Writing Lecture One

This course will improve your writing skills and your ability to do well on the SAT I verbal exams. Let's start by looking at the importance of writing and also explain what these exams are.

Writing is important in nearly every job that you might do as an adult. Almost everyone has to write summaries of their work or memos to other workers in their company. Most college courses have writing assignments that must be completed. In many areas of study, it is a requirement to write a "thesis" in order to graduate and earn a college degree.

Writing is essential to Christianity. Each week there are readings from the Bible that help enlighten everyone and strengthen our faith. Someone wrote the books in the Bible to make this possible. Preachers often write out their sermons, or outlines of it, in order to make them more effective.

Writing can have a very calming and beneficial effect on the person doing the writing. Reading a book is good, but one learns even more by writing a book. The activity of writing sharpens the mind and helps improve understanding. If you are upset about something, try writing about it. You'll find it makes you feel better afterward. 150 years ago, Americans would spend much of their free time writing letters or diaries. Writing is a form of mental exercise that has a very positive effect on the person doing the writing.

Writing can also have change the world for the better. "The pen is mightier than the sword" is a famous insight. Thomas Paine's pamphlet entitled "Common Sense" helped win independence for the American colonies from Great Britain; Harriet Beach Stowe's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" helped end slavery. Many of the most influential people in history were writers, starting with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the authors of the four Gospels.

Learning to write, and write well, will open more opportunities for you than any other skill. It is better even than learning how to swim, or ride a bicycle, or fly a plane, or become a good debater, or speak many languages. Once you develop the talent of good writing, there is almost no limit to what you can achieve, and most jobs and activities become much easier. While your college classmates or co-workers are struggling with a writing assignment, you'll be finishing it with skill and ease.

SAT I

The two verbal SAT I exams are called "critical reading" and "writing". They are what colleges look at most in determining admissions and scholarships. This class will help you master the skills that these exams teach.

The exams are offered by the "College Board," and cost only $45. The exams are offered at local high schools in early March, early May and early June. Registration deadlines are a month before the test dates, and all the information and process for registration are available online.