Amethyst Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 How many papers do you require of your 11th graders? My dd took English at the public high school last year and she wasn't required to do any papers. They read books, and took quizzes and tests. She might occasionally have to write something, but it was not related to the literature. It might be "write about a time that you had to overcome adversity," or something like that. This year I expect her to write more about the books we read. But I've long believed that if you make a child write about every single book, then reading will become a chore. So, please share how many papers you have your student write per year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I think that depends on the length and type of papers. We use Excellence in Lit. There are 9 units in each level and each has at least two writing assignments. There are additional writing assignments if you do the honors level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Thanks for responding. I'll be using IEW as my guide. I'm not familiar with EiL, but it sounds very similar to IEW except I get to choose my own books. Since we've been through IEW and she's a fairly good writer, I'll mostly be using Units VIII and IX. I'm thinking: Essay, Super-essay, Persuasive Essay, and Critiques. I'm just not sure of how many of each. We'll be doing lots of reading and discussion. There might be some tests (just so I have something to put in the portfolio), but I want the course to be mostly reading with some writing; more writing than she had at the public school, but not so much that it feels like a writing class rather than a literature class. Just wondering what others require... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Writing is not my forte, so ds took HS Composition through Laurel Tree Tutorials in 10th grade and CC Honors Composition 1 in 11th grade. You may read my review of Laurel Tree here. It details assignments for both classes. HTH! ETA: Copied from thread... Laurel Tree HS Composition Personal Essay (3-6 pages) – 1250 words Persuasive Essay (3-6 pages) – 1184 words Definition Essay (2-5 pages) ex. Describe teamwork – 736 words Short Story (6-12 pages) – 2314 words Research Paper (8-12 pages) – 2780 words Character Sketch (2-5 pages) – 704 words ENC 1121H Honors Composition 1 Definition essay 700-800 words Narrative essay 700-800 words Persuasive Essay 700-800 words Fiction 700-1200 words Timed essay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Thanks, Sue. That's an impressive amount of writing. But the class I'm planning to do for my dd I tend to think of as more literature than writing. It will probably be called English III on her transcript. (I will probably have her take a composition class at a local college before she actually graduates from homeschool.) So, for a literature class, does anyone have their student write? If so, does 4 papers a year sound like too much/too little/just right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 How long will the papers be? If you are talking about 4, 5 paragraph essays... too little. If you are talking about 4, 10 page papers... I'd say too much, but not by much if that is all the writing they are doing. I would definitely have more than 4 papers, but they wouldn't all be long papers. Give some variety, say one or two research papers that are long, several lit analysis essays, maybe a character sketch, an author profile (or several), etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 @OP I don't know where you live, but the Public High School where your DD took English really short changed her and the other students. The ability to Write well is something a university student needs to be able to do, and, if they cannot do it well, they may find themselves in a remedial English class and spending more than 4 years to complete their degree. My DD is in 6th grade and Writing Essays is something she has to do, frequently. I believe the ones she writes now are approximately 700 - 800 words. You are correct to be very concerned about this. Also, I believe part of the SAT is writnig an Essay. They allow 30 minutes for that. Purdue University has the OWL, which may help your daughter improve her writing skills: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveswife Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I have 12 papers planned for our literature course this year (with a 10th and 11th grader). When my daughter took the Laurel Tree Intro to Literature class a few years ago, they had a total of 8 papers (varying in length from 3-8 pages) for the year (but those kids were only in grades 7-9). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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