Writing Courseware
Intended for middle and high school
PLATO Essential Writing Process and Practice (Skill level 3-4)
Strategies
Level DD
ƒ Understanding Writing Assignments
ƒ Thinking about Audience
ƒ Choosing Words Carefully
ƒ Separating Ideas into Paragraphs
ƒ Mapping Ideas
ƒ Using a Checklist to Proofread Your
Work—Essential
Level EE
ƒ Tying Your Ideas Together—Conclusions
ƒ Going Deeper with Your Research
ƒ Varying Your Sentences
ƒ Approaching a Peer Review
ƒ Reading Out Loud
ƒ Freewriting
Fundamental Writing Process and Practice (Skill level 5-6)
Strategies
Level FF
ƒ Writing for Assignments that Don’t Specify
an Audience
ƒ Determining Your Thesis
ƒ Giving Credit
ƒ Summarizing During a Peer Review
ƒ Taking Notes
ƒ Tying Sentences Together
Level GG
ƒ Avoiding Clichés
ƒ Outlining
ƒ Asking Peer Review Questions
ƒ Asking Research Questions
ƒ Writing in a Formal Style
ƒ Proving Your Arguments with Evidence
Grammar and Mechanics
Level DD
ƒ Matching Verbs with Subjects
ƒ Matching Irregular Verbs with Subjects
ƒ Adding Missing Forms of Be and Have
ƒ Putting Commas and Periods inside
Quotation Marks
ƒ Putting Quotation Marks around Quotations
ƒ Capitalizing Titles of People
Level EE
ƒ Matching Separated Verbs and Subjects
ƒ Matching Verbs with Compound Subjects
ƒ Fixing Double Negatives
ƒ Choosing Good/Well and Bad/Badly
ƒ Capitalizing Names of Places and Events
ƒ Showing Ownership in Singular Nouns
ƒ Using Commas in Dates and Places
Grammar and Mechanics
Level FF
ƒ Avoiding Confusing Pronouns
ƒ Matching Verbs with Indefinite Pronouns
ƒ Knowing When to Use ly Modifiers
ƒ Knowing When Not to Use ly Modifiers
ƒ Capitalizing Words in Quotations
ƒ Showing Ownership in Plural Nouns
ƒ Using Quotation Marks with Titles of Short
Works
Level GG
ƒ Showing Ownership with Possessives
ƒ Choosing Who or That
ƒ Using Verbs that Are Irregular in the Past
Tense
ƒ Writing Contractions Like Could've
ƒ Using Their and His as Pronouns
ƒ Fixing Misplaced Modifiers
ƒ Using Commas in Sentences with Or, And,
or But
ƒ Fixing Sentence Fragments—Prepositional
Phrases
ƒ Using Apostrophes with Compound
Possessives
ƒ Capitalizing Proper Nouns and Modifiers
1
 Intermediate Writing Process and Practice (Skill level 7-9)
Strategies
Level HH
ƒ Using Published Writing as a Model
ƒ Finding Information on the Internet
ƒ Writing Strong Introductions
ƒ Using Your Own Words to Develop Ideas
ƒ Combining Sentences to Make Your
Writing Interesting
ƒ Writing Effective Transitions
ƒ Using a Checklist to Proofread Your Work
ƒ Choosing Your Point of View
Level II
ƒ Understanding the Goals of the
Assignment
ƒ Citing Information Sources
ƒ Balancing Research with Original Ideas
ƒ Supporting Your Arguments with the Right
Evidence
ƒ Addressing Different Perspectives
ƒ Writing with Strong Modifiers
ƒ Using Compare/Contrast and
Problem/Solution Models
ƒ Moving Beyond the Goals of the
Assignment
Level JJ
ƒ Planning a Sequence of Ideas
ƒ Devising a Research Plan
ƒ Evaluating Information
ƒ Stating Your Thesis
ƒ Integrating Quotes into Your Writing
ƒ Using Examples to Clarify Your Ideas
ƒ Determining What Your Audience Knows
ƒ Highlighting Your Individual Voice
Grammar and Mechanics
Level HH
ƒ Keeping Pronouns Consistent
ƒ Using “Each” and “Every” with Singular
Verbs
ƒ Matching “Or” and “Nor” with Verb Forms
ƒ Choosing Pronoun Forms
ƒ Splitting Fused Run-ons
ƒ Using Capitals with Names
ƒ Choosing It’s/Its, Accept/Except, and
Than/Then
Level II
ƒ Keeping Pronouns Consistent
ƒ Keeping Past Tense Verbs Consistent
ƒ Choosing Pronouns in Comparisons
ƒ Using Singular Verbs with Collective
Subjects
ƒ Using Singular Verbs with Some Plural
Phrases
ƒ Using the –ly Form of Modifiers
ƒ Avoiding Run-ons with Commas
ƒ Using the Words “Among” and “Between”
ƒ Correcting Sentence Fragments – Verb
Phrases
ƒ Knowing When to Capitalize Modifiers
ƒ Choosing Affect/Effect, You’re/Your, and
Loose/Lose
Level JJ
ƒ Fixing Modifier-Subject Mismatches
ƒ Using “Either, Or” and “Neither, Nor”
ƒ Adding Commas to Indicate Nonessential
Information
ƒ Separating Run-ons Joined by Transitions
ƒ Adding Commas After Introductory
Phrases
ƒ Using Commas with Certain Modifiers
ƒ Using Capital Letters with Split Quotations
2
 Advanced Writing Process and Practice (Skill Level 10-12)
Strategies
Level KK
ƒ Anticipating Counterarguments
ƒ Making Multiple Peer Review Passes
ƒ Writing Precisely
ƒ Emphasizing Ideas Using Parallel
Structures
ƒ Extending Your Idea Inventory
ƒ Directing a Peer Review
ƒ Owing Your Essay
ƒ Using a Checklist to Proofread Your Work
Level LL
ƒ Following Up on Leads
ƒ Identifying and Rewriting Inflated Language
ƒ Monitoring Your Thesis
ƒ Documenting Information From Spoken
Sources
ƒ Capturing Interest with Anecdotes
ƒ Using Indirect Evidence
ƒ Narrowing Your Topic with Interesting
Facts
ƒ Writing for Tests
Level MM
ƒ Reviewing Your Own Work
ƒ Writing Stronger Introductions
ƒ Supporting Arguments with Additional
Evidence
ƒ Illustrating Your Ideas with Visual Aids
ƒ Using Analogies to Clarify Your Ideas
ƒ Writing Stronger Conclusions
ƒ Varying Your Sentence Structures
ƒ Proofreading for College
Grammar and Mechanics
Level KK
ƒ Using “So” Correctly in Sentences
ƒ Using Linking Words with Parallel
Structures
ƒ Using Commas with Appositives
ƒ Punctuating Quotations
ƒ Using Commas with Linking Words like
“Because”
ƒ Correcting Sentence Fragments -
Subordinate
Clauses
ƒ Choosing Between Whose/Who’s, Lay/Lie,
and Sit/Set
Level LL
ƒ Choosing the Best Linking Word to Join
Clauses
ƒ Capitalizing Scientific and Computer Terms
ƒ Avoiding Hyphens with –ly Modifiers
ƒ Choosing Borrow/Lend, Bring/Take, and All
Ready/Already
Level MM
ƒ Using Singular Verbs with Subjects that
Look Plural
ƒ Using the Subjunctive Verb Form “Were”
ƒ Avoiding Predicate-Subject Mismatches
ƒ Choosing Amount/Number, Capital/Capitol,
and Imply/Infer