Author Archives: Jen

Writing with the Masters 4th-6th Homeschool class

Posted on by Jen

ENROLLMENT UPDATE: This class has met the minimum enrollment and is a go! Please contact us regarding late applications if interested in joining the class.

Coming this fall: School-year classes for homeschoolers grades 4 through 10!

This post describes the class, Writing with the Masters, for grades 4 through 6. (Information about the 7th-10th grade class is available here.)

Who: Students entering grades 4–6 in fall ’19

When: 1:00–2:00 p.m., Tuesdays, August 27, 2019 to May 13, 2020, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Sugar Land, Texas

Along with Louis, the young trumpeter swan in E. B. White’s book, Trumpet of the Swan, students will journey to find their voice as they study and enjoy the writing of master author, E. B. White, co-author of the classic writer’s handbook, The Elements of Style. With White and other master authors as models, students will gain a higher level of stylistic mastery through imitation. Students will also develop narrating and outlining skills as they summarize and tell back passages from the novel and other sources. Throughout the school year, students will learn how to incorporate style and literary devices into their writing while also increasing their awareness of sentence structure and grammar. When imitation, narration, and syntax are combined with the IEW structure and style syllabus in this high-flying course, students will find their own writing voice resonant with new-found stylistic prowess.

To receive the full benefit of the writing class, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another half an hour to 1.5 hours each week completing assignments at home. Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

Students will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

The teacher will supply the following course materials:

  • The Trumpet of the Swan, by E. B. White
  • 3-ring notebook binder with tab dividers, course handouts, and reinforced lined notebook paper
  • Composition book
  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—classroom copies to share
  • Classroom colored pencil sets

Supplies fee: $45/student—or $100 w/late fee if registering after August 16

Tuition is on a sliding scale and will be collected quarterly. Pay what you can within the following range: $500 to $800/student/year ($125-$200/quarter)

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by August 15. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.

Narration: Path to Writing Fluency

Posted on by Jen

In April I was honored to present at Houston Baptist University’s annual Writer’s Conference. This year the conference focused on teaching writing, and I enjoyed sharing from my exploration into the art of narration as a writing practice. Here are my presentation notes:

Overview: Narration, or retelling, is a gentle yet powerful way to develop both writing fluency and also reading comprehension. Consistent practice with narration builds habits of attention and observation, depth of understanding, and breadth of vocabulary and syntax as students imprint the writing of master authors through retelling. Teachers can incorporate oral and written narration in the classroom to help students benefit from their readings and verbalize their experiences.

What is Narration?

  • Narration is a natural and universal human activity.
  • Narration is retelling experiences, observations, interactions, facts, story.
  • Narration can be oral or written, even visual or kinetic.

“Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education. A creative fiat calls it forth. […] This amazing gift with which normal children are born is allowed to lie fallow in their education. Bobbie will come home with a heroic narrative of a fight he has seen between ‘Duke’ and a dog in the street. It is wonderful! He has seen everything, and he tells everything with splendid vigour in the true epic vein; […] here, if we have eyes to see and grace to build, is the ground-plan of his education.”

—Charlotte Mason, Home Education, p. 231

Benefits of Narration in the Learning Process

  • Narration is simple and easy to implement.
    • It requires no special materials or costs.
    • It requires very little teacher preparation time.
    • It can be accomplished in short time slots during the school day.
    • It taps into natural capacity and appeals to students.
  • Narration is versatile.
    • It can be used across grade levels and subject areas.
    • It can be used with groups, pairs, and individual students.
    • It is accessible to students of all abilities & easy to adapt for individual needs.
    • It can be oral or written, verbal or nonverbal.
  • Narration is effective.
    • It develops foundational habits of attention, observation, and critical thinking.
    • It helps develop reading comprehension, recall, and depth of understanding.
    • It links writing to reading and allows students to imprint style and structure.
    • It does double duty as an ongoing informal assessment tool.

The Process of Narration

A basic lesson outline is as follows: (See Mason, Home Education, pp. 232–3.)

  1. Preparation for Input—Review context if applicable; possibly introduce key terms.
  2. Input—Read passage aloud to students or have students read silently. (Input can also be from non-print media, lecture/interaction, observation, and experience.)
  3. Narration—Have students retell what they have heard/read/observed.
  4. Follow-up—Discuss and reinforce topics or questions of interest from the passage.

“But, it will be said, reading […] and then narrating or writing what has been read or some part of it,—all this is mere memory work. The value of this criticism may be readily tested; will the critic read before turning off his light a leading article from a newspaper, say, or a chapter from Boswell or Jane Austen, or one of Lamb’s Essays; then will he put himself to sleep by narrating silently what he has read. He will not be satisfied with the result but he will find that in the act of narrating every power of his mind comes into play, that points and bearings which he had not observed are brought out; that the whole is visualized and brought into relief in an extraordinary way; in fact, that scene or argument has become a part of his personal experience; he knows, he has assimilated what he has read. This is not memory work.”

—Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, p. 16

Principles for Implementing Narration at Home & School

Several guiding principles and best practices to keep in mind: (See Glass ch. 3.)

  • Select only high-quality material with rich vocabulary and literary merit.
  • For greatest benefit, allow students to hear/read the passage only once before narrating.
  • Develop a student’s autonomous ability to guide their own narrations without external questions or prompts.
  • Do not interrupt, or allow other students to interrupt, a student’s narration.
  • Allow students to complete/correct a peer’s narration when it is their turn.
  • Correct, complete, question, or discuss narrations only after the students finish narrating.
  • Request a second narration of some passages at regular intervals.

“‘The mind can know nothing save what it can produce in the form of an answer to a question put to the mind by itself’ […] This is what happens in the narrating of a passage read: each new consecutive incident or statement arrives because the mind asks itself,—‘What next?’”

—Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, pp. 16–17

Scope and Sequence for Narration & Composition

Narration skills develop through consistent practice over time:

  • Under 6 years old: Enjoy and encourage spontaneous oral narration. Don’t require it.
  • Grades 1–3: Require oral narration of read-aloud episodes once to several times/week.
  • Grades 4–6: Continue oral narration and add written narration 1 to 5 times/week.
  • Grades 7–9: Continue oral & daily written narration; develop writing fluency & composition skills. Fluently write 150 to 300 words/day; follow basic rules of mechanics.
  • Grades 10–12: Continue oral & written narration; study the craft of writing and refine composition skills through formal writing assignments, editing, and revision.

“Children should read books, not about books and about authors […] Their reading should be carefully ordered, for the most part in historical sequence; they should read to know, whether it be Robinson Crusoe or Huxley’s Physiography; their knowledge should be tested, not by questions, but by the oral (and occasionally the written) reproduction of a passage after one reading; all further processes that we concern ourselves about in teaching, the mind performs for itself; and lastly, this sort of reading should be the chief business in the class room.”

—Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, pp. 341–2

Resources

  • “AmblesideOnline Narration Discussion.” AO Narration, AmblesideOnline.org, 2017, www.amblesideonline.org/Narration.shtml/.
  • Breckenridge, Donna-Jean. “AmblesideOnline: Some Thoughts on Narration.” AmblesideOnline.org, 2017, www.amblesideonline.org/DJBNarration.shtml/.
  • Glass, Karen. Know and Tell: The Art of Narration. Karen Glass, 2018.
  • Hilgeman, Mariellyn. Now, Tell It to Me: Using Retelling for Literacy and Language Development. Purposeful Design Publications, 2008.
  • Mason, Charlotte. A Philosophy of Education: Curiosity—The Pathway to Creative Learning. Tyndale House, 1989 (1925).
  • Mason, Charlotte. Home Education: Training and Educating Children Under Nine. Tyndale House, 1989 (1935).
  • “Topical CM Series: Narration.” AmblesideOnline.org, 2014, www.amblesideonline.org/CMM/topicalnarration.html/.

2018 Advanced Essay Camp

Posted on by Jen
UPDATE: This camp has been CANCELLED for 2018. Let us know if you’re interested in this camp for next summer, 2019.
Who: Grades 9–12, returning students only
When: August 6–10, 2018, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Business woman writing in notebook

In addition to reviewing sentence structure and stylistic elements, returning students will read essays by master writers, analyzing and imitating their respective styles in a series of response essays of their own. Studying an array of the best American essays from the past century, students will gain exposure to different essay structures and themes ranging from opinion piece to social appeal, from personal essay to literary theodicy. The skill and insight of great authors serves as inspiration for students who are finding their own individual voices. By imitating the sentence structures and essay organization of great authors, students can be empowered to compose their own beautiful, powerful work as they join the larger conversation. This advanced essay course makes a direct bridge for the student between imitating great writing and composing beautiful writing in their own words. Students will also gain practice with timed, in-class writing as well as with the revision and critique process.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another two or three hours each day completing homework. One or two weeks before the start of camp, enrolled students will receive an electronic packet of essays to read in preparation. The reading level of the packet is challenging, so students may want to plan ahead to get the most out of their reading experience. Discussing the reading material with family and friends may also aid comprehension and enjoyment as students head into the camp week.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper (If you have the binder with handouts from a previous writing camp, please use that!)
  • Composition book

Students in the Advanced Essay Writing camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

 

 

Note: This Advanced Essay camp is open to highschool students who either are participating in another of the camps this summer—the Basic Essay camp/the Thesis Essay camp—or who have participated in a writing camp with An Elegant Word in a previous summer. Accomplished writers who have not previously studied with me are welcome to inquire about an exception by submitting a writing sample via email.

2018 Thesis Essay Camp

Posted on by Jen
Who: Students entering grades 9–12 in fall ’18 (Students in grades 6–8 who have completed previous camps or classes with me are also welcome to apply—Please inquire!)
When: July 23–27, 2018, 1:00–4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Students at classes

Students will learn a five-step process for developing a thoughtful thesis statement that interacts with the great conversation of ideas. By attending to sources and engaging in group discussion, students will be able to find their own voice as they search for the truth through their reading and writing. Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a compelling essay. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. This class is ideal for students with previous experience writing multiple-paragraph compositions who are ready to advance to the thesis essay. Because we have only five days together, students will practice developing a thesis argument within the five-paragraph essay structure, but we will also discuss how to adapt the basic essay structure to various lengths and purposes.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another two or three hours each day completing homework. One or two weeks before the start of camp, enrolled students will receive an electronic packet of poems and articles to read in preparation. The reading level of the packet is challenging, so students may want to plan ahead to get the most out of their reading experience. Discussing the reading material with family and friends may also aid comprehension and enjoyment as students head into the camp week.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Thesis Essay camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by July 15. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

ENROLLMENT UPDATE: This camp has met the minimum enrollment and is a go!

Enroll today before seats fill up!

 

Note: This camp may be a good next step for middleschool and highschool students who have previously participated in the Basic Essay camp and are ready to take their essay writing up another level.

 

2018 Basic Essay Camp

Posted on by Jen
Who: Students entering grades 7–9+ in fall ’18 (Upcoming 6th graders may also benefit—Please inquire!)
When: July 23–27, 2018, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Positive Afro-american woman studying at home

Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a basic five-paragraph essay. By the end of the week, students will produce an original essay including integrated quotations, MLA in-text citations, and a properly formatted “Works Cited” page. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. Throughout the week, students will gain an awareness of sentence structure and grammar that goes hand-in-hand with their growing ability to amplify and manipulate the parts of a sentence.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each day completing homework. Students will also be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed a week or two before camp begins. Each enrolled family will receive specific instructions by email.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Basic Essay Writing camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by July 15. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

ENROLLMENT UPDATE: This camp has met the minimum enrollment and is a go!

Enroll today before seats fill up!

2017 Writing Camp Testimonials

Posted on by Jen

Thank you to all the families who participated in this year’s Basic Essay Camp! And thank you for the encouraging feedback.

One-hundred percent of surveyed parents strongly agreed that the camp met or exceeded their expectations and that they would highly recommend the camps to others. They said they were happy with their students’ experience and were interested in enrolling their students in additional writing camps with An Elegant Word. Here are some of their comments:

“My daughter is actually very excited that things are making more sense to her. Before this camp she would make fantastic outlines after reading her materials and making notes, but she could not get those outlines into paragraph form organically. This week helped her learn how to bite off tasks she can accomplish in logical, consecutive steps and avoid melt downs. This has been very good for her! Even watching my daughter work helped not only her but was also a good refresher for older siblings who were not enrolled in the camp. Thanks so much!”

“We will do the next camp next summer.”

“This course helped solidify essential writing skills.”

“It was a great review of aspects of English grammar, and it was great to learn some new ways to analyze writing and incorporate a greater range of style in future writing assignments.”

“The writing camp helped my daughter to think systematically and be able to organize her thoughts and put them in writing.”

Most students reported that the camp helped them improve their writing and said they enjoyed the camp and would recommend it to their friends. They especially enjoyed the games and writing warm-up activities. They said it was especially helpful learning how to structure and organize their essays using key word outlines and topic-clincher sentences. They also appreciated learning how to proof-read and to take notes from a lecture. Here’s what they said about their experience:

“It has helped me improve my writing, and I created a great essay with the help of your materials.”

“It was fun and engaging. I have a better understanding of how to execute the steps of the writing process.”

“Writing camp has improved my vocabulary and helped me discover all the new words I can use. It was also helpful to learn specific writing terms.”

“It was fun and helpful for me to improve my writing.”

“The camp was fun, and I also learned how to improve my essay introductions and conclusions.”

“The experience was fun.”

“The camp got better and better as the week went on.”

“I enjoyed learning how to organize my thoughts and put them on paper. I also enjoyed learning how to take lecture notes. It was very fun and very helpful and interesting as well.”

There are still spots open in the Thesis Essay Camp which starts next week on July 10!

2017 Basic Essay Camp

Posted on by Jen
Who: Students in grades 7-10+ in fall ’17 (Upcoming 6th graders may also benefit—Please inquire!)
When: June 26-30, 2017, 9:00-12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Positive Afro-american woman studying at home

Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a basic five-paragraph essay. By the end of the week, students will produce an original essay including integrated quotations, MLA in-text citations, and a properly formatted “Works Cited” page. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. Throughout the week, students will gain an awareness of sentence structure and grammar that goes hand-in-hand with their growing ability to amplify and manipulate the parts of a sentence.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each day completing homework. Students will also be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed a week or two before camp begins. Each enrolled family will receive specific instructions by email.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Basic Essay Writing camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by June 20. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

 

UPDATE: This camp is now full. Click here to join the waiting list.

 

Note: Highschool students are welcome to participate in both the Basic Essay camp as well as the Thesis Essay camp.

2017 Thesis Essay Camp

Posted on by Jen
Who: Students in grades 9-12 in fall ’17
When: July 10-14, 2017, 9:00-12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Students at classes

Students will learn a five-step process for developing a thoughtful thesis statement that interacts with the great conversation of ideas. By attending to sources and engaging in group discussion, students will be able to find their own voice as they search for the truth through their reading and writing. Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a compelling essay. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. This class is ideal for students with previous experience writing multiple-paragraph compositions who are ready to advance to the thesis essay.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another two or three hours each day completing homework. One or two weeks before the start of camp, enrolled students will receive an electronic packet of poems and articles to read in preparation.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Thesis Essay camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by June 20. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

UPDATE: This camp has met the minimum enrollment and is filling up fast!

Space is limited! Enroll today!

Note: This camp may be a good next step for highschool students who have previously participated in the Basic Essay camp and are ready to take their essay writing up another level.

 

2016 Writing Camp Testimonials

Posted on by Jen

The feedback from nearly 20 students (and their parents) who participated in the 2016 summer writing camps was phenomenal. Students and parents overwhelmingly agreed that the camp activities helped the students improve their writing.

And students enjoyed the camps, too! Several students also reported that participating in the camps increased their enjoyment of writing and helped them feel more confident about their writing ability.

Almost every student, and 100% of the parents, strongly agreed that they would highly recommend An Elegant Word writing camps to others.

“It really says a lot when a student enjoys your camp so much, they ask to go back. Thank you!” —Mom of a student who participated in both the Basic Essay and Advanced Essay camps in 2016

“Thank you for the wonderful experience. I’m looking forward to enrolling my younger child when he becomes eligible! My daughter gained an appreciation of essay writing as a genre in contrast to short stories. She liked the way it helped her develop a thesis.”

Here’s what other parents said about the Basic Essay camp:

“The class was well-structured and covered the basic principles needed to create an essay. I think the course was very good for my child.”

“My students thoroughly enjoyed this camp. One of my students had minimal experience with writing, and in just five days he greatly improved.” —Susan D.

“I like how the writing camp helped my student think deeper about a subject. It taught her to be goal oriented and to persevere to achieve a goal.” —Emily B.

“They learned so much!”

“I love how you give positive feedback to the kids. Very encouraging! My student liked the camp more and more toward the end.”

“My kids put a lot into the class and got quite a bit out of it as well.” —Clark R.

The students in the Basic Essay camp said they loved the many games we played and found several aspects of the camp helpful:

“I like how the teacher constantly assisted us with our work. I now better understand how to dress-up my writing style and use key word outlines.” —Cameron D.

“This camp was fun and interesting. I enjoyed all the games!” —Matthew L.

“‘Fun!’ is how I would describe this camp. It also helped me with my essay structure.”

“Writing camp has helped me to feel more confident when writing papers. Learning about stylistic decorations and paragraph clinchers and topic sentences was especially helpful.” —Tyler

“It was great! I write stories and essays for school, and this really helped me. The key word outlines helped a lot.” —Hannah R.

“This camp was really good. It was especially helpful to learn the specific steps in the essay-writing process.”

“I love the camp! I enjoyed the games the most! And the most helpful part was learning the specifics about how to write an essay. This will help me in school this fall.” —Chesney

“It was fun and interactive as well as educational. It helped me with word selection and essay formatting. The handouts and class activities as well as the tips and advice written on our essays and drafts were very helpful to my writing.”

Returning students thoroughly enjoyed the Advanced Essay camp:

“Writing camp was amazing. The resources we read are sure to help me through English III and personal college essays. It has encouraged me to read classic authors and appreciate a different genre that I had prematurely judged as ‘boring’ and “difficult.’ The best parts of camp were being exposed to multiple authors to learn from, the well-structured and thoughtful lessons, and the awesome teacher!” —Natalie L.

“I extremely enjoyed all of the readings. I also enjoyed finding the differences between my style and the authors’ styles. I really loved hearing you talk so enthusiastically about writing as well. It has been a completely lovely experience. I think that in the future I will revise more and choose my words more carefully.” —Maria-Louise C.

“The writing camp was very helpful and will help me with my future essays. I learned how to analyze and imitate different master essayists. I especially enjoyed imitating E. B. White and his personal essay. Learning how to analyze the authors’ essays was incredibly beneficial.”

“The camp was enjoyable and the benefits great. I gained a more thorough understanding of the masters. The most enjoyable part was arguably the analysis of the different essays.”

“This camp has really helped me. Reading and understanding the master authors’ essays has taught me the value of focused paragraph and essay structure. It was especially helpful to study the structural choices and to learn to identify the stylistic techniques of great authors.”

“Writing camp has allowed me to explore different areas of writing and learn to write in a more thought-provoking way. It has made me more conscious of my writing and the effect of the words I use. I enjoyed looking closer at the stylistic decorations and patterns among the different authors we studied.”

Like what you see? I hope you’ll consider joining us for one of our 2017 summer writing camps. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

 

 

What Your Student Needs to Know about Writing

Posted on by Jen

Because language is the primary avenue for learning every other subject, you really can’t skimp on language arts in the early years without hampering a student’s academic development down the road. To ensure that a student transitions smoothly from elementary to middle school and high school writing, there are some basic skills and concepts that a student will need to master in the early years and beyond.

The Fluency Stage

The first several years of elementary school constitute what I like to call the fluency stage. Students are learning how to read and write words and sentences with increasing ease. They are becoming fluent in both the written and spoken word.

By the end of third grade, in addition to mastering phonics and penmanship, a student on strong footing in language arts and writing will

  • have a firm understanding of a sentence as a complete thought containing both a subject (what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the sentence tells about the subject). (She need not know the words “subject” and “predicate,” but she will be able to recognize a complete sentence and to distinguish between a sentence and a fragment.)
  • know and consistently implement the basic mechanics of a sentence. In particular, he will know that the first word of a sentence is always capitalized and that every sentence must end with either a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark. He will also know when to use which end punctuation and be familiar with the different kinds of sentences (such as questions, statements, commands, and exclamations).
  • be able to recognize paragraphs in a text and understand that a paragraph is a series of sentences relating to a particular point or topic.
  • understand that a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea is called a noun and that specific names, called proper nouns, begin with a capital letter.
  • be developing fluency with capitalization and basic punctuation norms.
  • have plenty of experience writing sentences, preferably through copywork and dictation, as well as from her own compositions.
  • have accumulated many, many hours of hearing books read aloud, both picture books and chapter books. (Even after, and maybe especially after, a student can read on his own, he still needs to hear the written word.)
  • have committed to memory several beautiful prose and poem selections which she is able to recite.
  • be able to orally tell back in his own words a short anecdote, story, or passage he has heard read aloud.

There are many good tools for helping students master these concepts and skills. One I’ve enjoyed using is English for the Thoughtful Child: Volume 1 by Mary F. Hyde revised and edited by Cynthia Shearer.

The Grammar Stage

Beginning around fourth grade, most students are ready for a more systematic study of grammar. In classical education circles, this stretch from fourth through fifth or sixth grade is commonly known as “the grammar stage.”

By the end of fifth or sixth grade, a student who is thriving in language arts and writing will, in addition to the above,

  • know and be able to identify all the parts of speech and all the parts of a sentence.
  • be familiar with the various verb tenses and moods and know how to maintain agreement and consistency across a composition.
  • understand the various functions of nouns and pronouns within sentences and be able to identify the various cases and roles within specific sentences.
  • be familiar with more advanced punctuation, mechanics, and usage norms.
  • know how to format a composition assignment for an academic setting.
  • be able to summarize and amplify sentences and rearrange the parts with ease.
  • be able to summarize, amplify, and imitate stories and passages.
  • be able to identify and articulate the main idea or central fact of a paragraph or selection.
  • be developing the ability to recognize literary elements such as character, setting, and plot.
  • understand how to organize paragraphs and multi-paragraph compositions utilizing topic sentences, transitions, clinchers/conclusions, and titles.
  • have experience incorporating descriptive writing, dialog, and other narrative elements within a composition.
  • be familiar with poetic elements such as rhyme, alliteration, simile & metaphor, and basic stanza forms.
  • have read (and heard read aloud) a variety of short stories, longer fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from different time periods and genres.

Here are a few among the many available resources that I have found helpful in developing a student’s grammatical know-how at this stage: (I wouldn’t use all three at once!)

Middle School & Beyond: Logic & Rhetoric

With their foundational language skills building to fruition, Middle School students are ripe for forays into essay writing where skills of logic and disputation come into play. In the classical trivium, the middle school years are known as the Logic stage wherein students engage in pre-Rhetoric exercises known collectively as the progymnasmata. Then, during highschool, students who have mastered the previous stages are ready for more formal studies in rhetoric and composition.

At An Elegant Word, our summer writing camps are designed to review the basics while stretching students to develop their essay-writing skills at the level appropriate for them. Basic Essay Writing introduces students to the structure of a simple essay, while Thesis Essay Writing challenges students to reach a higher level of argumentation and organization. The Advanced Essay camp builds on the others as students study modern and contemporary masters of different essay forms. In all three camps, we review basics such as formatting, sentence structure and style, principles of organization, and descriptive writing. Which camp is right for you?

Note: If your middleschool or highschool student has not yet mastered grammar, punctuation, and usage, it’s not too late! Easy Grammar Plus is a comprehensive resource that is especially easy to use. After you’ve got your feet wet with that, why not add Jensen’s Punctuation?