Homeschool Writing and Then Some

Send us a Text Message. Ep #11 To AP or Not to AP? Show Notes Homeschoolers are often in a quandary when it comes to proving their excellence as students. How do you convince the scholarship committee or the college admission board that you really are a superior candidate when your mom is the one writing your transcript? One way that students can prove their merit is by taking AP courses and doing well on AP exams. But figuring out this process as a homeschooler can be little tricky and confusing, which is why I decided to devote an entire episode to this topic. In it I discuss · The two different AP English courses and which one to take if you want to skip college composition classes · How to use AP Course Audit to get your course approved and why it matters · The amount of time and money you save by scoring well on the AP exam · A key resource that AP students can access to help them succeed in the course and on the exam I don’t cover everything there is to know about AP English, but I did pack the essentials into this no-nonsense discussion. If you are in the Roanoke, Virginia area and are interested in an in-person class for the 2024-25 school year, follow this link: https://homeschool-writing-and-then-some.ck.page/6d30819153 If you are interested in receiving more information about the online course I am developing about how to navigate AP English, follow this link: https://homeschool-writing-and-then-some.ck.page/5dff49e612

Send us a Text Message. Ep #10 Lessons from Pollyanna Show Notes Today’s episode is special because it’s my tenth episode—woo hoo! cue the confetti!—and because I am talking about a book that is near and dear to my heart. You know how sometimes the right book comes along at the right time and it’s, well, . . . transformational. That’s what Pollyanna was for me, and I think after you listen to this episode, you will be rushing to the library or bookstore to snag your own copy. You can also read it for free online here https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1450/1450-h/1450-h.htm Although this episode is a departure from the way I usually teach, I hope you will be inspired by this honest discussion of hardship and of faith and of how one book can change your perspective on everything. In it, I discuss · How our culture completely misses the mark about what it means to be a “Pollyanna” · How playing one particular game can completely change your life · What it means to “Pollyanna” a situation and how having that perspective can help you find joy in adversity · How having a “Pollyanna attitude” has helped me in my personal struggles with recent sickness and surgery Intrigued? I hope so. You won’t want to miss this episode. Read Pollyanna for free online here https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1450/1450-h/1450-h.htm And in case you missed it last week, Here is the link to the free Peer Editing Guide https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/7c43294e89

Send us a Text Message. Ep #9 Peer Editing in a Homeschool Context Show Notes If you want to learn a strategy that will help students transform their papers from mediocre to excellent, then this episode is you! In this episode you will learn · how to set the right tone for collaborative work · specific guidelines to make peer editing successful · the benefits of being both a writer AND an editor Plus I give you suggestions for how to implement peer revising even if you aren’t part of a larger group or co-op. Link to free Peer Editing Guide https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/7c43294e89

Send us a Text Message. Show Notes In this episode you will find an overview of my professional writing course plus a close-up look at the ins and outs of writing thank you notes. In this episode you will learn · why writing thank you notes is so important · how to personalize a thank you note · how to thank someone for a gift you DON’T like Plus I give you an easy list of do’s and don’ts for writing thank you notes that you can use to help your kids develop this important habit. Links mentioned How To Write Anything: A Complete Guide by Laura Brown https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34068526-how-to-write-anything?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_21

Send us a Text Message. Ep #7 Vocabulary Development Show Notes Did you know that English has well over a half a million words? Let that number sink in for a minute. This is far more than French which has fewer than 100,000 or even German which has around 185,000. Half a million words! That’s a lot of vocabulary. Obviously, you can’t expect your child to learn all the words; even 100,000 would be way too many. But you do want your kids to have good vocabularies, the kind that helps them read with comprehension, write with confidence, and converse with intelligence. The problem is that vocabulary programs often fall short with their canned approach of word lists, exercises, and tests. While they offer a good launching point, what students really need is more interactive engagement to help them cultivate a fascination with words. But interactive engagement takes time, you say. And you are right, but probably not as much time as you think. In this episode, you’ll find strategies that take no more than 10 minutes. Now I know you can find 10 minutes in your schedule for something as important as vocabulary development. In this episode you will learn · why the same level workbook can work for students of different ages · why you may need to change your pace and adjust your goals · how to use a “canned” workbook to spark engagement · zero prep games that make vocabulary fun (and memorable) If you are ready for an easy way to spice up your vocabulary instruction, then you’ve come to the right place. Links mentioned Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129578.Bringing_Words_to_Life?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_22 Academic Vocabulary in Middle and High School: Effective Practices across the Disciplines by Donna Ogle, Camille Blachowicz, Peter Fisher, and Laura Lang https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25073660-academic-vocabulary-in-middle-and-high-school?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_34

Send us a Text Message. Ep #6 How to Have Students Write about What They Read—Part 2: Writing as You Go How often are you having your kids write? If you said, not often enough, then this might be the episode for you! In it, I discuss of a variety of ways that you can incorporate writing into your reading/literature curriculum. So whether you want your child to write every day or just once a week, you’ll find a strategy to help you reach your goals. Here are the 10 choices I explain in this episode: 1. Author biography (provides a short research project and develops the skills of summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting). Organization plan: Introduction--Summary statement about the author including birth/death dates and what the writer is most famous for Body paragraphs--Childhood and early life; writing career Conclusion-- Anecdote/interesting story/or several interesting things to know about the author 2. Research a historical event related to the novel 3. Pick a quote from the chapter and explain why you think it is important 4. Character analysis—pick five details about the character and explain what they reveal about the character 5. Point of view—write from a different point of view 6. Tone—identify the tone of a passage, and then rewrite the passage to create a different tone 7. Symbol—explain how the symbol functions in a particular chapter 8. Imagery/Metaphor/Simile/Allusion—close reading—pick 3 to 5 examples and explain how they enhance the meaning of the passage 9. Theme—(topic and significance of topic) within a chapter 10. Conflict—Describe the conflict and identify the type of conflict as internal (individual versus him/herself)) or external (individual versus others, the environment, or the supernatural) You can use these strategies over and over again with any kind of longer fiction. Links mentioned The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55618025 Tone Charts https://www.chompingatthelit.com/tone-and-mood-examples/ https://vocabularyhome.com/general/tone-vocabulary-list/

Send us a Text Message. Ep #5 How to Have Students Write about What They Read—Part 1: Writing at the End This year I get to teach so many incredible works of literature: Beowulf, Macbeth, and To Kill a Mockingbird to name a few. And of course I want my students to be totally enraptured by everything I assign. (If only!) I know that one of the best ways to get them to engage deeply with the texts is to write, write, and write some more. Sure, they may grumble a little from time to time—literary analysis is exhausting work after all—but the more they fatigue those brain muscles, the stronger they grow as thinkers and as writers. They learn to build better arguments and examine complex issues more deeply. Because I know writing is so important, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to integrate it into my reading assignments. In this episode, I’m going to share with you some of the elements I return to again and again. These ideas are by no means original with me. In fact, if you’re looking for wildly creative, outside-the-box writing suggestions, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Instead, I’ve put together a selection of tried and true ideas that have been used by many an English teacher throughout the years. Most of them will work with a variety of texts and all of them are homeschool friendly and easy to use. This episode focuses on writing that you can assign after a student has completely finished reading a text. (In the next episode, I’ll share ideas that you can use as the student reads each chapter or section.) In this episode, I discuss · How to set a goal for different writing levels · How to turn your student’s dislike of a text into an essay · An easy method for doing a character analysis · Six writing options to use after students finish reading a text Links mentioned Teachers Pay Teachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/

Send us a Text Message. Show Notes Ep #4 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 5—Evaluation Step 5: Have a plan to evaluate student writing Would you rather grade a math test or an English paper? I bet you said math paper, right? With its very convenient answer key and one correct solution for each problem. No sweat. Grading essays is a whole other story. Because there isn’t just one correct way to write an essay—there are so many variables, and what standards are you supposed to use anyway? How do you tell the difference between a “good” paper and a “bad” one? And then how do you explain to your student what they need to work on to improve for next time? If you are nodding your head because you can identify with the struggle, then you are going to love this episode because I explain how to use a simple grading rubric to evaluate most kinds of writing. Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the term “rubric.” I’ll let you know what it is it and tell you exactly how to use it. In this episode, you will also learn · The big mistake most homeschool parent/teachers make when grading essays · Why you shouldn’t mark every grammar and spelling mistake · The specific criteria you can use to grade nearly every essay your student writes If that sounds good, you’ll definitely want to download the two PDFs that go with this episode: Ø A blank grading rubric that you can use over and over again Ø An example of a filled out grading rubric I’ll be referencing those documents during the episode, so you’ll want to grab them ahead of time if you can. That brings us to the end of the four-part series on how to teach writing to older students. Here are the steps one more time: Step 1: Have students keep a structured journal (episode 1) Step 2: Understand the writing process and help your students apply it to their writing (episode 2) Step 3: Learn the main types of writing (episode 3) Step 4: Plan out your writing calendar—how many papers and which kinds of assignments (episode 3) Step 5: Have a plan for how to evaluate student writing (episode 4) Remember, it’s not enough to have a good plan. You have to get in motion. You don’t have to wait for the beginning of the school year to start. You can start today, or at least tomorrow, with the journal writing plan. I hope you feel empowered and ready to make writing a priority. You can do it! Links mentioned in this episode: Journal Writing Plan https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c Cheat Sheet https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/85deb68661 Grading Rubric (Episode 4) https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/f9baf745ae Example of a Grading Rubric (Episode 4) https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/636fc3bdb7 Writing Course https://bitandrudder.teachable.com/p/help-your-homeschooler-become-a-confident-writer-even-if-writing-isn-t-your-thing

Send us a Text Message. Show notes #1 #1 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 1—Structured Journals This strategy helps students practice writing without the fear of failure Confession: I avoided teaching my kids to write for years because I was so overwhelmed with the process. Oh sure, I had a curriculum, more than one even, and every year I promised myself that this was the year we were going to write. Usually, though, we didn’t make it past lesson 3 because it was too confusing, time-consuming, daunting, difficult. You get the idea! If this sounds familiar, then you may find that this episode gives you exactly what you need to break through the confusion and prioritize writing this year. Because let’s be honest, teaching writing can be tricky—there are A LOT of moving parts. If you don’t have an easy-to-use plan, it’s hard to keep moving forward. In this episode, you will learn · a plan for writing so easy that you can start it today · a strategy that will get your child in the habit of writing · a way to help your child become a more confident writer · a nearly effortless way to get you—the parent/teacher—in the habit of assigning and grading writing If this sounds too good to be true, I can assure you I have seen the results first hand, with my own children and in English classes I’ve taught. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The tool at the center of these great results is a structured journal. The “structured” part of that is very important as I explain in the episode, because journal-keeping without clear guidelines can be a big waste of time. But I’ve got you covered with exact guidelines for assigning journals, plus all the prompts you need and instructions on how to grade student entries. It’s all laid out in this episode, but I’ve also created a FREE Journal Writing Guide with all the information you need to get started. So if you’re ready, it’s time to learn all about how to set up your writing classroom. Links mentioned in this episode: Journal Writing Plan https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c Journal Buddies https://www.journalbuddies.com/ Website https://homeschoolwritingandthensome.com

Send us a Text Message. Show Notes #2 #2 How to Teach Writing to Middle and High School Students: Step 2—The Writing Process Understand and use the writing process My goal in this series is to give you—the homeschool parent/teacher—a straightforward, tactical plan for teaching writing to older students. In the last episode, I explained how easy and effective structured journals can be, especially if your child lacks confidence as a writer. Journals aren’t exactly magical, but pretty close—and so very easy to implement. So that brings us to the next step which is all about the process of writing—and it has steps too—perfect, right? Because steps give us a pathway—from blank page to finished product. In this episode, I talk about · How to help students find and explore a topic so that they never again have to say “I don’t know what to write about” · The crucial difference between revising and editing, and why it’s important to do both · Why the first version of a paper should not be the only version · One clever trick for proofreading In this nuts-and-bolts episode, I take you through every step of the writing process Ø Prewriting Ø Drafting Ø Revising Ø Editing Ø Publishing And I provide plenty of examples so you can see this powerful tool in action! Be sure to grab the cheat sheet I created for this episode, so you can practice the writing process for each and every writing assignment. Links mentioned in this episode: Journal Writing Plan https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c The Writing Process Cheat Sheet (Episode 2) https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/85deb68661 Website https://homeschoolwritingandthensome.com

Send us a Text Message. Show Notes #3 #3 How to Teach Writing to Middle School and High School Students: Step 3 and Step 4—Types of Writing and Planning Your Calendar This is how you plan out your writing curriculum for the entire year. Are you excited to set up your writing classroom? I love this episode because it brings everything I’ve been talking about together into one comprehensive plan. And you know what they say: those who fail to plan, plan to fail. The value of a well-thought out plan especially in the hands of a busy homeschool mom is almost priceless. But no matter how good the plan, you must follow through with it for it to be a success. I wanted to make sure I said that, because I think that without a plan, failure is almost inevitable, but even with a plan, success isn’t automatic if the plan just sits in its shiny box and is never taken out and implemented. So part of your plan has to be taking action. In this episode, I’ll share with you · The five main kinds of writing that students need to know and practice · An easy way to practice summarizing that students love · The value of incorporating fiction writing into your curriculum · Specific assignments (with examples!) for the main kinds of writing Obviously, you need to know what your options are if you’re going to make writing assignments, so that’s what Step 3 is all about—getting familiar with the main types of writing. I explain them in detail with plenty of examples. Finally, in Step 4, it’s time for you to set up your calendar, deciding exactly which assignments you will make and when you will assign them. And just like that, you have a plan! Links mentioned in this episode: Journal Writing Plan https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/713dbe727c Cheat Sheet https://marvelous-artist-7428.ck.page/85deb68661 Writing Course https://bitandrudder.teachable.com/p/help-your-homeschooler-become-a-confident-writer-even-if-writing-isn-t-your-thing