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Hi all,

Even though I have homeschooled a long time, writing is one of the top things I dread. My graduated son even says we could have done better, but I am not good at helping/teaching how to do it. I didn't like it when I was in school (I managed getting all the way through without even one term paper!) and I don't like it any better now.... So I am the great escape artist, we do the grammar workbook, do the literature, do the easier papers, then the year runs out. I don't mind the opinion papers, but when you have to do a thesis, organize it, research (when do you research, and when do you write what you think and how do you put what you find in the paper). DD and I watched a BJU dvd today, and we are both lost. The assignment is to do a cause and effect essay. So, I figured she could write about how knowledge increased in the Rennaissance, and the effects of it in the arts (since she is studying that in history right now). But that information is readily available in her history book, does she just rehash that and site her history book? From what I gathered from the dvd, it looks like the paper needs to be about two pages. Is our thesis narrowed enough? Is there anything we can use to give us a step by step process, rather than the vague instructions we got today? She is in 10th grade.

 

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

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How much, if any, written material do you have with the dvd that might clarify things for you? Does the curriculum provide a list of what's expected in different types of essays?

 

Are you doing this via some kind of distance learning? I looked at but never used BJU language curriculum after the primary grades other than their handbook. My perception of their language arts materials was that the curriculum is more suited to a classroom than individual instruction. So, I'm probably not the best person to give advice in this situation.

 

JMHO, but for a two-page paper I'd narrow the thesis a bit more and perhaps discuss one particular aspect of the Renaissance such as how academic, or cultural phenomena affected painting, sculpture, musical forms, architecture etc. She could use summary and paraphrase techniques to write about the information presented in one source (in this case the textbook). However, if she would like to focus on a single cause/effect in more depth than is found in the text, it would be a good idea to consult and cite at least three different sources. The bibliography of your textbook would be a good starting place to find possibilities. Sources should always be cited using whatever method taught in the curriculum you're using.

 

Also, for papers of this type, I required my son to define the terms introduced in the thesis sentence, provide a clear, logical link between cause and effect and give specific examples of effects. He didn't include personal opinions unless specifically called for in the assignment.

 

Treading lightly here, but I have to ask you how attached you are to this particular curriculum? If you need more specific guidance there are other options that might lower your stress level. :D

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How much, if any, written material do you have with the dvd that might clarify things for you? Does the curriculum provide a list of what's expected in different types of essays?

 

Are you doing this via some kind of distance learning? I looked at but never used BJU language curriculum after the primary grades other than their handbook. My perception of their language arts materials was that the curriculum is more suited to a classroom than individual instruction. So, I'm probably not the best person to give advice in this situation.

 

JMHO, but for a two-page paper I'd narrow the thesis a bit more and perhaps discuss one particular aspect of the Renaissance such as how academic, or cultural phenomena affected painting, sculpture, musical forms, architecture etc. She could use summary and paraphrase techniques to write about the information presented in one source (in this case the textbook). However, if she would like to focus on a single cause/effect in more depth than is found in the text, it would be a good idea to consult and cite at least three different sources. The bibliography of your textbook would be a good starting place to find possibilities. Sources should always be cited using whatever method taught in the curriculum you're using.

 

Also, for papers of this type, I required my son to define the terms introduced in the thesis sentence, provide a clear, logical link between cause and effect and give specific examples of effects. He didn't include personal opinions unless specifically called for in the assignment.

 

Treading lightly here, but I have to ask you how attached you are to this particular curriculum? If you need more specific guidance there are other options that might lower your stress level. :D

 

There is general information in the grammar workbook, but I think I might need more... there are rubrics as well. I have trouble figuring what level of writing is expected at each grade level (I don't remember my 10th grade papers being that 'deep'). There is also an example for the type of essay expected, but it is written by an adult, so I don't know if it would be fair to expect that level of writing. I am not doing distance learning, so I am on my own.

 

Great ideas about the thesis. I think she could do the summary/paraphrase of her text with no problem (I think that is what I did at her age), and maybe add a little research, but it is often hard to have that not turn into the writing of a book.

 

I am not particularly attached to the curriculum.... I just need help, and dd likes dvds and/or a conversational style to walk her through the process. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

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Hello Susan,

 

If your dd likes having a video component, you might have a look at IEW. They have a basic program and several newer, smaller options. We did not use the regular curriculum, but ds did use their Advanced Communication Series dvd's as one part of a larger study-skills package. What I've seen looked good to me, but I had other curricula which worked, so I never explored IEW in depth.

 

ACS covers note-taking, persuasive writing and speaking skills, and tips for planning and writing a college level paper. Ds enjoyed the dvd's. He just finished his first full semester at community college, which was especially writing-intensive, and says all of the ACS dvd's helped him. Our not having used other IEW products didn't hinder him.

 

Over the years we used a combination of Write Shop, Classical Writing, and Lost Tools of Writing for composition instruction. One of the things I like best about all three is the level of support for the teacher. CW often includes examples of essays written by students. The version of LToW I purchased had audio cd's explaining the methods taught in the curriculum, but I seem to remember that they're now including dvd's. However, I might have dreamed that or something :D. My son listened to the LToW cd's before we started doing lessons, and they helped him understand the reasoning behind the work.

 

I think there are other excellent resources out there, but these are the ones I'm most familiar with. I think that the best curriculum in the real world is one that you're comfortable enough with to use consistently.

 

Regards,

Martha

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Guest Robin E

I also dread writing, but I can handle narrations and summaries. My dh on the other hand is wonderful at it, but his job keeps him from being involved in that part of our children's education.

 

For my dd14, who hates writing and knows I can't teach it, I went with an online program called Write at Home. It is costly, but they have composition courses and workshops on essays and research papers. DD still doesn't like writing, but for the first time, she's writing and succeeding with it.

 

Good Luck,

Robin

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