Provides essential skills for future English courses as well as for writing across the curriculum and in the workplace. Patterns of development include division/classification, compare/contrast, and persuasive, along with a selection of other types such as cause & effect, definition, and exemplification. Students learn the basics of expository composition, with a strong emphasis on using the writing process to create well-structured essays. Students write outlines and matching essays with clear thesis statements and topic sentence agreement, and they develop their ideas through relevant details. They also learn basic research and documentation skills, and the persuasive essay includes a bibliography and inline citations. Students also build vocabulary, including through word roots, and learn how word selection can impact writing (i.e. connotation, denotation, and figurative language). Grammar is integrated into the instruction and is based on individual needs as is evidenced in the student’s writing.