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By the Book Writing

A Writing Curriculum
With Classic Literature and a Research Paper

Middle School Level

STUDENT TEXT
for Home Schooling and the Classroom
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Writer and home-schooling mom, Rusty Gorby has a Bachelor of Arts in

English. She has taught secondary English in Texas and Virginia since 1988
in public schools, in home school co-ops, in her home, and in a Classical
Christian school. Mrs. Gorby loves teaching! Throughout her tenure, she has
written writing, grammar, history, and Bible curriculum for BiblioPlan for
Families, for home school co-ops, and for public and private schools. By
God’s grace, she hopes to instill confidence and a love of learning in her
students as she encourages growth in their writing.

By the Book Writing

A Writing Curriculum Using Classic Literature
Middle School
Student Text
for Home Schooling and the Classroom

Written by Rusty Gorby

By the Book Writing Publishers

Grapevine, TX
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By the Book Writing, Writing Curriculum Using Classic Literature, Middle School, Student Text
Copyright © 2017 written by Rusty Gorby
Addressed to By the Book Writing Publishers, P.O. Box 4, Grapevine, TX 76099

BY THE BOOK WRITING COPYRIGHT POLICY

All of the exercises, explanations, directions, questions and other content contained
in these pages are copyrighted materials owned by By the Book Writing. Please
DO NOT reproduce any of these materials in hard copy or electronic form.

Families who purchase these materials may make as many copies of this text
WITHIN THEIR FAMILY ONLY.

Co-ops or schools who wish to purchase By the Book Writing materials should
contact Rusty Gorby at rgorby1@aol.com for bulk purchasing options.

Families, co-ops and schools MAY NOT photocopy, e-mail or reproduce ANY
PORTION of this text or of the teacher key.

Please contact Rusty Gorby (Grammar.castle@gmail.com) to let us know how we

may best serve your family, co-op or school.
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By the Book Writing

Middle School Writing Curriculum
Using Classic Literature

By the Book Writing—Middle School Writing Curriculum—is a one-year course

written for middle school writers. The lessons appeal to various learning styles to
ensure the success of each student since cultivating writing skills can be extremely
challenging at times.

By the Book Writing will include 4 basic objectives:

1. Students will learn process writing—encompassing prewriting, drafting and

editing of informative, persuasive descriptive, narrative, analytical and
expository compositions and research papers.
2. Students will learn research skills so that he/she will feel comfortable in
locating and using reference materials, note taking, paraphrasing and in
applying proper documentation (MLA Form).
3. Students will learn strategies for writing essays after reading classic
literature. Literature will be taught from a Biblical perspective, always
pointing to truth.
4. Students will review basic grammar principles in order to write with
accuracy.

In order to better assist the teacher, the Teacher Edition of By the Book Writing,
Middle School Writing Curriculum, includes detailed lesson plans and sample
essays for each writing assignment.
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By the Book Writing
Student’s Syllabus
Lesson Plans Pages

1. Hamburgers and Paragraphs, Business Letter Format, Sample Letter 1-3

2. Writing Process and Narrative Writing 4-8

3. Narrative Writing, Coherence, and Transitions 9-14

4. Leads and MLA Format 15-17

5. Theme Parks and Imagery 18, 19

6. Figurative Language and Beginning The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 20-22

7. Descriptive Writing and The Challenger, Point of View 23-27

8. Descriptive Editing and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Introduction 28-33

9. Tom Sawyer, Friends, and Enemies 34-39

10. Funny Parts With a Point 40-47

11. Analyzing the Character 48-55

12. Character Sketch 56-62

13. Parenthetical Documentation, Run-ons, and Fragments 63-66

14. Christmas Cards 67-70

15. Research Paper and Sources 71-75

16. Works Cited and Reading Articles 76-83

17. Note Taking 84-88

18. Note Taking, Quoting, and Paraphrasing 89, 90

19. Checking Note Cards, Sorting Note Cards, and Beginning the Outline 91-94

20. Thesis, Outlining and Introduction 95, 96

21. Body of Paper and Parenthetical Documentation 97-104

22. Rough Draft and Conclusion 105

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23. Editing and Final Touches 106-109

24. Alcott and Sentence Beginnings Pt. 1 110-113

25. Alcott and Sentence Beginnings Pt. 2 114-119

26. Alcott and Sentence Beginnings Pt. 3 120-124

27. Story Pyramid and Alcott Essay 125-129

28. Revising the Alcott Essay and Biography 130-132

29. Types of Poetry and Biography 133-138

30. Narrative Poetry and Biography 139-144

31. Dramatic Poetry and Biography 145-148

32. Humorous Poetry 149-156

The following supplies are needed:

• 3-ring notebook
• 3 dividers (Drafts, Notes, Portfolio)
• Index cards (4x6 for note cards)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (unabridged) by Mark Twain
• Little Men or Little Women (unabridged)or any another Louisa May Alcott
novel
• Parent-approved biography or autobiography
• 2 folders with pockets and brads (if you turn in a hard copy of your paper)

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 Lesson 1—Handout 1 SAMPLE
Hamburgers and Paragraphs

Top bun = Topic sentence

Fixings = Supporting
Meat = Supporting sentences Details

Bottom bun = _______________

Directions: Be creative. Explain how a hamburger is similar to a paragraph.

1. The chef of the hamburger = _____________________________________________
2. A well-made hamburger = _______________________________________________
3. Tuna on a hamburger = _________________________________________________
4. No fixings on a hamburger = _____________________________________________
5. _________________________________ = Paper to write the paragraph
6. Your favorite part of the burger (Ex. Cheese) = _______________________________
7. Your least favorite part of the burger (Ex. Onions) = ___________________________
8. Both the top bun and bottom bun are both bread = ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
9. The top bun and bottom bun are not the same shape = ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Now it is your turn. Come up with your own comparisons:
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

By the Book Writing Copyright 1

 Lesson 1—Handout 2 SAMPLE

Form of a Business Letter

Single space a business letter. [1 inch top margin]

Business Street Address

City, State Zip Code Heading
Date
[1inch left margin]
[4-5 single spaced lines]

Business person
Street Address Inside Address
City, State Zip Code
[1single spaced line]
____________________ :}Salutation
Indent [1 single spaced line ] [1 inch right margin]

_____________________________________________________________
Body ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
[1single spaced line]
Closing{______________
[1inch left margin] Signature{____________
[2 single spaced lines for signature]

Typed Name{_________

[1 inch right margin]

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 Lesson 1—Handout 2 SAMPLE

Business Letter Assignment

Directions:
1. Write a business letter to your teacher to tell him/her about you. (Typing is always
best; however, if you have not learned to type yet, ask your teacher if it would be
acceptable to handwrite the letter.)
2. Begin by following business letter format.
3. Then, in the body of the letter, mention the following details about you:
 Tell the teacher who you are (name, a short description of your personality,
etc.), and mention that you are taking Adventures and Stars [topic sentence(s)].
 Discuss your family (number of people, interesting aspects).
 Mention what your interests are (hobbies, talents, etc.).
 Discuss anything your teacher should know about you to better help you learn.
 Mention how you honestly feel about writing and what you hope to learn in the
course [closing sentence].
4. Put the finishing touches on your business letter, and give/send it to your teacher.

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 Lesson 2—Handout 1 SAMPLE

I. Purposes of Writing
D
P
I
N
II. Process of Writing
A. _________________
1. ________________ (Web Diagram)
2. ________________ __________

B. _________________
C.__________________

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 Lesson 2—Handout 2 SAMPLE

Web Diagram (Prewriting Part 1)

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 Lesson 2—Handout 3 SAMPLE
Narratives and the Writing Process:
Step A: _________________________

Part 2: _______________ __________

Choose one of the subjects you brainstormed about on the web diagram.
Then fill in the following story outline. When you have completed this
outline, you will have more than enough prewriting material to write your
narrative paragraph(s) in lesson #3.

1.Type of Narrative (circle one):

 Comic
 Serious
 Other _____________
2. Narrator:
 First person
 Third person
3. Setting (time, place, weather, etc.):
 In what season does your story take place?

 What is the weather like during your story?

 At what time of day or night does most of your story take place?

 In how many different locations does the action of your story take place? List them
all.

 Describe each location in full detail. Include colors and other sensory details.

4. Characters:
 Main Character (name, age, appearance, personality traits, best quality,
weakness, noticeable habits):

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 Lesson 2—Handout 3 SAMPLE
 Write 2 sentences your main character might say. Be sure to make them
sound as if the main character is actually talking.

 Character #2 (name, age, appearance, personality traits):

 Character #3 (name, age, appearance, personality traits):

5. What background might the readers need?

6. What is the conflict/problem ?

7. What happens to begin the story?

8. What happens next?

9. What happens then?

10. What is the high point (climax or part with most intensity)?

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 Lesson 2—Handout 3 SAMPLE
11. How is the conflict/problem resolved (resolution)?

12. How does the story end?

13. What do your characters learn?

ASSIGNMENT: Think about fun or memorable birthdays you have

experienced. Look at pictures in the family photo album, or interview Mom and
Dad about previous birthdays. Then, using the Web Diagram handout, brainstorm
to write details about 1 or 2 memorable birthdays. Choose a birthday with a
conflict/problem to make your future paper more interesting. Then, fill out the
handout, “Narratives and the Writing Process,” answering all of the questions to
prepare for the writing phase in the next lesson.

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 Lesson 3—Handout 1
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Paragraph Structure
1. Write a ___________ ________________ that states the main idea of the paragraph.

2. Include ______________ ________________ that explain or prove the topic sentence

with specific details, facts, examples or reasons.

3. Write a ________________ ________________ that adds a strong ending to the

paragraph.

Let’s Be More Specific

Structure of a Narrative Paragraph

1. The topic sentence makes a general statement about the __________, captures
______________, or sets the __________.

2. The supporting sentences tell the story, _________ by _________, of ______ the
problem or situation developed, ________ happened at its height, and ______ it was
___________.

3. The concluding sentence ________________ the story or makes a_____________ about

its meaning.

Sample Paragraph

Wet and Hungry

My birthday swimming party brought fifty friends to our house, even though
it was the end of November with a forty-degree wind and even though we did not
have enough food for my guests. For what seemed like hours, people kept arriving
and arriving. In fact, an endless line of cars covered our driveway, and I prayed that
we would have enough food for the masses to eat. Immediately, as boys and girls
crowded into our home, I led them across the rustic, open living room to the bathrooms so that
they could change into their swimsuits. Then, wrapped in towels of greens, reds and blues and
every color imaginable, fifty-two skinny middle schoolers waited impatiently in my family room
for the party to begin. I wondered again if snacks would need to be rationed. After I let my
friends eat one or two chips, I asked Susan to lead the swarm to the pool area. Susan—the head
cheerleader, a beautiful blonde with long brown legs—barked orders to the half-dressed cluster,
and they all obeyed, moving to the door. Sadly, as we moved outside in the cold air, we noticed
By the Book Writing Copyright 9
 Lesson 3—Handout 1
SAMPLE
that the pool’s cover, the bubble—a large dome-like structure lifted by an air compressor—was
slowly deflating. My short little mom flew in like a paratrooper to rescue my reputation, quickly
patched the bubble wall, and we crammed into the pool area. Tiptoeing teenagers slid into our
heated pool, and the party began. Squeals and laughter filled the water. Next, Susan and I
showed off, jumping and flipping off the diving board in our similar blue one-piece swimsuits—
swimsuits that we (like most middle school girls) had taken considerable time to find at the local
Walmart. We loved having an audience. It built our silly, girly self-esteem. Soon, everyone
started getting hungry, and I remembered that I had a dilemma. Would there be enough food for
this large assembly? Thankfully, the cold breeze stung and preoccupied the group, swarming
together to keep warm, and it bought us time to send my older sister Teresa to buy more chips,
cookies and two-liter bottles of soda, the predictable party food. I was relieved. The party’s
success, having enough food and fun, would save my standing amongst my peers. Teens finally
filled their stomachs with unhealthy goodness, and I learned a big lesson: have friends RSVP for
a party.

Now, read the same paragraph without transitions.

Wet and Hungry

My birthday swimming party brought fifty friends to our house, even though it was the
end of November with a forty-degree wind and even though we did not have enough food for my
guests. For what seemed like hours, people kept arriving and arriving. An endless line of cars
covered our driveway, and I prayed that we would have enough food for the masses to eat. As
boys and girls crowded into our home, I led them across the rustic, open living room to the
bathrooms so that they could change into their swimsuits. Wrapped in towels of greens, reds and
blues and every color imaginable, fifty-two skinny middle schoolers waited impatiently in my
family room for the party to begin. I wondered if snacks would need to be rationed. I let my
friends eat one or two chips, I asked Susan to lead the swarm to the pool area. Susan—the head
cheerleader, a beautiful blonde with long brown legs—barked orders to the half-dressed cluster,
and they all obeyed, moving to the door. Sadly, in the cold air, we noticed that the pool’s cover,
the bubble—a large dome-like structure lifted by an air compressor—was slowly deflating. My
short little mom flew in like a paratrooper to rescue my reputation, quickly patched the bubble
wall, and we crammed into the pool area. Tiptoeing teenagers slid into our heated pool, and the
party began. Squeals and laughter filled the water. Susan and I showed off, jumping and
flipping off the diving board in our similar blue one-piece swimsuits—swimsuits that we (like
most middle school girls) had taken considerable time to find at the local Walmart. We loved
having an audience. It built our silly, girly self-esteem. Everyone started getting hungry, and I
remembered that I had a dilemma. Would there be enough food for this large assembly? The
cold breeze stung and preoccupied the group, swarming together to keep warm, and it bought us
time to send my older sister Teresa to buy more chips, cookies and two-liter bottles of soda, the
predictable party food. I was relieved. The party’s success, having enough food and fun, would
save my standing amongst my peers. Teens filled their stomachs with unhealthy goodness, and I
learned a big lesson: have friends RSVP for a party.

Comment on the differences between the two paragraphs.

Will you put transitions in your rough draft?

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 Lesson 3—Handout 2 SAMPLE
Transitional Words

Using transitional words creates flow (coherence) and links ideas in your writing.
They are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by a
comma, or they can also be set off with commas and placed anywhere in the
sentence. Be sure to place them in a variety of places within your sentences
(in the beginning, middle, and end).

1. to show sequence and time:

first next afterwards similarly

second previously besides moreover
third in addition last then
and so forth also finally likewise
next furthermore meanwhile immediately
later yesterday soon finally
today

2. to show location:

adjacent to below in the background on the opposite side

above nearby west south
across to the left north east
beyond to the right close at hand

3. to show comparison:

likewise similarly also in the same manner

moreover in the same way equally correspondingly

4. to show contrast:

however otherwise conversely even though

nevertheless at the same time on the other hand yet
but even so still nonetheless
if not or else then again

5. to show more of the same:

furthermore also besides moreover
additionally equally important next likewise
in addition further finally and

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 Lesson 3—Handout 2 SAMPLE

6. to show a conclusion:

therefore finally hence for these reasons

thus accordingly as a consequence lastly
consequently in conclusion as a result to conclude

7. to show emphasis:

to repeat again with this in mind for example

in fact indeed for this purpose for instance
truly to this end certainly definitely

8. to show summary:

in summary to sum up in brief as a result

in short in conclusion to conclude as noted
therefore consequently accordingly

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 Lesson 3—Handout 3 SAMPLE
Reinforcing Coherence

You have written a report on C.S. Lewis, the British writer. Rereading your
report, you realize that many of your sentences lack FLOW (coherence). To
improve the coherence of your report, complete the sentences below with
transitional words and phrases from the following list; however, you many use
each transition or transitional phrase once.
as a result however yet on the other hand
consequently later for instance
eventually likewise for example

1. C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland; __________________, he became a famous

novelist and Christian apologist after moving to England.
2. Lewis had private tutors and attended the Wynyard School in Watford, Hertfordshire.
_________________, he took classes at Oxford University.
3. Many of Lewis’s best known words were fictional works. Screwtape Letters,
_____________________, teaches Christians how the Devil prepares his demons to
render humans ineffective for the kingdom of God.
4. Lewis was passionately interested in scripture and in writing. __________________, it
should come as no surprise that Lewis joined a literary group called the Inklings.
5. Lewis tried, unsuccessfully, to embrace atheism. ___________________, Lewis
described himself as “angry with God for not existing.”
6. Thankfully, J.R. R. Tolkien profoundly impacted Lewis’s life profoundly.
____________________, Lewis embraced Christianity again.
7. Many people think of Lewis as just a fantasy writer who entertains, _______________
Frost’s writing influences the souls of his readers too.
8. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis paints a clear picture of good and evil
and of man’s need for a Savior. The other books from The Chronicles of Narnia
___________________deal with this theme.
9. Lewis married an American writer name Joy and helped her raise her sons. Four years
later,____________________ , Joy died of cancer.
10. Many of Lewis’s writings deal with relationships between man and God. Surprised by
Joy, __________________, tells about Lewis’s journey toward faith in God.

“C.S. Lewis.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.

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 Lesson 3—Handout 3 SAMPLE
ASSIGNMENT: You will enter the writing phase of the writing process in this
lesson. Using your notes from the handout “Narratives and the Writing Process”
from the last lesson, create a paragraph narrating your memorable birthday. Be
sure to use transitional words (especially Group 1 from the Transitional Word
handout) to make your paragraph coherent. Don’t forget about good narrative
paragraph structure.

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 Lesson 4—Handout 1 and 2 SAMPLE

Leads

I. Typical
It was a day at the end of June 2001. My whole family, including my mom, dad, sister
and me, were waiting for all of my guests to arrive for my birthday party. We prepared the pool
area and cleaned the house the night before so that the day of the party would not be stressful.
The next morning when I was eating breakfast, my mom started yelling for me from the pool
area because there was something wrong.

II. Action: A Character Doing Something

I ran to the pool area as fast as my legs could carry me, my feet pounding away on the old
wooden deck, hurrying me toward the sound of my mom’s panicked voice. “Rusty!” she
hollered again.
“Coming, Mom!” I gasped and picked up my speed.

III. Dialogue: A Character or Characters Saying Something

“Rusty! Get out here on the double!” my mother hollered.

“Mom?” I hollered back. “Where are you?” I was sitting at the kitchen table eating
breakfast thinking about my party, and from some place outside my mom was calling for me.
“Rusty! MOVE IT. You’re not going to believe this,” Mom’s voice urged me. I gulped
down my milk and dashed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind me.

IV. Reaction: A Character Thinking About Something

I could not imagine what my mother could be hollering about already at 7:00 in the
morning. I thought hard and fast about what I might have done to get her so riled up. Had she
found out about the C that I had made on my Algebra I test? Or had she found out about the way
I had talked to my sister the night before, when we argued about the chores I was supposed to
do? Before I could consider a third possibility, my mom’s voice shattered my thoughts.
“Rusty! Hurry! You’re not going to believe this!”

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 Lesson 4—Handout 1 and 2 SAMPLE

Narrative Edit
Writer ___________________________ Reader____________________________

1. Does the topic sentence capture attention by using an action, dialogue, or reaction
type of lead?

2. Is the setting developed at the beginning of the narrative?

3. Are the characters developed enough so that the reader can picture them clearly?

4. Do the supporting sentences tell the story event by event?

5. Is the narrative in chronological order with FLOW because of the transitional words?

6. Is the point of view (1st or 3rd person) well chosen?

7. Should anything be added to strengthen development?

8. Does the concluding sentence summarize the story or make a point about its meaning?

9. Are there any misspelled words, errors in punctuation or grammar, or any changes that
need to be made to make the writer more successful?

10. Is the rough draft written in MLA Format?

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 Lesson 4—Handout 3 SAMPLE
MLA Format
(Modern Language Association)
First Page For A Paper Without A Title Page

[ 1/2 inch top margin]

Last Name 1

First and Last Name [1 inch

right margin]
Teacher’s Name
Double space everything.
Class Name

Day Month Year

Title

[1 inch Indent and begin the text of your paper. You should have double spaced
left margin]
after the title. Be sure to meet the length requirement of each essay. Make sure

that you check all of your margins. Learn MLA form, and you will be ready for

college essay format. If you need to go beyond one page text, be sure to follow

the correct format below:

[ 1 inch
bottom margin]

[½ inch top margin]

Last Name 2

Begin typing the rest of your essay 1 inch from the top of the paper. You

will double space after your last name and page number. The entire document is

double spaced. The top margin is always ½ inch. The bottom margin, left margin,

and right margin are always 1inch.

ASSIGNMENT: After you finish the Lead activity and the Narrative Edit,
make a final copy of the narrative in MLA Format. Be prepared to turn the final
copy into your teacher.

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 Lesson 5—Handout 1 SAMPLE

Theme Park Writing Assignment

Writing Prompt: A wealthy businessman has asked you to design a

spectacular theme park. In business letter format, describe in detail
for him 3 aspects of the park that you designed. **{In this lesson you
will only be prewriting.}

I. Purposes of Writing
(Name the purposes of writing, and choose which purpose you will choose with this paper.)

D
P
I
N
II. Process of Writing
(Name the steps in the Process of Writing.)

A. ________________
1. ______________: Listing (See Theme Park
Designer handout.)

2. ______________: Drawing
3. Audience: _______________
B. ________________
C. ________________
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 Lesson 5—Handout 2 SAMPLE
Theme Park Designer
Directions: On this page brainstorm a list of rides and attractions that you would enjoy
putting in your park. Pretend that the wealthy businessman or businesswoman has
given you an unlimited budget to design your park. Funding is not a problem. Be
creative. Dream big!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

VERY FUN ASSIGNMENT: Now draw your theme park.

 Your wealthy businessman has given you unlimited funds, so dream big. Your
park may even be a skyscraper or an underwater park.
 Feel free to use clip art, roller coaster tycoon (a program) or any internet help to
make your drawing.
 Make your drawing on an 8 x 11 piece of typing paper.

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