Course info

In this advanced-level essay writing course for middle school students, help your student master essay writing with advanced concepts leading the student into high school writing. Taking the concepts learned in the 7/8-1 and 7/8-2 courses, the successful student finishing this course has the tools and is ready for successful high school essay writing. Take the 7/8-4 course with this course to gain a full semester’s credit for writing.

How to get the most out of the SIMPLIFIED WRITING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 3: Writing the Excellent Essay (MS 7/8-3) course Read the course details below. Prepare a notebook for notetaking and homework. Students -- be sure to take notes during class! Students, begin the course by: LIVE CLASS Students - Coming to the first live Class session on the scheduled date and time. Unlimited Access / Recorded Students - Clicking on the "Recording" and watching Professor Brown’s lecture for Class One. Review any supplemental materials (videos or readings) Complete the Quiz(zes). The computer will automatically grade the quiz. Students will review with a parent. *Note* If taking the course in Recorded format, the quiz will reset if someone else in the family takes it, so make sure the grade is recorded by a parent. If you need review, watch the recording and/or go over the PowerPoint again. Repeat until all 8 classes are complete. Once the course is completed to the parent'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

Total Classes: 8

Prerequisite:

Registration in Simplified Writing for Middle School 2: Introduction to Essays & Papers I (MS 7/8-2). 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: 7th and 8th grade

Suggested Credit: ½ semester Writing or English. Follow with 7/8-4 for a full semester's credit for writing. 

Instructor: Natalie Schira
Instructor Email: N.Schira.HSC@gmail.com

Grader: Ryan Starrett

Graders email: starrettud@yahoo.com

Course Description: It’s time to help your student dive into longer essays and advanced writing concepts! In this course, your student will take the skills learned in the Simplified Writing 1 and 2 courses (7/8-1 and 7/8-2) to write short essays, receiving specific feedback and coaching regarding how your student’s writing can improve. Your student will go through the start-to-finish process of creating an academic essay, with specific instruction regarding the use of strong rhetoric, diction, and syntax (words and order). While previous classes taught the “how and why” of writing skills (with first-time introductions to ideas), this course gives your student critical practice – under the tutelage of a teacher and professional writer – to prepare for high school writing and beyond.

 

Course Outline:

• Class 1: Types of essays – an introduction to rhetoric and choosing an essay topic
• Class 2: Narrowing topics (from last class); brainstorming content for your topic and creating the thesis statement
• Class 3: Analyzing and improving thesis statements (from last class); creating outlines
• Class 4: Analyzing and improving outlines (from last class); creating introductions
• Class 5: Creating rough drafts
• Class 6: Revising the essay
• Class 7: Editing the essay
• Class 8: Formatting for the academic essay; an introduction to style guides

 

Course Materials: Materials are provided FREE within the course.

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