The Science of Writing

As you look through our class offerings, you won’t see any labeled as “Literature and Composition” or “English.” Although many schools and curricula lump writing, grammar, and literature into a single course, there is no sound teaching theory behind this—it’s merely a practical decision brought about by our artificial K-12 system, which segregates “subjects” off from each other in an unnatural way that has nothing to do with actual learning.

Grammar, writing, and reading are certainly related subjects—but they ask for different kinds of mastery. Grammar requires a combination of rule memorization and workbook-style practice. Writing requires two different and simultaneous skills—students must think clearly about a topic in order to organize an argument, and then must choose the correct words, phrases, clauses, and sentence structures to communicate those thoughts. Reading asks students to grasp someone else’s ideas, or to enter into someone else’s imaginative world, and then respond.

Students will naturally progress at different rates in each of these subjects. It’s very common for a young learner to have a sophisticated understanding of literature, but struggle with writing; or to write well by ear, but have little understanding of the linguistic rules of the English language; or to excel at grammar, but lack the skills to critically engage with a book. 

At the Academy, we believe that students should be allowed to build their skills in each of the language arts areas at their own pace—without frustrating them by limiting their progress to the speed of their worst subject.

Our writing courses fall into three groups: basic writing skills, intermediate composition skills (expository writing), and rhetoric.

Basic writing skills are covered in Preparation for Expository Writing, designed for students who still struggle with even short writing assignments. 

Our three Expository Writing courses (I, II, and III) teach foundational composition skills: paragraph construction; the organization and construction of short narratives, descriptions, biographical sketches, sequences, comparisons, definitions, cause and effect, introductions and conclusions; three-level outlining; research skills and proper documentation; and brief literary essays.

This three-course sequence traditionally starts in grades six or seven. Ideally, students would complete Expository Writing III by the end of ninth grade, allowing time for the complete three-year Rhetoric sequence (see below).

Students who have completed levels of Writing With Skill or equivalent programs may enter the expository writing sequence at II or III. For help in placement, see our placement test, which will be evaluated by Academy writing instructors.

Our three Rhetoric classes (I, II, and III) complete our college preparatory sequence. We recommend that high school students attempt to complete at least Rhetoric I before entering college. The student who is able to complete Rhetoric II will be better prepared for college writing, and most students who finish Rhetoric III should expect to test out of basic freshman composition.

We recommend that most students enter the rhetoric sequence at Rhetoric I. High school students who have missed the prerequisites (at the middle school grades) and need additional training before beginning a formal rhetoric course should start with Preparation for Rhetoric Writing.

A note on assignment feedback: Our writing instructors employ evidence-based practices rooted in the classical education tradition to provide feedback to students in their courses. Typically, instructors offer weekly feedback after the initial two weeks of the year. When providing this feedback, instructors concentrate on identifying patterns of error and success in student work, addressing understanding, assignment completion, grammar, mechanics, organizational principles, and subject competency. To encourage independent critical thinking and problem-solving, instructors avoid copy editing or line-by-line marking. Instead, they emphasize growth and self-reliance in their feedback, consistent with the Academy's educational philosophy. Students and parents are encouraged to thoroughly review all feedback provided throughout the writing process to gain a comprehensive understanding of the student's progress over the course of the year.

Grammar—the explicit knowledge of how the English language functions—serves as a tool for writers, allowing them greater freedom and power in their exercise of words.

Our four one-semester grammar courses act as valuable supplements to our writing courses.

Grammar I is a survey of essential grammar concepts and skills for students who do not have a solid grasp of basic grammar. This course helps students learn writing with consistent verb tense, correct subject/verb agreement, and how to use modifiers.

Grammar II covers essential topics such as the correct placement of modifiers, analysis of sentences through diagramming, and the use of more advanced descriptive words such as participles and infinitives.

Grammar III introduces more complex sentence styles, dependent clauses, and combining phrases and clauses effectively.

Grammar IV prepares students to manipulate the English language with a high degree of skill and introduces advanced verb tenses, words that can function as multiple parts of speech, and correct comma use with clauses.  It also teaches students how to properly punctuate quoted sources. 

Grammar, like practicing musical scales, requires repetition and exercise; the goal is to give the student such clear understanding of English principles that he or she never has to stop and think about whether a construction is correct or not. Students can only write fluently once they understand grammar. Students will only reach maturity and effectiveness as writers when the grammatical principles of English prose have become second nature to them. 

Our grammar courses are designed to be repeated. Students who repeat these courses will review the same definitions and examples, but will be given new exercises and assignments upon which to build their grammar skills. 

Our literature courses teach students to comprehend and respond to great writing. Because we cover the principles of essay construction in our writing classes, our literature teachers have the freedom to focus on the great ideas and literary aspects of the assigned texts, knowing that students are prepared to respond in writing as necessary.

WTMA literature courses include both classic and contemporary fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, short stories, graphic novels, and novels in verse, among other forms. Our logic-stage literature courses prioritize increasing student exposure to a variety of text types and encouraging students to engage in academic conversations about the works that they read, while our rhetoric-stage courses place greater emphasis on the development of traditional literary-analysis skills. Our Summer Reading Clubs give both logic and rhetoric-stage students the opportunity to continue engaging with literature over the summer in a fun and light-hearted way.

In general, when taken in grades 9-12, our literature and writing courses are worth 1 language arts credit each (see individual course descriptions on our website for details). In most states, at least four language arts credits are necessary for graduation, and university admissions offices generally expect to see 6-8 credits.  If you need help assigning appropriate credits, contact the Dean. 

We suggest that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) students concentrate on grammar and writing, skills necessary for achievement in the sciences as well as in the liberal arts, and add at least one literature course in high school.

Here are some sample sequences to help you understand our approach.

A STEM-focused student might follow one of these sequences, which build strong language skills but also allow plenty of room for maths/sciences.

A humanities-focused student might follow one of these sequences, which showcase skills in writing and interpretation but allow plenty of room for electives in history, world languages, fine arts, etc.