Upper School Essay Writing

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.)

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.

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