The Downside of Rewriting Popular Passages

1. Limits Creativity

Rewriting popular passages often confines students to the styles and ideas of established authors. This practice can inhibit their ability to think outside the box and develop their unique voice. When students are constantly mimicking others, they miss out on the joy of creating original content and expressing their thoughts in their own words.

2. Suppresses Critical Thinking

Engaging with original writing tasks encourages students to analyze and synthesize information, fostering critical thinking skills. Rewriting, however, often becomes a mechanical exercise, where the focus is on replication rather than comprehension and analysis. This can lead to a superficial understanding of literature and language.

3. Discourages Personal Expression

Every child has a unique perspective and a story to tell. When the curriculum is heavily centered around rewriting, students might feel that their ideas are not valued or important. Encouraging original writing helps children to gain confidence in their abilities and to understand that their thoughts and feelings matter.

4. Fails to Develop Writing Skills

Original writing tasks are essential for developing various writing skills, such as organizing thoughts, developing arguments, and employing a range of literary techniques. Rewriting passages from existing works does not provide the same depth of practice in these critical areas.

The Importance of Encouraging Free Thinking and Creativity

1. Fosters Innovation

Encouraging students to think creatively leads to innovative problem-solving skills. By pushing the boundaries of traditional learning, students can apply their knowledge in new and inventive ways.

2. Builds Confidence

When students see their original work appreciated and critiqued, they build confidence in their abilities. This confidence extends beyond writing and can positively impact other areas of their education and life.

3. Enhances Engagement

Students are more engaged and motivated when they are allowed to explore topics that interest them and express their ideas creatively. This engagement can lead to a deeper love for learning and literature.

4. Promotes Individual Growth

Focusing on originality and creativity helps students to develop their unique talents and interests. This personal growth is invaluable and can shape their educational and career paths.

Perils of Checklist-Based Curricula

Many homeschoolers fall into the trap of “group think” when it comes to selecting curricula, valuing harmony and coherence over critical evaluation. Checklist-based curricula might seem thorough, but they often do more harm than good. Here’s why:

1. Inadequate Grammar Foundation

Many checklist-based programs only briefly touch on grammar, which can leave students without a solid foundation. Understanding grammar is crucial for writing clearly and effectively. Without these basics, students often struggle with sentence structure and punctuation, leading to poorly written compositions that fail to communicate effectively.

2. Propensity for Plagiarism

When students are repeatedly asked to rewrite passages in their own words, they can develop a habit of paraphrasing without proper acknowledgment. This practice can inadvertently teach them to plagiarize, as they might not understand the importance of giving credit to original authors.

3. Stifling Creativity

Checklist curricula often stifle creativity by forcing students to adhere to rigid guidelines. This approach can make writing feel like a chore rather than an expressive and enjoyable activity. Students who thrive on creativity might become disengaged and develop a dislike for writing.

4. Inhibiting Voice

A unique writing voice is what makes an author’s work distinct. Checklist-based approaches can inhibit the development of this voice by focusing too much on technical aspects and not enough on personal expression. This can prevent students from finding and honing their own style.

EIW: Fostering Creativity and Learning

At EIW, we understand the importance of nurturing creativity and critical thinking in students. Our K-12 ELA curriculum is designed to inspire original thought and expression, providing students with the tools they need to develop their unique voices. Our program emphasizes:

• Creative Writing Assignments: Encouraging students to explore their imagination and develop their ideas.
• Critical Thinking Exercises: Promoting analysis and synthesis of information.
• Individual Expression: Valuing each student’s unique perspective and ideas.
• Comprehensive Skill Development: Covering a wide range of writing skills, from organization to literary techniques.

By focusing on these areas, Essentials in Writing helps students become confident, innovative thinkers who are prepared for the challenges of the future.

Explore Our Curriculum

If you’re looking for a homeschool ELA curriculum that values creativity and critical thinking, visit EssentialsinWriting.com to learn more about our K-12 programs. Join us in fostering a love for learning and originality in your child’s education.

Good news! If you’re wondering how you can be a better homeschool teacher, you are already winning! By even asking yourself this question, you are demonstrating that you care deeply about your child’s education, that you are highly motivated to be the best you can be. On the journey of homeschooling, the road may get rocky, but you will never, ever give up on your child. You will make adjustments and keep trying. You are, indeed, the right person for the job! Consider this:

Who knows your child better than you?

Public and private school educators, at least the good ones, strive to get to know their students, but with so many students to be responsible for, this is a daunting task. A parent, on the other hand, starts out with this information already in hand. You know your child’s personality, interests, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. This knowledge puts you at an advantage to craft lessons and learning activities that will appeal to your child while also challenging him or her at an appropriate level.

Who cares more about your child’s success than you?

Even the most dedicated public or private school teacher can’t hold a candle to your level of commitment to your child’s success. When you held your baby for the first time and looked into those precious eyes, you made a pledge to care for and protect this fragile being for the rest of your life. No one cares more about your child’s success than you! You don’t need to have a teaching degree or even a college degree to be an excellent homeschool teacher. When you find a lapse in your expertise, you will move heaven and earth to find resources and educate yourself to fill in the gaps. As your child grows in his or her education, you will grow along with him or her. 

Below are some tips to help you along the way.

Homeschooling  Tip #1

Educate yourself by reading books and blogs about homeschooling.

A quick Google search will yield hundreds of options to create your own library about homeschooling. If you’re on a budget, you can check your local library for titles of interest and search the internet for blog posts and informative videos from experienced homeschool teachers. You might feel overwhelmed by the wealth of information, but remember that you are free to adopt the strategies that are helpful and discard the rest. Aim to read a book a month or to spend a couple of hours a week to follow some of your favorite homeschool bloggers. If your time is in short supply, you can find lots of excellent resources on Youtube. Hit play, and tackle that mound of laundry. You can fold while you learn!

Homeschooling Tip #2

Find a homeschool support system.

For some, this might mean joining a homeschool co-op. For others, it might mean having a monthly mom’s evening out to socialize with other parents who homeschool. There are even online homeschool support groups and forums where homeschool teachers gather to help each other overcome challenges and to share success stories. While homeschooling comes with myriad rewards, it can also lead to feelings of isolation. Taking on the responsibility of homeschooling your children can feel overwhelming at times, but you don’t have to do it alone. Forming a community with other parents can help you to discover new resources and techniques while providing affirmation that you CAN do this.

Homeschooling Tip #3

Become an expert on your homeschool student’s special needs and/or learning styles.

Each child comes with his or her own set of unique traits and abilities. If your child has a known learning disability such as dyslexia, do all you can to educate yourself on the condition. Through reading, attending community meetings, or participating in webinars, you can learn from the best and brightest in the field. For parents of children who don’t have any known learning disabilities, there is still much to be gleaned by studying learning styles. How can you best teach math to an auditory learner? What materials are available to support a visual learner in organizing a piece of writing? By learning more about your child’s individual needs as a learner, you can hone your craft as a teacher and discover many tried-and-true strategies to experiment with in your home classroom. 

Homeschooling Tip #4

Focus on your child’s progress rather than perfection.

Being a homeschool teacher is not an easy gig. It can be downright grueling and messy at times. If you aim for perfection, you will be disappointed. Instead, celebrate the successes no matter how small.  Accept that struggle is part of the learning process, and embrace it. In doing so, you will find that your patience with your students and yourself will grow and that the homeschool experience will become even more rewarding.

Homeschooling Tip #5

Take your time finding the right curriculum.

Finding the right home school curriculum can be a real challenge, and you don’t want to rush the decision. Ask around your homeschool community or co-op, read reviews, and call curriculum companies with any questions that may arise. Look for a a curriculum company that offers a “try before you buy” option and that will actually answer your call or return your email if you reach out with questions. Doing your research up front will take a little extra time, but it will be well worth it.

If you’re looking for writing curriculum, you might consider Essentials in Writing. Offering curriculum to serve students from first to twelfth grade, EIW is known for its easy-to-use and effective system.  Appearing in short and engaging video lessons, Mr. Stephens models each skill in a step-by-step, approachable manner. That way, students know exactly what to do as they apply each skill through worksheets and written assignments. EIW takes the burden off the homeschool teacher and leads students to college and career readiness. They even offer an optional scoring service for middle school and high school so that parents don’t have to grade the writing assignments. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, try EIW’s level wizard today.

But the reality is, our present culture probably sends more letters than either of the previous two centuries. We just call them emails, instant messages, and texts.

Yes, those are letters, even without the ink, envelopes, and stamps. They are written communication from one person to another with a specific intention in mind.

But because sending [digital] letters is ridiculously easy and commonplace now, students often ignore their early lessons about how to construct a letter properly. This informality is perfectly acceptable in the day-to-day communication between family members and peers, but it does not extend to all situations.

A common situation that demands a more formal approach to letter-writing is contacting teachers.

This applies also to students utilizing the EIW Scoring Service. All our scorers (and many professional teachers besides) can attest to the extreme frustration of receiving a message from a student who doesn’t so much as identify themselves!

Students from all types of schooling make this kind of a mistake, but it is especially common for homeschool students. After all, they rarely have to email their teacher; they usually can just walk into the kitchen and ask Mom whatever they need to know. This technique doesn’t work for the Scoring Service, however; nor will it work in a collegiate or professional environment.

So how are homeschool students supposed to write an email to a teacher (or other authority figure)?

Here are some basic formatting and etiquette tips to help you out!

Writing Format

1. Include the parts of a letter

The parts of a letter are date, greeting, body, closing, and signature. In digital letters, the date is often included automatically by the messaging system. However, you should include all other parts.

2. Identify yourself and your class

Always state your full name and what course you are taking at the very beginning of the message. After all, teachers have a lot of students. They often won’t be able to immediately remember who you are and what class you’re taking, so you are in effect wasting your teacher’s time by making them dig for that information themselves—which sometimes college professors won’t do, so your question will go unanswered.

3. Identify the specific assignment or topic about which you have a question

Again, TEACHERS ARE BUSY!! Don’t make them read your mind or Sherlock Holmes their way into figuring out what you mean.

4. Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Hopefully you like your teacher, but your teacher is not your friend. Dont send causal message with slang and improper grammer and bad spellin and typos liek u dont relly car e and it deonst matter? Take it from me: this is the quickest way to make your teacher livid.

Writing Etiquette

1. Be humble

Don’t grovel, but write to your teacher from a level-headed place of humility. This is NOT because the teacher is always right, but because it’s honestly the easiest way to get what you want (whether that is an answer to a question, an extension for an assignment, or help with a confusing topic). Teachers (and everyone, for that matter) respond better to people who speak kindly. “Why’d you give me a C on my paper” won’t get you nearly as far as “Could you please help me understand why I received a C on my paper?”

2. Be respectful

Again, teachers aren’t your friends or your peers. They are authority figures, so treat them with respect (even if you don’t particularly like them). At the very least, this is good practice for working with your boss or other professionals in the future.

3. Close with a thank you

Once again, TEACHERS ARE BUSY! Always thank them for the time they took to read the message as well as for their help. I can almost guarantee you that 87% of teachers will finish the message like, “Look at this respectful young person! I like them! I’m going to help them out right away!” Or at least something similar

Learning how to write to authority figures like teachers is an invaluable skill for homeschool students.

I hope these few formatting and etiquette guidelines are helpful to you!

By Athena Lester
Head of Curriculum and Scoring

One time, for a college course, the final exam was an in-class essay answering the simple prompt, What did you learn in this course?

My answer? “Nothing.”

The course had truly been a bad experience with sub-par instruction from the teacher, and I had been able to skate through all the assignments without really ingesting anything of lasting impact. I’m not ashamed to admit this, for not all classes are worthwhile or life-changing.

But unfortunately, I still had to answer the prompt, What did you learn in this course?

I could have written, “Nothing. You’re a bad teacher and this class was meaningless,” which is honestly all I had to say. But then I would have failed the final. I had to think of something to fill at least five paragraphs in order to call my response an essay. And I did. It wasn’t easy or fun, but I did it.

As much as I would love for students to write about things they are passionate for, the sad fact is everyone will encounter writing assignments they just don’t want to do. Either they aren’t interested in the topic, they truly have nothing to write about, or they simply draw a complete blank when looking at the prompt. What are students supposed to do in these situations?

Here are five homeschool writing tips for what to do when you think you have nothing to say.

1. Brainstorm

They can take some time to write down anything and everything that comes to mind when they read the prompt or think about the topic—even the random thoughts. Don’t think them. Write down the random thoughts. This may prime their brain to help them find something to say.

For example, if the student is asked to write a compare/contrast paragraph about cats and dogs, but the student just does not care one iota about pets and has never had a pet and never wants a pet, what are they supposed to write about? The student can brainstorm for a bit and realize that they’ve seen movies with dogs, and there’s comic strips about cats, and their uncle has a German Shepard, and lions are cats and they’ve seen The Lion King—and eventually they may come up with enough ideas to start writing.

2. Reread

Some assignments ask students to respond to something else, like a poem, article, or someone’s opinion. In these cases, when students can’t think of any response to the material, they should try reading the material again. Revisiting what they are supposed to respond to might help them come up with something to say.

3. Discuss

Students don’t have to face the world of academia alone! Sometimes, to get the writing juices flowing, talking about the topic with someone else will help them come up with ideas of their own. Does a parent or sibling have an opinion on the subject matter? Does a friend have any ideas about what to write? Talk about the assignment with someone else, and then take that discussion and put it onto paper.

4. Pretend

Hear me out: Students will not have first-hand experience with everything, and they certainly won’t be interested in all topics; so sometimes, the only way they can get through an assignment is to pretend they care about it. Sure, ideally, students are invested in their education and everything has a purpose and all that jazz, but I’m being real here. Sometimes, you have to fake it to make it.

For example, a student may be asked to relate the theme of a poem to their own life. However, the student doesn’t like the poem, doesn’t care about the poem, and can’t think of one single way the poem relates to their real life. How are they supposed to get through the assignment? Pretend they care about the poem, pretend it means something to them, and just fake their answer so they can get past this particular assignment. Everyone has to do this sometimes. I’m a writer and I love writing and I had to fake it sometimes in school just to be done with something.

Hot tip: This is especially true of SAT essays. The people grading those responses don’t care if what students write is true or not, as long as it’s well written.

5. Pander

This is probably my least positive suggestion, so feel free to skip it entirely, but I have to speak my mind. Thinking especially of the older students out there with college on the horizon, sometimes the only answer they can put to a question is the answer they know the teacher wants. When all other options fail and a student still can’t think of what to write,  they can just write what they know the teacher wants to hear. They’ll get a good grade (if they write well enough to cover their apathy), and the assignment will be over.

Remember my story about having to write a What did you learn? essay about a course I hated? This right here was how I survived that. I knew what the teacher wanted to hear, so I wrote that down. Yes, I was basically lying because I didn’t learn anything at all in the class, but I got through the final. And I got an A. And I never have to write that paper again.

Now go forth and write!

Everyone has times when they just can’t think of anything to say. I hope these tips help your students face those times with more confidence.

By Athena Lester
Head of Curriculum and Scoring

If you are a new customer or are considering using the service for your homeschool student, you may be curious about what the Scoring Service is like. While a previous blog post (this one) discussed common technical concerns about the Scoring Service, this post will focus on something else. Here, I shine a spotlight on how the service functions and how students can use the service to their best advantage.

Here we go!

Common Questions About How the Scoring Service Works for Homeschool Students

1. “What are the real benefits of using the Scoring Service for my student’s writing?”

Simply put, YOU won’t have to grade their compositions!

With the Scoring Service, you don’t have to be an expert in composition and grammar. Our scorers are your own personal experts! The service takes away the stress of having to evaluate the compositions on your own, which you may not feel confident doing. Our scorers are all qualified individuals who have years of experience as teachers, librarians, editors, and/or English scholars.

Also, many previous customers have said that having someone who wasn’t Mom or Dad grade their children’s papers inspired greater effort and caring from the student. Suddenly, their student WANTED to earn a good grade, and their writing improved because of this.

tl;dr : The Scoring Service provides your student with an English expert to grade their writing, and this often inspires students to care a lot more about their work.

2. “What kind of feedback is given on the submitted writing assignments?”

This answer has two parts.

First: The Scoring Service focuses on overall composition skills. Therefore, even though we do care about things like comma placement and the minutia of English grammar, the major emphasis is on clear communication and overall cohesiveness. We want to help students learn how to transition smoothly from thought to thought, how to construct a quality thesis, how to communicate their ideas in an effective manner, etc.

This means that the Scoring Service is more than a grammar check, but it does check grammar. (Mechanical skills are evaluated for approximately 10% of the final grade for each assignment.)

Second: The service includes in-text comments with specific suggestions or corrections throughout the compositions. (See the tutorial video here for how to see these in-text comments.) It also includes a completed evaluation rubric with a point-value score as well as a one-paragraph overall comment about the general strengths and weaknesses of the composition.

tl;dr : First, the service focuses on overall composition skills but does evaluate grammar/mechanical skills. Second, the service provides in-text comments, a rubric and point value score, and an overall comment for each submitted composition.

3. “What are we supposed to do with the feedback the scorer gives?”

For one thing, read it. Always check the rubric, overall comment, and in-text comments. These three components work together to provide your student a holistic evaluation of their work.

Next, apply the feedback to the next assignment your student completes.

Currently, the Scoring Service is unable to allow multiple submissions for a single assignment. That means the feedback we leave on the paper is NOT meant for the student to go through the paper again and make corrections where indicated. (Although they can do that on their own if they desire the practice.) Rather, they should take the feedback given and do a self-evaluation of the NEXT assignment BEFORE submitting it.

For example, let’s say your student submitted an Expository Essay, and the scorer left a comment saying, “This thesis was vague. Being more specific will create a stronger thesis.” Now, while it might be good practice for your student to rewrite the weak thesis in the Expository Essay, it is ESPECIALLY important for your student to check their thesis in their NEXT assignment (let’s say it’s the Persuasive Essay) before they submit it. Is their persuasive thesis just like their expository thesis—that is, vague? Or is it more specific and therefore stronger? This is how your student is to use the feedback the scorer provides.

tl:dr : First, read all three components of the feedback. Second, apply the suggestions and corrections to the next assignment before submitting.

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These are some of the main questions parents ask us about how the Scoring Service works. I hope this post makes customers of the service feel more confident about going into this school year and addresses some concerns potential customers have.

If you’d like to hear what previous customers of the Scoring Service have to say about it, hop over to Facebook and check out our Parent Groups! We are all about community and supporting each other here at Essentials in Writing.

By Athena Lester

Head of Curriculum and Scoring

The Scoring Service has grown from one scorer to five in the last four years, and our customer base has tripled! As we have expanded and adapted, we’ve done our very best to make this service easy and useful to you all. Currently, it operates online through Canvas by Instructure, which allows our team to easily view and return feedback on your students’ compositions.

Every program has its quirks, however, and certain questions have come up a lot about Canvas and other technical aspects of the service. Here, I’d like to share some important information about the technical side of the Scoring Service. These are matters that may help you decide whether or not to purchase the service for your student, or perhaps you are already a customer and would like to know what you’re in for. Either way, let’s dive in!

Common Technical Concerns about the Scoring Service for Homeschool Students

1. “I don’t know how to use Canvas or even what it is! How can I use the Scoring Service?”

Many customers are nervous about using the program because they never have before. But don’t worry! Not only does EIW provide you with step-by-step instructions and video tutorials about exactly how to use Canvas (here), but our Customer Service Team is also ready to help! If you don’t know how to get set up or how to submit a composition or any other problem, our team will be more than happy to walk you through the process personally. You are not on your own!

2. “Why does the service require specific page formatting? Why does it matter?”

The service requires typed compositions in a specific format for several reasons:

1) The service operates online. In order to ensure the readability of the papers (unmarred by blurry scans or pictures), they must be typewritten in one of the basic fonts.

Also, the service focuses on composition skills, not penmanship.

(Check out our other blog post about introducing the computer to your student’s writing program here!)

2) Specific requirements for papers—like font size, margin size, and line spacing—prepare homeschool students for higher levels of education that have rigid guidelines about submissions.

Homeschoolers often have little to no concept of the not-content elements of homework assignments, because why do they need to care? Their teachers (aka, their parents) only have one student in the class! They know what assignment the paper is for and who it belongs to, and as long as it’s readable, that’s all that matters, right?

Not at the college level, no. The Scoring Service prepares homeschool students for collegiate requirements. You don’t want your kid to be like those previously-homeschooled college freshmen who don’t put their name on anything. Or like my elder sister, who did twice as much work as she needed to on a paper because she didn’t know what “double-spaced” meant.

Bonus: Specific formatting rules train your student to read ALL the instructions thoroughly.

tl;dr: Formatting rules are in place for readability and college preparation.

3. “Why do you require students to have their own email addresses? Why can’t my children share one email?”

Let’s say John Homeschooler is in tenth grade, and his sister Mary Homeschooler is in seventh grade. They will use the service for their respective levels and sign up with the family email—homeschoolingrox@email.com.

John sets up his Canvas account under the name “John” and the email “homeschoolingrox@email,” and he joins the Level 10 course. However, when Mary goes to sign up for her Level 7 course with the email “homeschoolingrox@email,” she will find that the email already has a Canvas account associated with it, and it’s under the name “John.” Mary will need to create a new account with a different email address so that she can submit under the name “Mary.”

Now let’s pretend John has a twin brother named Sherlock Homeschooler who also will use the service for Level 10. John and Sherlock cannot share an account in the same level because they will have access to only one set of submissions slots. John and Sherlock (and Mary) need their own Canvas accounts, so they each need to use a separate email.

tl;dr: An email is required to set up an account with Canvas. Each account represents one student and is listed under one name. Therefore, each student needs their own email address for their own account.

Note: You do not have to allow your student access to a personal email if you don’t want them to have that yet. The email does not have to be their email; it just has to be an email. You can create an email and give your student the login credentials for Canvas without giving them the login info for the email address.

4. “Can I keep track of what my student is doing in the Scoring Service?”

Yes! Canvas has an Observer option that will notify the observer of all activity in the student’s Canvas account, including submissions and grades. Ask our Customer Service Team about this option!

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These are some of the main technical questions people ask us about the service. Keep an eye out for Part 2, which will discuss common concerns about how to actually USE the Scoring Service, what feedback is like, and what to do with it! We want you to get the most out of the Scoring Service, and we are always here to help!

Athena Lester

Head of Scoring and Curriculum

Growing up, I was homeschooled from 2^nd grade through 12^th grade. When I was twelve years old, my mother had her third child and only son, Elijah. I had always wanted a little brother, so from the very beginning, I had a special love for the little guy. Being so much older than him created a unique relationship between us—making me something of a mixture between an Annoying-But-Loved Sister and a Cool Aunt.

As my brother has grown, I’ve done my best to meet him on his level and connect with him through play. One particularly dear memory I have is when I unintentionally introduced him to creative writing before he had even learned to write words on his own.

Creative Writing Before Writing Words?

One day when my brother was around three or four years old, I cleared a space on the floor of his bedroom for the two of us, pushing all the toys and shoes and blankets to the side. Elijah and I opened a new box of crayons and drew together, holding those one-sentence-per-topic conversations that happen with young kids.

“So, Bub, what’s your favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“That’s a nice color.”

“Velociraptors are my favorite dinosaur.”

“That’s cool. I like stegosauruses.”

“Uh-huh. I saw a dog eating a bug.”

“That’s gross.”

“I like baseball.”

And so on.

The previous Christmas, I had given my brother a little homemade storybook about a knight who saves his sister, a princess, from a dragon (starring ourselves because I’m adorable and sentimental like that). That must have been what brought the idea to our minds, for before long, our random colorings became a project to create a new storybook. I told him that he could come up with the story and draw the pictures, and I would write the words.

The project was on. He’d draw a picture, and then I’d ask him to tell me what it was. (After all, I knew his markings meant something, but I couldn’t decipher them whatsoever without his explanation.)

“Okay, so what’s happening here?”

“These are pirates!”

“Wow, that’s really cool! What else?”

“Um…they like PUPPIES! They love puppies.”

“So they’re nice pirates. Gotcha. I’ll write that down.”

I labeled the picture according to his description, then asked him, “What do these puppy-loving pirates do?”

“They…go on an ADVENTURE!”

“Brilliant! Draw the picture of their adventure.”

Back and forth we went. I kept asking him what happened next. It didn’t matter if it didn’t make sense. It didn’t matter if Elijah told me something that wasn’t in the picture he drew. No matter what, I wrote down what he told me for the story.

I wish I still had that collection of pictures we amassed, or at least remembered more of what we came up with. The only other details I remember of that afternoon are one particular image and my brother’s description of it.

The page had four small, clumsy squares drawn at the four edges of the paper. Lines connected the squares to a circle in the middle of the page, inside of which were several squashed and deformed figures I knew to identify as puppy-loving pirates at this point.

“What’s happening in this one?”

“They’re down a hole.”

I decided that we didn’t really need to know how they got down the hole for the sake of the adventure.

My brother continued, “And there’s smashing things.”

“Smashing things?”

“Yeah, smashing things.”

After scrutinizing the page, it dawned on me. “Oh! The squares! Those are the smashing things?”

“Yes!”

“And they are going to smash the pirates who are down the hole?”

“Yes!”

“Oh no! How do they escape?”

“They…They get away.”

In spite of this rather anti-climactic description of the dire escape, I knew without a doubt that the scene playing in his little pre-K brain was of Indiana Jones-level epicness.

What about you and your homeschool student?

What does this matter? How does this story affect homeschooling and writing at all? After all, my brother didn’t actually write anything that day.

Or DID he?

Even though my teenage-self was not trying to teach my brother a lesson, I realize now that I did. I not only encouraged creativity (“Let’s write a story! You tell me what happens.”), but I also demonstrated how you can express what is in your mind in a shareable manner. Elijah’s ideas became pictures. At my promptings, he had to explain the pictures to me verbally. That verbal explanation became written words at the bottom of the page—words that he couldn’t even read yet but still knew somehow communicated what he was thinking.

He wrote the story, even if he never picked up the pen.

Writing is one way to clarify and to express your ideas in a sharable format. Creative writing and story-telling are ways to learn to express what is happening in your brain. And in this form of writing/expression, you don’t have to worry about having “the right answer,” because there isn’t one.

Try it yourself! Whether your homeschool student is physically writing yet or not, you can teach them to be creative and put their thoughts into words!

Pull up a carpet and create a story with your young student. They don’t have to draw pictures if that’s not their thing. They can tell whatever story they want. They can tell the story of the Lego build they’re constructing, or the frog they caught on the driveway, or the plan they have to clean the kitchen. (That last one sounds strange, but I have a friend whose toddler is very, very scrupulous about keeping things tidy and loves to tell people about his processes.)

Write down what they tell you, and let them see you do it. Show them that writing is thoughts put into words put onto paper, and it’s as simple as that.

And have fun with your kid! That’s what I did with my brother on that random day when we wrote the story of the Puppy-Loving Pirates and the Smashing Things.

Athena Lester

Head of Curriculum

But, there’s so many words! It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the idea of learning definitions because ultimately, the words in the dictionary seem limitless. Believe me, I once read through half of the “As” and couldn’t get any farther! What are some ways to help your homeschool student learn new words this summer and thus become better at including these words into their writing?

I’ve got a few tips to help with that!

Sign up for the Merriam-Webster “Word of the Day” e-mail.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

It’s simple to sign up for the word of the day at the link above. You and your homeschool student can have fun learning the new word of the day. Then, you can both try to creatively work the word into your conversations. You and your homeschool student could even have a competition: who will accurately include the word most within a day? Then, you get to start the fun all over again the next day!

Watch a movie with your homeschool student and ask them to write down every word they don’t recognize.

Then, ask them to write what they think the word means based on the context it’s used in. Your homeschool student can better guess a definition when they understand context by asking questions such as, “Who is speaking the words?” and “What is the setting?” For example, in Beauty and the Beast, what do the villagers mean when they sing about Belle that “behind that fair facade, they believe she’s rather odd”? And, what might “provincial life” be? Then, after the movie is over, you can pull out the dictionary and find the words together. Then, ask your homeschool student to write out the definitions and say the word aloud in the sentence. Perhaps the next time you watch that movie together, your student (and maybe you, too) will know what the words mean!

Look around your home on a vocab scavenger hunt.

You can ask your homeschool student to look around for unfamiliar words on books, magazines, packaging (though maybe not shampoo bottle ingredients), and write them all down on a sheet of paper. Then, once you’ve collected all the unfamiliar words, look them up in the dictionary. If you’d like to take vocab-learning to the next level, take out Mr. Thesaurus and invite your student to look up the new words to find their synonyms. Through this activity, homeschool students can make connections for how words convey similar and different meanings.

However you may choose to learn new words with your student this summer, I hope your mental appetite is satiated. (Maybe this can be the first word your student looks up in the dictionary!) And when the school year begins again, don’t be surprised when your homeschool student slips a brand-new vocabulary word into their writing from all the fun time you’ve spent learning new words together.

“Excuse me, Athena. That sounds like a school activity, and the point of summer is that children are off school. Why would I want to inflict more compositions on my kids during their vacation?”

Thank you for that question! There are two main reasons homeschool parents may wish to require summer writing from their students.

1. Some homeschool students NEED the extra practice.

As Danielle pointed out in her “Summer Scaries” blog post, low-pressure, non-graded writing activities over the summer can help some students maintain their writing muscles. In some cases, these muscles atrophy over vacation, and students begin the next year having forgotten all they ever learned about composition.

Requiring summer writing not only provides homeschool students with practice, but it also demonstrates that writing is not exclusively an academic activity. Breaking that mental boundary may be the breakthrough your student needs to write well and freely.

(Check out Danielle’s blog post! Solid encouragement for homeschool parents entering the summer months.)

2. Some homeschool students WANT the extra practice.

Some of you may be blessed with a student who LOVES writing, and you should encourage that kind of expression and development! While these students may dive into writing on their own, a little guidance may benefit them—especially younger students.

With these two groups in mind, let’s dive into summer writing ideas! While I encourage you to develop your own ideas and prompts, here are some suggestions to get started.

(Check out the EIW textbooks for guidance about how to approach each of these compositions.)

Summer Writing Prompts

Expository Writing

Think about topics the student will want to write about or things you want them to think about. Writing about these important topics will help them put thoughts and/or feelings into words, which benefits their personal development and not just their academic performance.

Try some of these prompts:

• What kind of person do you want to be? Write a paragraph explaining at least two positive traits you want to see in yourself and why you want them.
• A goal is an idea that someone puts into action. What is one of your goals? Write a paragraph explaining what your goal is and how you plan to accomplish that goal.
• What is one of your favorite memories? Describe the memory and explain why you like it.

Journal Writing

Journaling is a way to record events, but it can also develop self-awareness. Writing journal entries will help students realize they can write for themselves, not just a teacher.

Here are some ideas for journal entries:

• Keep a daily journal of a trip you take this summer. Write 3-4 sentences about whatever you want to record about each day.

(Tip: When I was in elementary school, my mother purchased daily planners as “journals” for my sister and me. The planners provided a limited amount of space for each daily entry, which made the task seem less intimidating than endless empty pages.)

• Describe three things you want to do or be when you are a grown-up.
• Write a journal entry about ten of your favorite things, including items, activities, and foods.

Narrative Writing

Writing stories—original or reimagined—is a great way to foster imagination in homeschool students. Narrative writing can be entertaining and freeing, for there’s no right way to tell a story!

Let your student’s imagination run wild! But in case they need it, here are some suggested prompts:

• Is there a book, movie, or video game that has an ending you don’t like? How could the story have ended better? Rewrite the ending in the way you think is best.
• Write your own version of a fairy tale. Maybe Cinderella doesn’t want to go to the ball, but to the ball game! Maybe Puss in Boots isn’t just a clever cat, but a shapeshifter! Maybe St. George doesn’t want to kill the dragon, but learn to ride it! Rewrite a fairy tale in your own way.
• If you could go on a dream vacation this summer, where would you go? Write a narrative of your vacation—where you would go, who you would be with, and what you would do.

May these few writing ideas inspire you to come up with your own specialized prompts! Summer writing is a chance to shirk off the restrictions of academic prompts, which by necessity are general and impersonal. However, with summer writing, you can get personal with your kids!

For example, if I were coming up with summer prompts for my 13-year-old homeschooled brother, I would include:

• Write a paragraph explaining the best way to take care of the dozen baby chickens we just purchased.
• Journal about how you felt after seeing Avengers: Endgame on opening night.
• Imagine what it will be like to interview at the Lego Company when you are old enough. Write the story of that interview and how you get the job.

Happy summer, everyone! And happy writing

By Athena Lester
Head of Curriculum and Scoring

As Danielle referenced in last week’s blog, summertime can be an opportunity for homeschool students to engage learning while having all the summer fun, too. So, what are some ways to help your homeschool student develop a love for reading during the summertime and thus learn to cultivate their writing skills? Here’s a few ideas I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Encourage your homeschool student to participate in a summer reading program.

These programs can be found at many community libraries, and oftentimes, librarians offer students incentives for reading a certain number of books. These might be a trip to the local zoo, a free book, or even a snazzy new bookmark! Not only do students get incentives for reading, but they can also meet and get to know other students in the program. Perhaps even a sweet book-loving friendship might emerge from a summer reading program.

2. Challenge your homeschool student to memorize one or two classic poems.

Perhaps you could compile some poems (fun, classic, or summer-themed) for your homeschool student to choose from. Memorizing a poem can be both challenging and rewarding—especially because lines of a poem can remain in one’s mind for years to come. A couple of my favorites to memorize as a student were “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and “Busy” by A.A. Milne.

3. Read a novel with your homeschool student and watch the movie version of the story together.

Not only can it be a fun bonding experience to read a novel with your homeschool student, but you can help your student learn how to compare and contrast through watching the movie version of the book. You can discuss questions such as “How did the director interpret this book differently than you did?” and “What effect did the differences in the movie have in shaping the plot?” From Charlotte’s Web to The Chronicles of Narnia to Little Women, several movie adaptations exist of beautiful literature for all ages. By participating in this activity together, you can engage your imagination with your homeschool student, making memories that can bond you for years to come.

I hope this upcoming summer is memorable and meaningful for both you and your homeschool student as you soak up memories together.