Spelling/Vocabulary Proposal

Instructions: Please compose a formal proposal for how you will improve either your spelling or your vocabulary during second term.  If you have received feedback on your essays indicating you need to improve spelling, then you are required to do a proposal for spelling. If your spelling is satisfactory, then you may propose a plan to develop your vocabulary.

This assignment is intended to give you experience in writing a formal proposal as well as helping you improve your wordcraft. Your proposal should consist of the following components. Please include section headings for each of the components. The proposal will be due, typed and proofread, on Friday, Oct. 24.

1.      Executive Summary: In ONE sentence, provide a brief summary of the proposal so that a reader can quickly grasp the essence of the proposal.

 

2. Problem: Write one paragraph explaining the problem or opportunity your proposed plan will address. In writing the paragraph, please use specific examples from your own writing as evidence to support your claims.

Please carefully diagnose the nature of spelling problems by examining samples of your own writing. What are the causes of the spelling problems? What types of spelling problems do you have? Are they problems with commonly confused words such as their, there, and they’re? Are they problems with double letters such as commitment/committment/comitment? Are they problems with vowel blends such as receive/receive? Are they words you know how to spell but have not paid attention to?

Or please carefully describe your current approach, or lack of approach, to learning vocabulary. What strategies have you used in classes in the past to enhance your vocabulary? Which ones worked or did not work and why? Evaluate your current knowledge of Latin/Greek roots. Evaluate how you deal with words you do not know in your reading. Evaluate to what degree you actually use new vocabulary in your spoken and written communications.

3.      Detailed Plan: Please explain with specific details your plan for improving spelling or vocabulary. What will you do? When will you do it? Who will help you do it—and are they willing? What resources will you use? Why is your plan practical?

When thinking about improving spelling, you might consider one or a combination of three general approaches:

1)     Learning phonograms and spelling “rules.” (For example, Riggs)

2)     Memorizing lists of commonly misspelled or commonly confused words. (available on the Internet)

3)     Identifying personal spelling lists from your own writing.

When considering vocabulary, you might consider three approaches:

1)     Studying Latin/Greek roots

2)     Studying lists of college-prep vocabulary (For example, SAT or ACT lists)

3)     Identifying vocabulary words from your reading.

 

4. Accountability:
Every Friday during Second Term, you will be asked to turn in a score out of 10 possible points for your success in improving spelling/vocabulary that week. Please write a rubric for yourself to show what it will take to earn a 10, a 9, an 8, a 7, and so on. Besides being accountable in class for a grade, please indicate another person to whom you will hold yourself accountable. What will that person do to hold you accountable? Will they quiz you? Will they review your papers looking for spelling problems? Will they have a conversation with you where they evaluate whether you are using new vocabulary words correctly or not?

 

5. Conclusion/Benefits: Please write a paragraph conclusion explaining how improving your spelling/vocabulary will contribute to some of your specific long-term goals (college, career, missions, serving in callings, future family, etc.)? What will success look like for you?

 

6. Signatures: Please include a space for a parent signature, indicating your parent has reviewed your proposal and finds it professional, realistic, and sufficiently detailed. Please have your parent review your proposal, make suggestions for improving it, and then sign it before submitting it on Monday.
Please include another space for your own signature, indicating your agreement to be held accountable to your proposed plan should Mr. Dye accept your proposal.