Required, Writing Essentials 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I (HS 9-1); High School Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills (HS 9-2); High School Writing Essentials 2: Excellent Paragraphs & Essay Writing (HS 9-3). This is the fourth and final course in the series of four (4) courses.

Because courses in the program are sequential and build one upon another, for your student’s success, it is required that your student take the 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3 courses before enrolling in this course. Students are held accountable for all content taught in the previous courses. If your student cannot take the previous courses LIVE, then at a minimum, watch the recordings on Unlimited Access before taking this course. An alternative to the prerequisite is a passing assessment from the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assessment service. Please contact homeschoolconnections@gmail.com for any questions on permissions.

Course Outline: 

• Class 1: Essay types and differences, and where you’ll write them, reading multi-step instructions carefully

• Class 2: The traditional five-paragraph essay; a focus on supporting ideas with examples and evidence

• Class 3: What makes an essay great: research an essay and brainstorming with the “then what?” question; taking your thoughts “to the end of the line” (with in-class practice)

• Class 4: What makes an essay great: writing an essay and examples and analysis of form, parallelism, and rhythm

• Class 5: What makes an essay great: transitional tricks, answering the reader’s questions, making cohesive decisions, and bookending

• Class 6: What makes an essay great: storytelling and creative elements

• Class 7: What makes an essay great: quality research and analyzing three essays

• Class 8: Revising and editing your essays

• Simplified Writing 101: Top Secrets for College Success, by Erin Brown Conroy: Buy the hard copy of the book here:  http://amzn.to/2FMCose OR, buy the Kindle version of the book here (Download the FREE Kindle app to easily read on your computer, tablet, or mobile device): www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00B7AB90W/catholictreas-20

  Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document is required. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE. It is highly recommended that students purchase/own Microsoft Word for all high school courses.

LIVE and Instructor Access students will have weekly writing assignments with grading and direct feedback from the instructor (parents will grade Recorded students’ work). Expect an estimated two (2) to four (4) hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student’s ability; homework includes reading, writing, and responding to feedback.

Fee: For all 8 classes: $199 if you register on or before November 15. $219 after Nov. 15 for all 8 classes.if you register after November 15. (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $25 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.)