Foundations of Writing

Class Time:  10:00 - 11:00, Fall Semester

Grade Level:  8th - 10th

Instructor:  Diane Harvey

Contact Information:  diane.m.harvey6@gmail.com

Course Description: 

“Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please will you do my job for me.” 

- C. S. Lewis

Writing is an art form. Just as an artist develops the skills and techniques necessary to create works of beauty, a writer must learn how to employ the beauty of language to paint a picture with words. Unfortunately, many students are taught structure and formulas for their compositions without sufficient guidance on the foundation of the composition itself - the expressive use of language in well-crafted sentences.

In this course, we will be focusing on the building blocks of high school level writing with particular attention devoted to:

• Grammatical foundation of writing
• Expressive use of language
• Writing styles
• Sentence fluency
• Organizing the expression of ideas
• Achieving paragraph unity and coherence
• Incorporating transitions and quotes

Each week we will focus on a specific writing technique or tool which we will explore as a group, practice through in-class exercises, and reinforce in homework assignments. As the semester progresses, students will build upon these techniques and incorporate them into various short compositions. 

Although the class is designed for students who are beginning high school level writing, the course content can also benefit older high school students who would like to improve the foundation of their writing.

Tuition:  $200

Class Size:  8 - 15 students

Course Materials:

• The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile Vaughan Payne
• The  Elements of Style, 4th ed. by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
• Thesaurus

* All other materials will be provided by the instructor.

Teacher Qualifications:  Diane Harvey is a former Assistant Professor of Government at George Mason University.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science in 1993 and earned her doctorate in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in 1998, specializing in American Government and Political Behavior.  While completing her doctorate, she taught numerous undergraduate classes for the university and was a recipient of their Excellence in Teaching Award. Upon completion of her doctorate, she served as assistant professor and internship director in the political science department at George Mason University.  She took an "early retirement" from academia to homeschool her four children, but she has returned to the classroom to teach courses in government, history, and literature to local high school students.