing. This course trains students to analyze complex prompts and literary selections and then to organize their insights into an articulate format. Students learn to 

Syllabus

Week One

Writing to a Timer. Students dissect essay prompts to note common features and navigate them successfully.

Week Two

Thesis Statements, Intros, and the First Essay. This week, students learn to plan and structure an essay when they don't know the prompt in advance. On to the first timed essay: the multiple perspective essay.

Week Three

Textual Analysis. Analysis of historical text is the focus this week. Students learn to approach dense text, identify persuasive and other rhetorical techniques at play, and write a considered textual analysis to time.

Week Four

Writer's Choice. Students revisit the techniques learned in class and then choose two different essay prompts (multiple perspectives essay, textual analysis essay, personal narrative essay, and/or quote response essay) for timed writing response.

Common Core and Academic Standards Support

What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.

Word Bank

  • Argument
  • Context and subtext
  • Counterargument
  • Ethos, logos, pathos
  • Multiple viewpoints
  • Opening hook
  • Outlining
  • Personal reflection
  • Persuasive techniques
  • Textual analysis
  • Thesis statement
  • Timed writing
  • Transitions
  • Writing voice

Core Skills

  • Analyze source texts and apply critical thinking
  • Argue with support for multiple points of view
  • Cite textual evidence to support conclusions
  • Craft a thesis statement and support it with evidence
  • Craft effective opening hooks to engage readers
  • Edit writing for standard English usage
  • Engage in rhetorical critique of text
  • Evaluate persuasive writing techniques
  • Maintain distinct writer’s voice
  • Revise writing for clarity, flow, order, interest, and economy of language
  • Summarize text for analysis
  • Transition seamlessly between ideas in writing
  • Write detailed, organized, structured original narratives