essay per week curriculum? Does this exist?

[lots-o-rice]

I was wondering if there is such a thing as a curriculum that has the students writing an 5 paragraph essay each week?  I was thinking of doing this with my freshman next year, but why reinvent the wheel?  If someone else has already come up with an actual curric for this, that's one thing off my list.

I know the IEW topical books are almost one a week, but the topic books don't sound that interesting to my ds.

Ideas?

 

Thanks!!!

[Clemsondana]

Next year I'm planning to have my middle schooler write a weekly assignment about his history for the week. We won't start with 5-paragraph essays but will hopefully build to it. Could you apply the format to other subjects? My student has always hated writing because he never saw the point of some of the assignments. I talked to him about the switch and he's happy that it will fit in with a 'real' subject - not writing just for the sake of writing. Maybe you could do it about history, societal implications of a topic in science (GMOs in biology, for instance) or about something that you're reading in literature?

[snowbeltmom]

This may not be what you are looking for, but I thought I would mention it just in case: Write at Home has year-long composition classes where the students write a paper once per week.  However, the courses don't focus on the 5 paragraph essay.

[coralloyd]

If you are not apposed to Christian curriculum, Notgrass History has many essay writing prompts to pick from per week. It doesn't give instructions on how to write them, but if you are willing to come up with your own thing at least this would take some of the work out of it. 

 

These are the two writing prompts from lesson one (you can see more in the online sample):

• What is your connection to the world? Maybe one of your parents was born in another country, you know a missionary, or you have traveled internationally. What everyday things do you use that come from other countries? You might think of other connections to the world that you would like to discuss. Write an essay about your connection to the world. See Lesson 3.

• Write an essay about how one of the following events might have been seen differently in another country from the way it was seen in the United States: (1) the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, (2) a U.S. presidential campaign and election, (3) a Super Bowl football game. See Lesson 2. 

 

[Melissa B]

You really don't hear much about it anymore, but I used Kolbe literature and history (Great Books based) for my eldest for high school and it required an essay every week.

[fourisenough]

Not sure if you'd consider an online class, but Mrs. Tetsch of Essay Tracks will assign/grade an essay every week alongside her literature classes or as a stand-alone option. We did her Junior High lit class for a couple of years, but did not choose the essay add-on so I can't speak to the quality of it. Might be worth looking into.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've been winging it myself.  Which is not easy so I wish there was something!