Assignments

You will complete these assignments during the course.

The units in this course are designed to teach you several necessary basic concepts without a huge, expensive tell-all book. They will present the material in a way that will help you learn initial concepts and build up to the next steps of learning new concepts.

The course consists of eight units. Each unit contains several parts: introduction, lessons, self-check questions, unit quizzes, and a short writing assignment.

Lesson

The lesson itself is the meat and potatoes. Most of the lessons contain many different topics and subtopics. This is where the instruction should occur. This is where you will read about the benefits of specific skills and definitions. For this course, I was sure to include tons of examples to help you with each of the concepts. Most lessons contain a grammar section followed by a spelling section. The spelling sections include lots of mini-activities for you to complete. Please understand that it’s important that you follow all directions and complete all activities as directed in order to remember what you are learning. You will not be adequately prepared for the final examination unless you actually write the words in the blanks, etc., as directed. Also, rather than doing several lessons at once, I recommend that you pace yourself and do them one at a time. In fact, I recommend that you not study the spelling portions of this course manual for more than twenty minutes at a time. You won’t help yourself if you try to go faster than that. The result is usually a failing grade on one or more lessons or on the final test, and that will delay your quest for credit.

Self Check

The Self Check questions included with each unit are not graded. You will check your answers in the appendix at the back of this course manual. However, they are good practice, as well as a way for you to gauge your understanding of the unit before you take the unit quiz, which are graded. If you understand all of the questions and concepts in the Self Check sections, you are probably well prepared for your unit quiz. If you do not score well in the Self Check section, go back and review what you missed before continuing on to the unit quiz so you can get the best grade possible.

Unit Quiz

Units 1–4 and 5–8 require that you take a unit quiz, which is graded. (Again, the Self Check sections will help prepare you for the unit quizzes, so be sure to take them seriously.) The unit quizzes are measuring sticks of how well you’ve understood and can apply the academic material from each unit. Most of the questions are multiple choice, but some are matching. These assessments will be a major part of your grade for the class. If you should happen to get a question wrong, you will receive immediate feedback explaining what you’ve done wrong. Make sure when reading and studying the material that you do so carefully; if you do, you should do well on the unit quizzes.

Cumulative Review

After units 4 and 8, you will be given an opportunity to take a couple steps back and be assessed on your knowledge of the course content up to that point. This will help sustain what you have learned in each unit and will get you in the right frame of mind to take the final exam.

Writing Assignments and Portfolio Submissions

Each unit includes a writing assignment that will give you the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned in your writing and to prove to yourself and to me that you can actually do what you’ve been studying and practicing. The writing assignments are also a chance for you to be creative, which is just plain good for the soul! Have fun with these. I look forward to reading what you write!