(Recorded Course) High School Simplified Writing 2: Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay (HS 9-4) with Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA

Get the writing edge and go beyond the five-paragraph essay to mastering the secrets of advanced essay writing, including different essay types, advanced brainstorming techniques, using parallelism, cohesive writing, bookending, and more. These must-have essay skills apply to all high school and college courses. Take the 9-3 course with this course to gain a full semester’s credit for writing.

 Instructor Access (optional grading support) is available for Unlimited Access or Single Access. 
See the sidebar to the right for signup information! Scroll down to read the biography of each instructor. 

 

 

How to get the most out of the Simplified Writing 2: Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay course with Professor Erin M. Brown (AKA Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy)

  • 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 any Quiz(zes) or homework assignments posted. The computer will automatically grade the quiz.
    • *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: Required: Registered for Writing Essentials 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I (HS 9-1) and High School Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills (HS 9-2). Recommended: High School Writing Essentials 2: Excellent Paragraphs & Essay Writing (HS 9-3)

Because courses in the program are sequential, for your student’s success, it is required that your student take the 9-1 and 9-2 courses before enrolling in this course. Students will be held accountable for all content taught in the previous courses. 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: 9th grade; however, all high school students are welcome.

Suggested credit: One-half (½) of a semester’s credit for Writing or English

Combine with High School Writing Essentials 2: Excellent Paragraphs & Essay Writing (HS 9-3) for one (1) full semester credit. When combined with the 9-3 course, this course is worth one (1) full semester’s credit for writing.

Instructor: Erin Brown Conroy, MA, MFA

Course Description: The Five-Paragraph Essay has been the standard for essay writing for years — and in this course, your student will understand that there is so much more that's necessary to be a competent writer and go beyond the typical form to learning what makes an essay exceptional. Students will craft essay assignments and practice becoming comfortable with thinking quickly in creating, drafting, and polishing essays. Special attention will be paid to how to write essays that capture the attention and flow from beginning to end, with meaning.

Course Outline: 

  • Class 1: Essay types and differences, and where you’ll write them
  • Class 2: The traditional five-paragraph essay
  • Class 3: What makes an essay great: research an essay and brainstorming with the “then what?” question; taking your thoughts “to the end of the line”
  • Class 4: What makes an essay great: writing an essay and examples and analysis of form, parallelism, and rhythm
  • Class 5: What makes an essay great: transitional tricks, answering the reader’s questions, making cohesive decisions, and bookending
  • Class 6: What makes an essay great: storytelling and creative elements
  • Class 7: What makes an essay great: analyzing three essays
  • Class 8: Revising and editing your essays

Course materials: Simplified Writing 101: Top Secrets for College Success, by Erin Brown Conroy: Buy the hard copy of the book here:  http://amzn.to/2FMCose OR, buy the Kindle version of the book here (Download the FREE Kindle app to easily read on your computer, tablet, or mobile device): www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00B7AB90W/catholictreas-20

Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document is required. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.

Homework: Students will have weekly writing assignments with grading and direct feedback from the instructor. Expect an estimated two (2) to four (4) hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student’s ability; homework includes reading, writing, and responding to feedback.