Nakia Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm working on the rest of my daughter's freshman year and thinking ahead to next year. I'd like to talk about writing, where she is, where she's going, and what you all think. This year, we started with Excellence in Literature and Writing With Skill 3. It quickly became obvious that that was too much, so after talking with the author of EIL, we dropped WWS. There's a lot of writing in EIL, and Anna also writes a short paper every 1-2 weeks for history. I just bought The Elegant Essay so we are working through that just to tie up any loose ends. I feel pretty good about this plan for now. I think I need to assign a longer research paper for the end of the year, but I don't really know how. Any advice? The next part of my question is where do we go from here? I really like EIL, and I'd like to use the American Lit package for next year. I don't know what kind of writing assignments to add to it to cover what we need to cover for high school. Any advice on that? I'm planning to get my copy of WTM out and reread through the high school recommendations again. I've seriously considered putting her in a WTM Academy class next year, but I don't know. Anna says she might want to pursue a career in writing. She loves to write. Thanks for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I really like EIL, and I'd like to use the American Lit package for next year. Sounds like since you like it and it's working you can just keep going with EIL. :) I was under the impression that EIL: American Lit was a full English credit, and that all of the EIL programs are heavy on the writing assignments, so your English requirement would be fulfilled, and your writing lover would have plenty of writing about Literature to choose from. Were you wanting to add in a specific resource for teaching the research paper, or resources to specifically guide your DD in the area of her writing love? Online classes are a great resource. More ideas: OWL at Purdue resource of info on all types of college writing, proofing, citations, etc. "How to Write a Research Paper" Research Paper - SWB 4-part article on "Writing the Research Paper" part 1 = Preparation part 2 = Choosing a Subject part 3 = Proving your Point part 4 = Matters of Style NOTE: NO personal experience with these: Research Paper Curriculum - Research Paper Writing Guide (by Allison Thorp) - Writing a Research Paper (by Edward Shewan) -- Christian Liberty Press - Writing From Research, For Christian Schools (by Grace Collins) Journalism or Creative Writing Options - AIM Academy online class: Creative Writing (gr. 8-10) - Brave Writer online classes (Poetry; Fiction; Fan Fiction; Write for Fun) - Christian Writer's Guild (online program) - IEW: A Guide to Writing Your Novel (Lee Roddy) - IEW: Journalism Basics - Learn to Write the Novel Way (gr. 7-12) - One Year Adventure Novel - NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) The next part of my question is where do we go from here? ... … I don't know what kind of writing assignments to add to it to cover what we need to cover for high school. I wasn't quite sure what you asking for… Were you wanting a list of types of writing to cover in high school? I don't think I've seen a specific list anywhere, but from our own experiences, I would say all of these types of writing are useful to touch on in high school, as prep for future real life and career needs: - note-taking from lectures (prep for college classes) - timed essay from prompt (prep for SAT/ACT tests; also practice for timed college essay exams practice with past SAT essay prompts - reader response papers (college Writing & Lit courses) see: More about response papers and their content SWB's handout: What is literary analysis and when to teach -- great for ideas for reader response prompts - research paper - personal essay (for college admissions or scholarships) - science lab write-ups - process paper (explanation of the process, or steps, to do something) - business writing (resume and cover letter; the memo; letter of inquiry; letter of application; letter of information; letter of complaint; letter of thanks or recognition; letter of commendation or recommendation) - problem-solution report (very commonly used in the workplace) - summary report (a specific type of narrative / description of events or a process, also very commonly used in the workplace) - an evaluation (also very commonly used in the workplace) - newsletter article (never know when you will be asked to contribute) - persuasive letter/article (letter to the editor, support/opposition of a neighborhood/community/political issue) - power point presentation (frequently used in college classrooms and in the workplace) - Can we discuss apathetic writers and college prep more general ideas on what to cover in high school to be prepared for college Anna says she might want to pursue a career in writing. She loves to write. I'd encourage letting her explore writing this next year -- what kind of writing does she love to do? You could EITHER split up the writing portion of the English credit by backing off on the amount of assignments done for EIL, and adding a resource to allow DD to explore in the new area of writing as part of the writing portion of the English credit. OR, you could add the time in your schedule, and allow her the ability to explore the new type of writing as a partial or even full credit of Writing, depending on what you use, and how much time you allot to it. That credit could either be listed as an additional credit under the English heading, or as an Elective. The two of you might also enjoy starting a little informal career exploration on writing occupations: Writers and Authors Technical Writers Editors Public Relations Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts Hope something there is of help! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I would start by just trying EIL American before you start adding. I don't know which one you did this year, but American was nearly double the writing volume of Intro to Lit. It was mostly length of papers, not types that changed. I wouldn't see sophomore year as needing a lot of other writing. There are a lot of different types of writing not covered in EIL. If she loves writing, you might consider adding a writing course that either fits her weakness or her interest. Ds did 2 years of EIL. He will be a writing major in college next year focusing on creative writing - his strength. He did OYAN and their follow up, Other Worlds. He wrote a novel during NaNoWriMo each year. He also did AP English this year to focus on essay writing and non-fiction, non literature based writing. He hates this type of writing and doesn't enjoy the class, but I think it has taken away a weakness and exposed him to a lot of writing he would never have done if we had just done 4 years of EIL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 I really appreciate the answers!! Thank you both so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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