English 1 Confident Composition

Course Catalog ID:

4014

Subject Categories:

English Language Arts, Writing and Composition

Description

This course takes a unique approach to teaching writing to early middle school students. Instead of skill drills and unmotivated assignments, students study good writers they already enjoy — like Lewis, Tolkien, L’Engle and others — to see how these writers catch the reader’s interest, and how audience, purpose, and genre shape their writing content. Students write their own creative work, including poetry, narratives, short stories, and personal essays, with each assignment divided into manageable elements that are built gradually into a finished piece of writing. Students learn grammar in the same tightly integrated composition process that gives them tools to construct rich, varied sentences without having to interrupt the enjoyment of writing to practice mechanics. Reflection activities allow students ample opportunity to work through their difficulties, recognize their strengths, and identify areas for growth.

Prerequisites

Grade Levels*:

* Enrollment restricted based on Date of Birth and Grad Year (whichever is more limiting). Enrollment outside these levels requires written concurrence from TPS Support.

Readiness

• Successful completion (75% or higher) of TPS Writing 6 Exploration

━ OR ━

• Successful completion of Readiness Test

Notes and Conditions

Confident Comp vs. Lit and Comp: This Confident Comp course is ideal for students taking a separate literature course without thorough writing instruction and evaluation. It is also ideal for reluctant writers to build confidence, or late-starting writers to develop more quickly by focusing on just the writing. For a complete English Language Arts course, please select the corresponding TPS English Lit and Comp course instead of this course.

EFL Program: Students with EFL-A Tutoring may not take this course.

Grammar Note: Students needing to strengthen their Grammar foundation are encouraged to take TPS Grammar Foundations for Elementary and Middle School Writing in the summer before this course.

Summer Preparation: To get an additional boost in writing improvement, students are encouraged to take TPS Writing for Middle School in the summer before this course.

“The Confident Composition Course has a unique approach to writing. The teacher did an admirable job with the curriculum. This course inspires students to become better writers by using excellent literature and essays as inspiration. I learned to read more thoughtfully, looking for the author’s techniques and being inspired to use some of these techniques in my own writing. The teaching of different concepts was always very helpful, and because of this course, my grammar skills have grown tremendously. I learned to love writing more because of this course and the teacher’s excellent facilitation of the course material.”

Luhan W

Student

“I would really recommend this course for someone who’s looking to write more efficiently/strongly. In this class, we go over everything you need to know to write a decent essay, paper, story, and many other things. I say it’s worth it, even if it may seem hard and slow, because at the end of the school year you’re going to be so thankful. The teacher is really nice and actually invested in teaching you something in a way that won’t wear you out. Take this class, you won’t be disappointed!”

Sasha T

Student

“This English course was super fun for me. At the beginning, I thought the course would be too tough, but it turned out amazing. My favorite part about this class was the teacher. He just teaches the information in such a relaxed and interesting way. He also makes me laugh a lot. This course taught me how to write more articulately and fluently connect all my ideas. I highly recommend it!”

Michael B

Student

“I enjoyed this course because the teacher helped walk me through all the essays that I wrote and she gave me great feedback for all the papers I submitted. This really helped me because I am someone who really struggles with writing, especially creative writing, but she helped me with that. It is a lot of work, but in the long run it’s worth it.”

Hayden C

Student

“I would highly recommend this course. Though most of the school year is focused on writing, the topics can vary from writing about our favorite authors to writing a historical fiction. The teacher’s great too! He has helped me through the school year, always trying to reply to my emails as soon as possible. Keep up the good work!”

John L

Student

“I recommend this course to others because of the excellent and encouraging teaching and the useful skills learned from it. Not only has my grammar and writing level improved, but my entire writing style has been altered. Through the teaching of different sentence structures and writing techniques, my writing has greatly improved this year.”

Amelia H

Student