Research Writing with Confidence

Description

 Research Writing with Confidence

Full Name of Teacher: Angela Ferrell

Semester or Full Year: Semester, SPRING 2026

Age Group/Grades: 10th-12th grades

Day:  Wednesday

Time: 2:00 PM CST

Class Description: 

Research Writing with Confidence is a semester-long half-credit course that counts toward required high school-level language arts. Research Writing with Confidence is a college preparatory English writing course designed for High School students who have already mastered the basics of thesis formation, essay organization, and the five-paragraph essay. Students will undertake an in-depth research paper—an essential skill for those pursuing post-secondary education, especially careers in the sciences, research, writing, law, the humanities, or any field requiring exemplary writing skills.

Guided by the instructor, students will investigate research methods, such as locating reliable sources and avoiding plagiarism, using academic writing formats such as APA, and proper use of AI technology. Along with building writing skills, this class emphasizes the importance of diligence, initiative, and critical thinking, all essential life skills.

The lion’s share of students’ grades will come from completing their weekly writing assignments, which progress from outline to essay, so the workload varies from light to heavy depending on the week. Because work is cumulative, students will need to stay caught up.  Research Writing with Confidence is an advanced writing class—students who struggle with executive functioning or maintaining self-direction will need an accountability system in place to ensure success.

Finally, students will learn advanced presentation techniques, which they will demonstrate in a semester-end exposition of their work.

Required Resources/Prerequisites:

Access to the World Wide Web for basic internet searches, proficient typing skills, a cursory understanding of word processing software such as Google Documents, and a fundamental understanding of the structure and writing process for a 5-paragraph essay. Students needing to review fundamental writing should consider the year-long Writing With Confidence course, which instructs basic and comparison essay formats during the first semester and research writing in the second.

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