Writing Subtest, CASA

• The highly structured program starts with the basics. Students review parts of speech and sentence structure, securing a strong foundation for paragraph and essay development. Development of these basic skills at the word-and sentence-level prepare students for more advanced concepts in punctuation and grammar. Homework is assigned to review and practice concepts learned in class.

• Concepts in punctuation, grammar, and usage are introduced through lectures and multiple examples. There are pages of practice for review. Only content known to be on this CASA is included, so time and effort are not wasted on unnecessary grammatical concepts. Specific strategies are introduced to assist students in understanding sentences (subject/verb, simple/compound/complex sentences, the importance of the prepositional phrase, etc.). Homework is assigned to review and practice concepts learned in class.

• Writing skills are introduced by the instructor guiding students through the four elements of a good paragraph. Different structures of paragraphs are reviewed and practiced. Understanding paragraphs is vital for performing well on the Foundations of Effective Writing and the Writing Assignment.

• The instructor explains the structure of the 6-paragraph essay necessary to pass the Writing Assignment. Sample essays are read and discussed. The instructor discusses how to plan and prepare an essay, and the group outlines the arguments for one together. Homework is assigned to review and practice concepts learned in class. Several CASA-based essay topics are included for practice.

• Instructors plan and write essays, so students can better understand how to implement the writing strategies taught in earlier modules. Such as how to write an essay when you do not have much information on the topic and how to write several essays based on the same ideas/arguments.

If you need to learn more about this course, feel to contact us.