Scholars Online-Writing for the College Bound...

[Angela in NC]

Any experience for a 7th grader? Positive or negaive? Thank you.

[Moira in MA]

No experience with that particular course but my younger dd took 'Molding your Prose' last summer (as a rising 8th grader) and she loved it. A short course is a great way to test the waters of online courses without a hugh commitment.

She hopes to take 'Molding your Argument' this summer.

HTH

[Sandra in FL]

here's the reply from the teacher about SO's writing sequence:

Let me see if I can help you sort this out. First, Scholars Onlline doesn't have "stepped" writing courses -- as in 7th grade writing, 12 grade writing, etc. I often get 12th graders who have had little to no experience writing for school and are trying to catch up. By the same token, I sometimes see 6th graders who have just finished writing a first novel, have won national essay contests, or who have had an article published in a magazine. That means we get people of all grades and all skill levels in every class, but the grade and skill level mostly don't match. Some of the younger students are the best writers, and some of the older students are still struggling to learn basic punctuation.

In addition, I depend heavily on very detailed feedback from me to the students as a teaching tool. I also do not grade on a curve because it's impossible in a diverse class. Instead, I assess the student's initial skill level and then grade on the improvement he or she makes over the year.

That's the long way of explaining why the sequence is left a little vague. Anyone at any age can drop in anywhere, depending on need. Given your daughter's background, I would place here in Writing for the College-bound, but I will list all the courses I teach below in the recommended order -- as if your daughter had not had previous experience.

Also, I haven't listed any summer classes below. I teach basic English grammar and a poetry class in the summer. Dr. Bruce McMenomy teacher theoretical grammar (more of a linguistics course), and three composition classes in the summer (Molding your prose, Molding your style, and Molding your argument).

Mrs. Byington

Writing courses for 2008 academic year in sequence:

Something to note about all of the courses: All require reading -- textbook, essays, books. All can be "keyed" to other scholarsonline courses through the writing topic chosen.

1. Introduction to Writing for the College-bound. This course is new for the upcoming academic year. It gives foundational information in essay writing and grammar for those who are new to the kind of writing they'll be expected to do in school, or for those who need a refresher. The writing in this class is mostly short pieces, done frequently.

2. Writing for the College-bound. This is the "core" of the writing program. We still work on basic essay writing, but the pieces are longer. We also work on other types of writing such as technical and research writing, and we do practice SAT timed essays. I do not repeat the same assignments each year, and I highly recommend that students repeat this course as many times as they like until they feel ready to move on to more challenging writing, or until they feel that they have enough experience to do well in college writing. This year we spent the first half of the year writing short essays, and we're doing one long research paper for the second half of the year. Students also read two non-fiction books and do two book reports each year. I don't know what we'll be writing next year. Stay tuned!

3. Advanced Writing for the College-bound. This course builds on the lessons learned in Writing for the College-bound, but takes students to a higher level of skill and refinement in writing. The class focuses on research and academic writing, writing for publication (magazines, journals), and writing in an area of the student's choice such as various forms of fiction, poetry, technical writing, scientific writing, journalism, or creative non-fiction.

Anytime after Writing for the College-bound:

Rhetoric, Grammar, and Style. This class focuses on the elements of the craft of writing: rhetoric, grammar, and style. Students will study how to meet a rhetorical end through the effective use of words and their structural relationships (grammar), and through pleasing and clear arrangements of those words (style).

Any time:

Writing Workshop. I run a workshop each semester. It works well for students who have a full load of other classes, but still want feedback on writing. The students log in and post writing once per month, get feedback from me and two of their peers, and give feedback. Students can post their own work, post new work (there are ideas on the web site), do timed essays, or post work from other classes.

Elective:

Introduction to Playwriting. Currently this is the only "elective" writing at Scholars Online. I might offer a general creative writing class in the future, but I don't have time right now!


Dd is currently doing Write@Home 7th grade composition but doesn't like it. She says she hasn't learned anything (well, maybe, not much). I'm considering Home2Teach or Scholar's Online. I had wanted to try the Home2Teach before fall to see if dd liked it but the spring courses are full and she's going on a retreat in the summer (probably right in the middle of the summer class).

HTH,
Sandra

[Angela in NC]

That was helpful. I really like what was posted about Writing for the College bound. I will seriously vonsider this. Angela

[Brindee]

Sandra,

Thankyou so much! That was very helpful for me! I've never heard of Scholars Online, but will be going to check it out now!

[Brindee]

Yikes, are all the classe $550 plus book costs? How do people afford that?! I guess I wouldn't be able to do that after all.

[Moira in MA]

Where did you get S550?

Writing for the college bound is listed at $420.

There are some membership and registration fees in addition parent: $25 membership; student $25 membership and $30 registration.

This still leaves you with a cost of $500 for the year.

[Brindee]

I dunno, I need to go back and look. I was reading someplace that said classes were $550....SOMEwhere....I'll let you know after I go back and check! :) I HOPE I'm wrong! Thanks for the heads-up!

[lwilliams1922]

I was all set to check out the class and get more info...

then I got to the part about the cost. :(

any other writing programs a bit more afordable??

[Stardust]

from Home2Teach:

http://www.home2teach.com/

He's only in his second week, but I'm very happy with the program. The teacher, Eileen Heath, is friendly but firm in her teaching, which is what my "I-write-how-I-talk-I-don't-need-to-follow-formal-writing-rules" son really needs.

For us, her rates are very reasonable, and I plan to keep my son in her programs throughout high school.

[lwilliams1922]

can you tell me more about how she teaches?
I did not see a lot of info on the site but i'd love to hear your observations so far.

thanks!

[Stardust]

What seems to be really helpful for us is that she doesn't want the parents to help with editing. We're allowed to check out what the student has written, and can help by reviewing the lesson with him, but he is responsible for following her directions, editing his papers, and making the corrections she requires. This is forcing my son to really pay attention to his lessons and his writing.

He must use the MLA format (she provides a tutorial on it), and proper grammar and punctuation. I only have the first assignment to go by, but she went through his paragraph sentence by sentence, offering praise if he was on track, or detailed guidance and suggestions if he needed to make corrections. (Her part was written in red.)

On a personal note, I would not be surprised if my son, who is a reluctant but able writer, has to take the paragraph class more than once (which he will, if Ms. Heath recommends it). She won't pass him to the next level class until he shows he's mastered the one he's in. We're not in any hurry as he has several years before he graduates; I just want him to be able to write at the college level should he choose to go. (He says he wants to be an auto mechanic or musician so why study "all this stuff"-I told him that he needs to keep his options open, like a friend's husband who, after being an auto mechanic for 10 years, decided to pursue an engineering degree; and Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, who recently received his PhD in astrophysics, and co-authored a book.)

Sorry about the novella-I hope this was helpful. You can also contact Ms. Heath with any questions-she's usually very quick to respond.