I put this under Resources rather than give it to students because it can be overwhelming for some kids. However, other students like to have a roadmap to their destination. I'll leave the decision of when to share this with students up to the parents since they know their children best. In any event, it does outline a great deal of what we'll be covering in this course (although not all of it), and it will make a valuable resource in the future.
This is quite a comprehensive course on college writing, and we cover some of the major grammar problems writers have. However, each individual student and his/her own strengths and weaknesses and this resource is wonderful and free. Purdue is a major university in Indiana and on this site, students can find answers to just about any writing question they might have, including exercises and answer keys to help them practice skills they need to improve. It is also very helpful with citations and Works Cited entries for both MLA and APA.
I've included this under Resources, even though I will provide it to students at the end of the course, so that parents can see the high level to which students are required to write for the final essay. They will walk through creating this mature and sophisticated essay with me, step-by-step, but this document is the "key" with which parents can assess whether or not their student has actually produced a such a high-quality essay.
Students will be directed at the end of the course to do one final revision using this document, which will be attached to the lesson. When they are certain they've done their very best work, they should submit that essay to parents. Parents should then also assess the essay using the same Revision Checklist as an assessment tool. Should any components, specifications, etc. be missing, done incorrectly, insufficiently, etc., then parents should have the student return to the relevant lesson(s) until he/she is able to produce an essay that meets all the requirements on the Revision Checklist/Assessment Tool. Once students master this incredibly important skill, they can use that Revision Checklist to ascertain whether or not any future/college essays are ready for presentation/publication.
Suggestion: If you can, have your student look out an essay he/she has previously written. Set that aside and compare it to the final essay for this course. Students are usually shocked at their level of improvement and very, very proud of themselves (rightfully so!).
Note: There is a section at the end of the Revision Checklist that pertains to essays written about literature, which this was not. However, should the student ever write about literature in the future, it would be a good idea to make use of this section of the Revision Checklist to be sure that that essay, too, is written at a high, mature, sophisticated level.
