Can you help me with required length of a report/9th

[rockala]

We are doing a hs co-op with 14 kids aged 11-15. We plan to teach writing...IEW, middle ages semester 2 1100-1600 and geographgy terms and Europe with Where in the World and Physical geographgy.

 

I have assigned a different living history book to each of the kids from that time period along with a person from that period as well.

 

We plan to have them write a book report on their assigned book and a biography on their assigned person. I am trying to figure out what length the reports should be.

 

They will type them and do some writing IEW helps in class. Since they are typed they can do a word count easily as well. What should the length be? I thought we could vary is for the 11 yo vs the 15yo?

 

I just do not know how long. I imagine the book report would be shorter, as how long can you make it, but the biograpghy could be very long.

 

Anybody know what should be expected at these ages?

 

thanks,

Kathy

[Ria]

For high schoolers I'd expect about 3-6 pages per writing assignment, but I wouldn't assign a book report. That's more an elementary school project. I'd have the older kids do something like a persuasive essay.

 

Ria

[rockala]

I really like your idea about a persuasvie essay for the book. I am looking at the a biograpghy that my ds did last year and if I double space it, it is almost 4 pages long and 1,167 words.

 

So maybe I should require the biogarpghy to be 1,000 words, 3-4 pages double spaced, times new roman 12 point? Otherwise I think if not double spaced it should be 2000 words?

 

Now, the essay- I am thinking 1,000 would be too hard for that- perhaps only 300-500?

 

Thanks for any advice,

Kathy

[Joan in GE]

Just for the older ones (9-10th) they could work on a research report. (See the writing project pages in WTM history section - rhetoric level). I think SBW suggests 6-8 pages for 9th grade?

 

That would require reading more than one book though and more direction. But if the moms are into it, it is a useful project. See the link on the other thread about history writing. Although some of the links are for college, it is a springboard...

Edited February 17, 2009 by Joan in Geneva
correction

[Ria]

I really like your idea about a persuasvie essay for the book. I am looking at the a biograpghy that my ds did last year and if I double space it, it is almost 4 pages long and 1,167 words.

 

So maybe I should require the biogarpghy to be 1,000 words, 3-4 pages double spaced, times new roman 12 point? Otherwise I think if not double spaced it should be 2000 words?

 

Now, the essay- I am thinking 1,000 would be too hard for that- perhaps only 300-500?

 

Thanks for any advice,

Kathy

 

I can't think in terms of number of words, lol, only pages, but what you said sounds good. One thing I would also do, especially with your middle schoolers and high schoolers, is require that the essays be written in MLA format. That's standard in the public middle and high schools here, and is standard in colleges as well. Best to get the kids used to it early.

 

Ria

[Storm Bay]

I really like your idea about a persuasvie essay for the book. I am looking at the a biograpghy that my ds did last year and if I double space it, it is almost 4 pages long and 1,167 words.

 

So maybe I should require the biogarpghy to be 1,000 words, 3-4 pages double spaced, times new roman 12 point? Otherwise I think if not double spaced it should be 2000 words?

 

Now, the essay- I am thinking 1,000 would be too hard for that- perhaps only 300-500?

 

Thanks for any advice,

Kathy

 

 

1000 words typed and double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman ought to be about 4 pages--usually you get about 250 words per page double spaced. Assignments should always be double spaced, just as manuscripts should be. 100 words single spaced would be more like 2 pages. This also depends on your marigns, of course. So Ria's suggestion of page lengths of 3-6 typed pages would be about 750-1500 words.