Key takeaways
- Writing is bundled with literature as a single language arts credit in each high school grade.
- Favor targeted skills instruction over assigning a large volume of essays and research papers.
- Use Writing with Skill (volume three) for expository writing in ninth and tenth grades, continuing a series started in middle school.
- Switch to They Say / I Say in eleventh and twelfth grades to focus on persuasive academic and professional writing.
- Starting in tenth grade, assign research papers and essays across history and science courses as well as language arts.
- End with a twelfth grade capstone project culminating in a ten- to twenty-page final paper.
Our approach
As is traditional, writing is bundled with literature in our high school courses to make up one language arts credit in each grade.
Many high schools assign a large number of essays and research papers, without teaching students how to write correctly. We feel that students are better served spending time on targeted skills acquisition, followed by a limited number of open-ended writing assignments.
Curriculum by grade
In ninth and tenth grades, writing skills are taught using the third volume of Writing with Skill, a literature-based writing series commenced in our curriculum's middle school grades. This course thoroughly teaches expository (academic and professional) writing skills, and provides a reasonable amount of practice without requiring excessive time. Our eleventh and twelfth grade language arts courses use They Say / I Say, which focuses on persuasive writing for academic and professional settings.
Starting in tenth grade, research papers and essays are assigned in some history and science courses as well as in language arts. These may be on any area of special interest within the scope of the course.
In twelfth grade, students complete a capstone project of their choice, culminating in a final paper of ten to twenty pages due at the end of the year.