Course info

Help your middle school student gain must-have essay writing skills with personal help and feedback on their work, while understanding how to write an excellent introduction with a hook and thesis statement; how to brainstorm, order, and outline; and how to draft, revise, and edit for excellence. Students also learn upper-level paragraph structure. This course prepares your student for high school and helps your student write longer works with confidence. Take the 7/8-1 prerequisite course with this course to gain a full semester’s credit for writing.

Instructor Access (optional grading support, or "IA") for Unlimited Access families is available for this course!

Choose the instructor that you previously worked with, for your current grading. If you do not see your current instructor listed, then choose one of the two IA instructors here, to guide you through this course. 

Note: This course is the second course of four (4) in the 7/8-Series of Simplified Writing courses for middle school students. Take all four of the 7/8-Series courses to gain one full year of credit (28 weeks total).   How to get the most out of Simplified Writing for Middle School 2: Introduction to Essays and Papers 1, with Professor Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka author Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy)... Prepare: Carefully read the course details in the course introduction area (below). Prepare a notebook for note taking and homework. Use the same notebook through the entire course. Look Over the Course Format: Classes have the same format throughout. Follow the course materials from top to bottom, in order, one class at a time. Begin the Course: LIVE Class Students -- Come to the first LIVE class session on the scheduled date and time. Unlimited Access / Recorded Students -- Click on the Recording and watching Professor Brown’s lecture for Class One. Take Notes: Bring your notebook to every class, and take notes during every class! Complete the Activities: Complete all class materials in order. Each week, start at the top of the activities and move downward. Learning Videos ("Short Videos"): Be sure to watch the short videos before completing your assignment(s). Quizzes: If there are any quizzes, complete quizzes after completing all other materials. The computer will automatically grade your quiz, and the quiz will reset if someone else in the family takes the quiz -- so please record your grade immediately after taking the quiz. Complete Your Assignment(s): Be sure to turn in your assignments before moving onto the next week's materials. LIVE students upload the assignments into the course. Recorded course students either have parents grade the work or use Instructor Access Grading Services, for one-on-one feedback from a teacher.   Review as Needed: If you struggle with any of the materials, please watch the recording(s) and/or go over the PowerPoint again. If using the course in recorded access, consider getting an Instructor Access grader for your work. If you have Instructor Access, email your teacher with questions.  Questions: If after watching the recording and reviewing the PowerPoint again and you still have questions… Recorded Course Students – Speak with your parent and ask questions. Instructor Access Students – Email your one-on-one instructor with your questions. LIVE Course Students – Email questions to your instructor at the instructor email provided on this page. Completing the Course: Once the course is completed to a parent/teacher's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end of this page (to be filled in for your records). Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping, so you can use the course description, weekly outline, and content here to keep track of the concepts learned.

Total Classes: 8

 

Prerequisite: Simplified Writing for Middle School 1: Foundations of Composition I (MS 7/8-1). If your student is unable to take the previous courses LIVE, then at a minimum, he or she can watch the recordings on Unlimited Access before taking this course. An alternative to the prerequisite: a passing assessment from the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assessment service. Please contact homeschoolconnections@gmail.com for any questions on permissions.

Suggested Grade Level: 8th and accelerated 7th grade

Suggested Credit: ½ semester Writing or English. Precede with 7/8-1 for a full semester's credit for writing.

 

Instructor: Erin M Brown (AKA Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy), M.A, M.F.A.
Instructor Email: ebconroy@homeschoolconnections.com

Course Description: Help your middle school student continue to master the critical writing skills learned in the Simplified Writing 1 (7/8-1) course -- and put your knowledge and skills into practice with specific feedback and coaching to help your writing improve. Learn the most powerful paragraph structure ("PEAS"), and work through the writing process for academic writing. Brainstorm and craft the outline of an essay and a short paper while learning how to write seven types of “hooks”; master the five parts of an advanced thesis statement; and learn more ways to connect sentences in an introduction. You'll understand how to smoothly create an essay or paper from start to finish; the most important steps of revising and editing; and how to connect sentences in an essay or paper with linear, focused writing. This course is excellent preparation for high school writing and gives students a jump-start on writing for high school.

 

Course Outline:

• Class 1: Writing structure and skill: practicing the introduction, hook, and thesis
• Class 2: Writing structure and skill: practicing outlines and the conclusion/concluding statements
• Class 3: Writing an essay: rough drafts
• Class 4: Writing a paper: five types of papers & practicing the introduction, hook, and thesis
• Class 5: Writing a paper: practicing outlines and concluding statements; revising an essay
• Class 6: Writing a paper: rough drafts; editing an essay
• Class 7: Revising a Paper
• Class 8: Editing and formatting final papers

Course Materials: Course materials are included free. Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document is required, as all assignments are submitted in Word. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.

 

Homework: Weekly writing assignments, with grading and direct feedback from the instructor. Estimated three to four hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student's ability.