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- Course name
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SIMPLIFIED WRITING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 2: Introduction to Essays and Papers I (MS 7/8-2) with Erin M. Brown
- Summary
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Help your middle school student gain must-have essay writing skills with personal help and feedback on their work, while understanding how to write an excellent introduction with a hook and thesis statement; how to brainstorm, order, and outline; and how to draft, revise, and edit for excellence. Students also learn upper-level paragraph structure. This course prepares your student for high school and helps your student write longer works with confidence. Take the 7/8-1 prerequisite course with this course to gain a full semester’s credit for writing.
Instructor Access (optional grading support) is available for Unlimited Access or Single Access.
See the sidebar to the left for signup information!Choose the instructor that you previously worked with, for your current grading. If you do not see your current instructor listed, then choose one of the two IA instructors here, to guide you through this course.
Note: This course is the second course of four (4) in the 7/8-Series of Simplified Writing courses for middle school students. Take all four of the 7/8-Series courses to gain one full year of credit (28 weeks total).
How to get the most out of Simplified Writing for Middle School 2: Introduction to Essays and Papers 1, with Professor Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka author Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy)...
Prepare: Carefully read the course details in the course introduction area (below). Prepare a notebook for note taking and homework. Use the same notebook through the entire course.
Look Over the Course Format: Classes have the same format throughout. Follow the course materials from top to bottom, in order, one class at a time.
Begin the Course:
LIVE Class Students -- Come to the first LIVE class session on the scheduled date and time.
Unlimited Access / Recorded Students -- Click on the Recording and watching Professor Brown’s lecture for Class One.
Take Notes: Bring your notebook to every class, and take notes during every class!
Complete the Activities: Complete all class materials in order. Each week, start at the top of the activities and move downward.
Learning Videos ("Short Videos"): Be sure to watch the short videos before completing your assignment(s).
Quizzes: If there are any quizzes, complete quizzes after completing all other materials. The computer will automatically grade your quiz, and the quiz will reset if someone else in the family takes the quiz -- so please record your grade immediately after taking the quiz.
Complete Your Assignment(s): Be sure to turn in your assignments before moving onto the next week's materials. LIVE students upload the assignments into the course. Recorded course students either have parents grade the work or use Instructor Access Grading Services, for one-on-one feedback from a teacher.
Review as Needed: If you struggle with any of the materials, please watch the recording(s) and/or go over the PowerPoint again. If using the course in recorded access, consider getting an Instructor Access grader for your work. If you have Instructor Access, email your teacher with questions.
Questions: If after watching the recording and reviewing the PowerPoint again and you still have questions…
Recorded Course Students – Speak with your parent and ask questions.
Instructor Access Students – Email your one-on-one instructor with your questions.
LIVE Course Students – Email questions to your instructor at the instructor email provided on this page.
Completing the Course: Once the course is completed to a parent/teacher's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end of this page (to be filled in for your records). Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping, so you can use the course description, weekly outline, and content here to keep track of the concepts learned.
Total Classes: 8
Prerequisite: Simplified Writing for Middle School 1: Foundations of Composition I (MS 7/8-1). If your student is unable to take the previous courses LIVE, then at a minimum, he or she can watch the recordings on Unlimited Access before taking this course. An alternative to the prerequisite: a passing assessment from the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assessment service. Please contact homeschoolconnections@gmail.com for any questions on permissions.
Suggested Grade Level: 8th and accelerated 7th grade
Suggested Credit: One-half (½ ) of a semester's credit for Writing or English. Precede with 7/8-1 for a full semester's credit for writing.
Instructor: Erin M Brown (AKA Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy), M.A, M.F.A.
Instructor Email: ebconroy@homeschoolconnections.comCourse Description: Help your middle school student continue to master the critical writing skills learned in the Simplified Writing 1 (7/8-1) course -- and put your knowledge and skills into practice with specific feedback and coaching to help your writing improve. Learn the most powerful paragraph structure ("PEAS"), and work through the writing process for academic writing. Brainstorm and craft the outline of an essay and a short paper while learning how to write seven types of “hooks”; master the five parts of an advanced thesis statement; and learn more ways to connect sentences in an introduction. You'll understand how to smoothly create an essay or paper from start to finish; the most important steps of revising and editing; and how to connect sentences in an essay or paper with linear, focused writing. This course is excellent preparation for high school writing and gives students a jump-start on writing for high school.
Course Outline:
Class 1: Writing structure and skill: practicing the introduction, hook, and thesis
Class 2: Writing structure and skill: practicing outlines and the conclusion/concluding statements
Class 3: Writing an essay: rough drafts
Class 4: Writing a paper: five types of papers & practicing the introduction, hook, and thesis
Class 5: Writing a paper: practicing outlines and concluding statements; revising an essay
Class 6: Writing a paper: rough drafts; editing an essay
Class 7: Revising a Paper
Class 8: Editing and formatting final papers
Course Materials: Course materials are included free. Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document is required, as all assignments are submitted in Word. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.
Homework: LIVE and Instructor Access students will have weekly writing assignments with grading and direct feedback from the instructor (parents will grade Recorded students’ work). Estimated three (3) to four (4) hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student's ability.
Note: Parents, please make sure that 100% of the student's work is his or her own writing. Help your student to understand not to copy content from online or another source unless told to do so on an assignment as a quote or evidence to support an idea. If using outside materials, always cite where the information came from. Students copying work without citation (and quotation marks) earn a zero on the assignment, and repeat or intentional plagiarism will result in not passing the course. Plagiarism is taken seriously, so please help your student understand plagiarism. Thank you.
©2016-2024 Homeschool Connections and Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka author Erin Brown Conroy/E. B. Conroy) All rights reserved.
This course is designed by Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA.
This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
Technical Help: If you experience technical difficulty with watching the recorded classes or have a question about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com. - Course name
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SIMPLIFIED WRITING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 2: Introduction to Essays and Papers I (MS 7/8-2) with Erin M. Brown
- Instructors
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Ryan Starrett, Natalie Meyer Schira, Donna Graziose
- Editors
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Aubrey Heki, Bonnie Donlon, Sharon Hamric-Weis, Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA
- Semester
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Recorded
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Writing ➤ 7/8 Series: Simplified Writing
- Grade level
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Middle School
- Course type
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Recorded, free with subscription
- Start time
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December 21st, 2021 at 12:00 AM ET
- Relative due dates
Ryan Starrett
About Ryan Starrett
Mr. Ryan Starrett earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in History from the University of Dallas with a Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration, a Master's of Theology from the University of Dallas, a Master's of History from Adams State University, and a Master's of Theological Studies from Spring Hill College.
After teaching seven years at a Catholic School in Texas, he returned home to Mississippi where he has taught at his Catholic alma mater for the past eight years. When he's not teaching, Mr. Starrett enjoys reading, writing, and adventuring with his two children.
He is currently working with his friend and co-author, Josh Foreman, on their ninth history book together. Ryan and Josh's work can be perused at foremanstarrett.com.
Mr. Starrett teaches LIVE Middle School 7/8-Series writing courses with Aquinas Writing Advantage.
Natalie Meyer Schira
About Natalie Meyer Schira
Miss Natalie Meyer Schira, BA, proudly serves as a teacher of middle school English and writing. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame in 2012 with a major in English Literature and a minor in secondary education.
Since then, Miss Schira has dedicated herself to Catholic education, joyfully serving nine years teaching English in a Catholic high school in Iowa and for three years as a virtual instructor. Miss Schira has also been featured in publications and with awards and recognition for teaching and inspiration.
With a love of language and teaching, she is committed to cultivating students' academic and emotional development and using her teaching credentials to collaborate with and support families and students. Miss Schira’s greatest loves include Christ, commas, communication, caffeine, and her beloved Chicago Cubs while living a life grounded in faith, joy, and opportunity.
To quote one of her favorite pieces of wisdom from her mother, “When life gives you hold music, dance.”
Here at Aquinas Writing Advantage, Miss. Schira is a LIVE course teacher for the 6/7 and 7/8 Series middle school writing courses. She is also the Middle School Writing Support Specialist.
Donna Graziose
Donna Graziose, MA, MS, is a teacher with experience teaching across all levels -- elementary through college -- and a professional book editor for the Simplified Writing series of books and Word Mastery Skill Building workbooks. For many years, she has been working as an academic librarian for universities in New York teaching writing, literature, research methods, and art history. Donna has also enjoyed teaching local homeschoolers for over 10 years in writing, literature, and history.
Donna, a homeschooling mom of seven children, is greatful for the homeschooling lifestyle where she can focus her children's education of faith and family.
Here at Homeschool Connections' Aquinas Writing Advantage program, Donna is an Instructor Access (IA) grading services instructor for the 9 Series High School Foundational writing courses and the Advanced Punctuation and Grammar course.