High School Writing 2 with Outliers
Overview
What does it mean to be successful? What's the relationship between failure and success? Do the stories we tell ourselves about success and hard work add up?
We'll be exploring these ideas through Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book Outliers.
As we read, we'll complete four, multi-draft papers and practice foundational composition skills including brainstorming, organizing, revising, formatting, and proofreading.
Guided Class Flexibility
This is a guided class, which means there are no live meetings, but there is student-teacher interaction and weekly due dates for assignments. This format works well for students who don’t enjoy live, on-camera sessions or who have unpredictable weekly schedules.
Students can interact with the instructor and each other via our class discussion boards.
Course Details
Ages
14-18
Schedule
February 9-May 16, 2026 with NO live meetings. (No assignments due the week of March 23 (Spring Break).
If a learner cannot attend a session due to illness or a schedule conflict, they will still have access to all class materials and can check in with the instructor with any questions.
Time Commitment
Most learners can expect to spend 6-8 hours per week working on class materials.
(This class will meet or exceed 60 hours of coursework to count as 0.5 credits of high school ELA).
Supplies
Learners will need the following:
- A copy of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (ISBN 978-0-316-01792-3) (used copies are fine; borrowed/library copies are acceptable but it’s preferable for learners to have their own copy so they can take notes in it) (Bookshop Link)
- PDF Reader
- Learners will submit work through Google Drive (a Google (Gmail) account can be acquired for free)
Assignments Open Each Week
In order to allow for learners and their families to have the flexibility they need, assignments open at the beginning of each week and are due at the end of that week. Learners can complete work at whatever time works best for them throughout the week.
Evaluation and Records
At the beginning of class, families will have the option to opt into numerical grading. All learners will receive a detailed class wrap-up report suitable for inclusion in a portfolio. All students receive detailed feedback (including video feedback) on major assignments.
Content Notes
This book is age-appropriate for most high school students with a factual, journalistic tone throughout.
There are some discussions of violence (including murder), plane crashes, racial stereotypes, and economic inequality.
Families are encouraged to pre-screen materials if they have any concerns.
Is this the right fit?
Learners will be most successful in this class if they have the following skills/experiences:
- Previous writing experience (the ability to write 2-3 paragraphs on a single topic)
- The ability to read at a 9/10th grade level by decoding unfamiliar words through context and making connections between ideas over multiple chapters
Skills Gained
The class is set up so that students often choose which writing prompts they’d like to complete for major assignments. This means that students of varying ability levels and familiarity with academic writing conventions can find an assignment appropriate for their level.
Students will learn about the following:
- Developing reading comprehension and note-taking strategies
- Finding their own writing process
- Working on a complete draft in stages that focus on revision
- Reflecting on what works to build strong writing habits
- Development of a personal writing process
- Familiarity with strategies for the higher order concerns of writing (main idea, organization, development, and comprehension)
- Familiarity with strategies for the lower order concerns of writing (formatting, style, and mechanics)
- Synthesizing ideas from multiple sources and mediums
Individual Support
All students will receive individualized video feedback on all rough drafts that specifically addresses their rough draft submissions.
My teaching philosophy very much focuses on starting with students’ strengths to build confidence and using them to work on improvements over time.
Feedback is tailored to each student’s individual needs and goals. I also encourage a lot of self-reflection and provide opportunities for students to directly communicate their challenges so that facing them with strategies becomes a normal part of the writing process.
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