Cleopatra Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I somehow got myself titled as a TA for a C.S. Lewis course taught to homeschoolers by one of my university professors. :confused: The class consists of grade 8 - 12 students. At the end of the course, we are requiring an essay and I'm wondering what we should be expecting in regards to the length of it. It seems obvious that I need to divide the essay requirements, so that the grade 8-9 students have different requirements than the grade 10-12 students. What length (ie. how many words) should a grade 8-9 student be producing, and what length should a grade 10-12 student be producing? The professor is suggesting 6-7 pages of 1500-1750 words but it seems a little much to me. I thought I'd post here and see what you "experts" think. :001_smile: Any advice would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Whatever length you require not only has to be written by the students, but graded by the professor and/or maybe the TA. ;) Will they have enough to write about for 6 to 7 pages? How much credit are they getting for the class? How long do they have to write the paper? I'm thinking that 3 to 4 pages for the 10 to 12th graders and 2 to 4 pages for the 8th and 9th graders, depending on their writing ability. I think it really depends on what they're writing about and how long it takes to support their thesis. IOW - I'm no help. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Whatever length you require not only has to be written by the students' date=' but graded by the professor and/or maybe the TA. ;) [/quote'] :lol: Good point! I feel whoozy already! Actually, you've been a big help! To answer your questions, the course is a 2-credit course, they will have essay instructions 5 weeks before course end and an extra two weeks after the course finishes to write their papers. For example, some of the suggested topics are: 1. How does Lewis' view of "mere Christianity" compare with your own Christian faith? Where do you (dis)agree with Lewis, and why? 2. Compose your own retelling of a classical myth, followed by a commentary explaining how you have changed the original and why. Research the different extant versions of your chosen myth prior to developing your own verson. (This is based on reading "Till We Have Faces) The topics themselves seem to warrant longer papers .....??? Anyone else??? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra in va Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 It seems to me that the 6-7 page length is appropriate for 10-12th graders. I think 3-4 pages would be better for the 8-9th graders. My 9th grader is doing 3-4 page essays for lit this year and it is a good challenge for her. I am doing one longer paper for her in the 4th quarter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Don't forget to pass out your grading rubric when you pass out the assignment themes. Everyone should know upfront what the "teacher" is going to grade upon before the assignment is even started. Myra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 For a 2 credit course, I agree with the professor, and Sandra, on the length of the papers, as a minimum length. I was mistakenly thinking it was a half credit course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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