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- Course name
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SIMPLIFIED WRITING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 3: Writing the Excellent Essay (MS 7/8-3) with Erin M. Brown
- Summary
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In this advanced-level essay writing course for middle school students, help your student master essay writing with advanced concepts leading the student into high school writing. Taking the concepts learned in the 7/8-1 and 7/8-2 courses, the successful student finishing this course has the tools and is ready for successful high school essay writing. Take the 7/8-4 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.
How to get the most out of the SIMPLIFIED WRITING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 3: Writing the Excellent Essay (MS 7/8-3) course with Professor Erin M. Brown (AKA Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy)
Read the course details below.
Prepare a notebook for notetaking and homework. Students -- be sure to take notes during class!
Students, begin the course by:
LIVE CLASS Students - Coming to the first live Class session on the scheduled date and time.
Unlimited Access / Recorded Students - Clicking on the "Recording" and watching Professor Brown’s lecture for Class One.
Review any supplemental materials (videos or readings)
Complete the Quiz(zes). The computer will automatically grade the quiz. Students will review with a parent.
*Note* If taking the course in Recorded format, the quiz will reset if someone else in the family takes it, so make sure the grade is recorded by a parent.
If you need review, watch the recording and/or go over the PowerPoint again.
Repeat until all 8 classes are complete.
Once the course is completed to the parent'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
Total Classes: 8
Prerequisite:
Registration in Simplified Writing for Middle School 2: Introduction to Essays & Papers I (MS 7/8-2). 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: 7th and 8th grade
Suggested Credit: One-half (½) of a semester's credit for Writing or English. Follow with 7/8-4 for a full semester's credit for writing.
Course Lead Instructor: Erin M Brown (AKA Erin Brown Conroy/E.B. Conroy), M.A, M.F.A.
Course Instructor Email: ebconroy@homeschoolconnections.comCourse Description: It’s time to help your student dive into longer essays and advanced writing concepts! In this course, your student will take the skills learned in the Simplified Writing 1 and 2 courses (7/8-1 and 7/8-2) to write short essays, receiving specific feedback and coaching regarding how your student’s writing can improve. Your student will go through the start-to-finish process of creating an academic essay, with specific instruction regarding the use of strong rhetoric, diction, and syntax (words and order). While previous classes taught the “how and why” of writing skills (with first-time introductions to ideas), this course gives your student critical practice – under the tutelage of a teacher and professional writer – to prepare for high school writing and beyond.
Course Outline:
Class 1: Types of essays – an introduction to rhetoric and choosing an essay topic
Class 2: Narrowing topics (from last class); brainstorming content for your topic and creating the thesis statement
Class 3: Analyzing and improving thesis statements (from last class); creating outlines
Class 4: Analyzing and improving outlines (from last class); creating introductions
Class 5: Creating rough drafts
Class 6: Revising the essay
Class 7: Editing the essay
Class 8: Formatting for the academic essay; an introduction to style guides
Course Materials: Materials are provided FREE within the course.
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 five (5) hours per week for homework outside of class time, depending on the student’s ability.
Note: All student work needs to be 100% the student's own work and the student's own writing. Nothing can be copied from anywhere else unless a source for the text is given on the assignment. Any students who copy work from elsewhere will receive a zero on the assignment. Repeated copying will result in failure of the course.
©2017-2024 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 3: Writing the Excellent Essay (MS 7/8-3) with Erin M. Brown
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Ryan Starrett, Natalie Meyer Schira, Donna Graziose
- Semester
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Recorded
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Writing ➤ 7/8 Series: Simplified Writing
- Grade level
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Middle School
- Editors
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Aubrey Heki, Sharon Hamric-Weis, Bonnie Donlon, Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA, Donna Graziose, Grace Maimone
- Start time
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March 30th, 2022 at 12:00 AM ET
- Course type
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Recorded, free with subscription
- 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.