This course is designed to develop the written language skills of the first-year junior high student and to help students transition into writing at a secondary level. During the first semester of this class, the students will examine sentence structure, learning how to parse and diagram. The students will become experts in the art of diagramming, a beneficial tool in becoming an articulate writer. During the second semester, the students will put into practice what they have learned. The Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum along with the second half of the Analytical Grammar curriculum which focuses on punctuation in writing will guide them in this process. Writing assignments will offer students opportunities to refine the lessons taught during the course.