Note: This post describes one of four writing classes I’ll be teaching in the 2020-21 school year through Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative. You can read more here about all four classes, spanning grades 4 to 12.

Who: Students entering grades 8–12 in fall 2020

Prerequisites: Prior IEW experience or writing class with Mrs. Hartenburg, or by permission

When: 2:15–3:30 p.m., Fridays, September 4, 2020 to May 28, 2021, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Forty Holy Martyrs Church, Sugar Land, Texas

In this college-preparatory literature and composition course, highschool students (and advanced eighth-graders) will explore elements of literature and develop beginning skills in literary analysis as they read and write upper-level essays and critiques.

Focus works, including novels, short stories, poems, and drama, have been selected for literary quality, interest, and for their place in the historical development of literature. Students will gain an understanding of the development of literature and will practice the skills of close literary analysis through essays, approach papers, and other evaluative writing. 

Supplies Fee: $149 for BHSC-purchased supplies including the following:

• Introduction to Literature student book by Janice Campbell
• Seven books of literature for study: Around the World in Eighty Days, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Jane Eyre, Pygmalion, Animal Farm, The Tempest, and Gulliver’s Travels.
• 3-ring notebook binder with tab dividers, course handouts, and reinforced lined notebook paper
• Composition notebook
• Various teaching/classroom resources

Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

• Pens, black ink, 2 or more
• Pencils, 3 or more, pre-sharpened and ready to use
• Colored pencils, erasable, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and brown
• Erasers
• Dictionary & Thesaurus—for home use. Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
• Recommended/Optional: Reinforcing stickers for strengthening/repairing holes in notebook paper and handouts

Students must also have a public library card and access to the library as they will be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed.

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

See Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative enrollment information for tuition and fee information.

Note: This post describes one of four writing classes I’ll be teaching in the 2020-21 school year through Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative. You can read more here about all four classes, spanning grades 4 to 12.

Who: Students entering grades 7–12 in fall 2020.

When: 1:00–2:10 p.m., Fridays, August 14, 2020 to May 14, 2021, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Forty Holy Martyrs Church, Sugar Land, Texas

Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of various essay formats and will produce original essays 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 course, 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.

In addition to basic report-style essays, 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.

In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each week completing assignments at home.

Supplies Fee: $35 for teacher-purchased supplies including the following:

• 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

Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

• Pens, black ink, 2 or more
• Pencils, 3 or more, pre-sharpened and ready to use
• Colored pencils, erasable, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and brown
• Erasers
• Dictionary & Thesaurus—for home use. Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
• Recommended/Optional: Reinforcing stickers for strengthening/repairing holes in notebook paper and handouts

Students must also have a public library card and access to the library as they will be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed.

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

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by June 26, 2020. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.

See Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative enrollment information for tuition and fee information.

Note: This post describes one of four writing classes I’ll be teaching in the 2020-21 school year through Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative. You can read more here about all four classes, spanning grades 4 to 12.

Who: Students entering grades 5–7 in fall 2020;

Prerequisites: Prior IEW experience or writing class with Mrs. Hartenburg, or by permission

When: 1:00–2:10 p.m., Tuesdays, August 11, 2020 to May 11, 2021, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Forty Holy Martyrs Church, Sugar Land, Texas

Upper-elementary and middle-school students will gain experience writing from various types of sources, incorporating research, and organizing paragraphs and longer compositions. While the class will incorporate more creative writing projects as well, the focus will be on mastering report and essay forms and following MLA formatting guides while also adding stylistic flare. Students will work toward developing organizational skills and scholarly habits that will aid them in their upper level studies and beyond. As a class, students will work on memorizing and reciting several poems over the course of the year, and they will have the opportunity to participate in ongoing reading and typing challenges to develop skills and habits essential to competent communicators.

In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each week completing assignments at home.

Supplies Fee: $35 for teacher-purchased supplies including the following:

• 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

Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

• Pens, black ink, 2 or more
• Pencils, 3 or more, pre-sharpened and ready to use
• Colored pencils, erasable, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and brown
• Erasers
• Dictionary & Thesaurus—for home use. Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
• Recommended/Optional: Reinforcing stickers for strengthening/repairing holes in notebook paper and handouts

Students must also have a public library card and access to the library as they will be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed.

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

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by June 26, 2020. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.

See Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative enrollment information for tuition and fee information.

Note: This post describes one of four writing classes I’ll be teaching in the 2020-21 school year through Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative. You can read more here about all four classes, spanning grades 4 to 12.

Who: Students entering grades 4–6 in fall 2020

When: 2:15–3:30 p.m., Tuesdays, August 11, 2020 to May 11, 2021, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Forty Holy Martyrs Church, Sugar Land, Texas

Upper-elementary students will participate in activities aimed to inspire a love of words, sentences, and word-play. With the support of guided group discussion, brainstorming, and critique, students will learn to write with appropriate structure while enlivening their prose with stylistic flare.

Over the course of the year, students will gain a growing awareness of sentence structure and grammar that goes hand-in-hand with their growing ability to amplify and manipulate the parts of a sentence. We will focus on developing vivid vocabulary and sentence variety in a range of compositions including both fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. As a class, students will work on memorizing and reciting several poems over the course of the year, and they will have the opportunity to participate in ongoing reading and typing challenges to develop skills and habits essential to competent communicators.

In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each week completing assignments at home.

Supplies Fee: $65 for teacher-purchased supplies including the following:

• All Things Fun & Fascinating student book
• 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

Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

• Pens, black ink, 2 or more
• Pencils, 3 or more, pre-sharpened and ready to use
• Colored pencils, erasable, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and brown
• Erasers
• Dictionary & Thesaurus—for home use. Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
• Recommended/Optional: Reinforcing stickers for strengthening/repairing holes in notebook paper and handouts

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

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by June 26, 2020. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.

See Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative enrollment information for tuition and fee information.