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Homeschool Highschool Podcast 144: Writing Research Papers with Kat Patrick

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast 144: Writing Research Papers with Kat Patrick. This post is running concurrently on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.
HSHSP Ep 144: Writing Research Papers, Interview with Kat Patrick. Tips for helping homeschool high schoolers develop skills for research paper writing.

Homeschool Highschool Podcast 144: Writing Research Papers with Kat Patrick

Our friend, Dr. Kat Patrick, joins us for this episode to help guide through the important task of writing research papers.

Kat has helped us out with an episode about homeschooling in the United Kingdom and the United States AND in another episode, she shared how to teach Shakespeare and enjoy it.

Kat and her family have lived in England for 25 years (where her husband teaches at Oxford). They recently moved to Texas, where Kat was born. Kat started Dreaming Spires Home Learning, a Charlotte Mason inspired online program. She offers lots of popular live courses in lots areas.

Kat Patrick of Dreaming Spires Online Homeschool Courses, Interviewed on Homeschool High School Podcast

Photo used with permission.

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Kat is an expert in teaching writing skills. She began teaching research paper writing during her graduate studies at University of Delaware. (Interestingly, just a few miles from where the 7Sisters live, we just never met at that time.) Kat loves teaching the skills of research paper writing, especially in taking notes and noting sources.

As Vicki points out, teens often complain about writing research papers while in high school because they are a LOT of work! However, they often come back to her to thank her for that requirement, because in college they more easily earn top grades in their composition courses. Even non-college-bound skills benefit from writing research papers.

Life skills that all teens gain from writing research papers include:

  • Building attention to detail
  • Building stick-to-itiveness and organization skills for doing large projects
  • Building patience for redos until things get batter
  • Building research skills for life (such as products, trips or services teens will need in life)
  • Building skills to evaluate sources (they can apply this to things they read on social media and elsewhere)

What are some resources Kat recommends?

  • Books (usually more than one book, including more than one perspective)
  • References from library
  • Good Reads website
  • Google Books
  • Sources listed at the bottom of Wikipedia articles (the sources cited in the article), not the article itself
  • Primary sources, including digital documents of out-of-print sources. (Simply Google search: *Primary source for…*). This is good because teens can begin to come up with some of their own thoughts by reading original docusments, rather than only discuss other people’s thoughts. (This is particularly helpful with MLA and Chicago-style papers that are thesis based papers.)

Discuss plagiarism.

  • Help teens understand: How long a quote can you use and how do you cite it? (Follow the guidelines for each paper style: MLA, APA, Chicago Style.) Teens in college can lose scholarships and fail classes if they plagiarize. Here is a post to help explain plagiarism to your homeschool high schoolers.
  • Discuss paraphrasing and citing the paraphrase. (Developing this skills is one reason Kat loves Charlotte Mason’s traditional paraphrasing of books!)

Teach note-taking skills:

  • Remind teens to research before they start the paper or even write a thesis. They need lots of information before they start writing their papers.
  • Use index cards for note taking. Put quotes, statistics and other important information. Put citation information. Number the cards. Using card helps prevent accidental plagiarism.
  • Mind map or spread out the cards on a table to help teens organize their thoughts.

Teach time management skills:

Work with teens with solid dates on when they start researching, finish their cards, complete the first rough draft, final draft, etc. 7Sisters freebie Scheduling Backwards can help with this. All of 7Sisters’ Research Paper Writing Guides are chunked out into day-by-day assignments to help homeschool high schoolers stay on track.

Kat suggests this order for writing research papers.

  • Research
  • Write the first draft of the paper
  • Read the paper and find the gaps in the information presented
  • Research to fill in gaps
  • Rewrite
  • Check citations
  • Edit for grammar, punctuation, etc
  • Complete a final draft

Kat also includes these 2 fascinating requirements that truly help her homeschool high school students succeed as writers:

  • Students keep a journal where they daily record what they have done on their research paper.
  • At the end of the paper, she has her students write a *review* of the paper-writing process. It is a self-reflection about what they have learned about the process and the topic.

There are many styles of research papers, however, these are the most commonly used papers for high schoolers:

Check out Kat’s online courses such as English Literature that includes writing extensions, including research papers as well as multi-genre experiences with Prezis and plays. Also visit her at:

Keep an eye out for Dr. Kat Patrick’s upcoming text on Chicago-style research papers. Also, download Kat’s FREEBIE: Shakespeare Copywork.

Join Vicki and Kat for this fun discussion on research papers, your teens will benefit from the tips you learn!

Homeschool Highschool Podcast 144: Writing Research Papers with Kat Patrick

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Best Approach for Teaching Homeschool High School Literature

What is the best approach for teaching homeschool high school literature?

What is the Best Approach for Teaching Literature in Homeschool High School? 7SistersHomeschool.com shares how to choose the best style of curriculum for literature credits.

Best Approach for Teaching Homeschool High School Literature

We are sometimes asked what the best approach for teaching Literature to our homeschool high schoolers. You might guess our answer:

There’s not one right way to approach high school Literature credits!

That’s because God made so many kinds of teens (and moms). Each one has different interests, goals, needs and abilities. AND that’s one of the beauties of homeschooling high school, we can find a curriculum that has an educational philosophy that fits our teens (most of the time, anyway).

That’s because there are so many different styles of curriculum out there! They all meet different needs.

Of course, the blessing can also be a curse. It can be hard to wade through so many different Literature curricula with so many different educational philosophies. We can give you some pointers to help you with your choosing-Literature adventures. (Note: We love our educational philosophy and our curriculum, be we are buddies with other publishers and like their materials, also.)

Here’s a post that gives an overview for choosing any subject’s curriculum.

7 No Fail Steps in Choosing Curriculum 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image to read post.

Here a the most common approaches for teaching Literature to homeschool high schoolers:

  • Official Textbook Approach
    • For an in-depth look at style, approach and technique with each book read, traditional textbooks will do this. Traditional texts focus on short stories and book excerpts. They go DEEP with shorter reads. This is the educational philosophy you see often in standard (usually hardcover, printed) textbooks. The teaching ABOUT Literature is extensive for each reading passage.
    • This kind of approach is great for teens who like to plug through a textbook (and who like illustrations, because they usually do). It is not so good approach for teens who like to read the whole book or need to narrow down teaching topics so that the text doesn’t kill the book for them.
  • Study Guide with Real Books Approach
    • For a real-book approach, your homeschool high schoolers will benefit from using a study guides. Study guides help give insight into the book. They usually include vocabulary and questions. There are a several different study guide approaches:
      • Go in-depth with lots of literary themes and topics, questions, vocabulary. These in-depth guides are so intense that your teens might only complete one per month or one per quarter. These guides are sometimes in print, sometimes downloadables. These are good for students who like in-depth studies of a few books. Not good for students who prefer shorter guides and/or want to have time to read more books.
      • Choose one or two themes or topics per guide, include enough background material to add to understanding, keep vocabulary to a moderate amount, ask both comprehension and inferential questions. They are downloadables in the form of editable PDFs. These are good for students who like shorter guides and/or want to read more books each year, the are more difficult for teens who don’t like to download their own materials.

We like that last approach. That’s why 7Sisters Literature Study Guides follow that educational philosophy. In fact, here are 7Sisters’ distinctives:

Our Literature Study Guides contain NO busywork.

Instead, we aim to inspire students to LOVE the book and the guide. 7Sisters Literature Study Guides don’t kill the book. Take for instance, our popular guide to Les Miserables. Even in the abridged version of the book that we recommend, it is a long book. It is well worth reading but if the guide is full of busywork, teens often feel like giving up.

Les Miserables Literature Study Guide 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image for full description.

Curriculum should not be boring.

Our Literature Study Guides have been designed for students who prefer working with material that isn’t dry as toast. (7Sisters texts are field tested by actual homeschoolers who have strong opinions.) A good example of not keeping things interesting, if we dared make the guide for P.G. Wodehouse’s Right Ho, Jeeves long and boring, we’d ruin the book! Teens won’t stand for that!

Right Ho, Jeeves Literature Study Guide 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image for full description.

Curriculum should be presented in an adaptable format.

Rather than kill the subject, we include meaningful activities that homeschool high schoolers can choose to extend their learning in a useful way. This is what we call *leveling up*. Teens can complete a 7Sisters Literature Study Guide at an average high school level (or with support, remedial level for those with special needs or learning differences). They can also *level up* to rigorous Advanced or Honors levels for a powerful transcript.

A good example of leveling up is our collection of guides for The Chronicles of Narnia. The guides take these children’s classics up to a high school average level, then give extra meaningful engagement for college-attractive Honors level activities.

The Chronicles of Narnia Literature Guides for High School-Complete Set from 7 Sisters Homeschool

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Curriculum should prepare students for life.

Whether college or career bound, we believe texts should have a life-preparation viewpoint. Thus our Literature Study Guides cover subjects that colleges ask for, that are useful for critical thinking, that help develop teens’ character, or are generally great for life preparation. One of the best examples of this is our Great Christian Writers collection. The inspiring literature in these guides includes readings that include guides to great books like Pilgrim’s Progress, The Practice of the Presence of God, God’s Smuggler, Joni and more.

Great-Christian-Writers-Full Year Literature Study Guides

Click image for a full description.

 

Curriculum should be affordable.

Homeschooling families strive to be good stewards of their resources, including the 7Sisters. That’s why we keep our curriculum prices as reasonable as possible while still paying our bills! Take for instance our Cinema Studies Guides for Literature Learning, at $4.99 (like all our individual literature study guides) teens experience solid learning at a solidly affordable price.

Casablanca Cinema Study Guide from 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image for full description.

God made each teen unique. Thus there are many types of curriculum. There’s not ONE best approach for teaching homeschool high school Literature. You can choose what’s best for your teens.

SO, how can you know what is best? Here are 3 tips:

  1. Ask around. What do your homeschool mom-friends say? Ask locally or on one of the Facebook groups (just search *homeschool high school* there are some good ones. Here’s a link to 7Sisters’ Facebook group.
  2. Try a free sample. Sometimes publishers will share one of their textbooks or guides at no cost so that you can get a feel for the curriculum. Check out 7Sisters numerous freebies.
  3. Ask your teen to look at curriculum with you. Many homeschool high schoolers have opinions on what they don’t like and do like in curriculum.

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Best Approach for Teaching Homeschool High School Literature

Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course

Here is one suggested syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course.

Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course 7SistersHomeschool.com's popular MLA research paper guide now has a syllabus you can tweak for your homeschool high schoolers.

Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course

While there’s not ONE right way to create a research paper syllabus for your homeschool high schoolers, we get requests for examples that can be tweaked. This is the syllabus that 7Sister Allison uses in her homeschool group classes. It will give you a good idea about creating a syllabus for this important writing assignment. (For more information on creating a syllabus, check out this post.)

Note: This syllabus sample offers several different lengths of time for the project.

Syllabus for MLA Research Paper

Name of text:

MLA Research Paper Writing Guide, 7SistersHomeschool.com 

MLA Research Paper Writing Guide 7SistersHomeschool.com. Research paper guide for homeschool high schoolers using MLA format.

Click image for full description.

Purpose of the course:

The purpose of the course is to understand the purpose and process of writing an MLA research paper, as well as producing a research paper in the MLA format.

Other requirements:

Skipping steps in the process or rushing steps together results in anxiety for the student and a poor final paper. Homework should be turned in to parent or teacher for accountability and feedback to ensure that the student does not procrastinate.

For students who need help choosing a topic, read this post. 

Source & Citation requirements:

If you are writing a 7 or 8-page paper, you will need:

  • minimum of 5 sources with at least 1 book, 1 periodical, 1 internet source. You must have at least one citation from a source in order to count it as one of your 5 sources.
  • minimum of 25 note cards
  • minimum of 12 in-text citations

If you are writing a 9 or 10-page paper, you will need:

  • minimum of 5 sources with at least 1 book, 1 periodical, 1 internet source. You must have at least one citation from a source in order to count it as one of your 5 sources.
  • minimum of 30 note cards
  • minimum of 15 in-text citations

Basic timelines for projects of various lengths:

  • Below you will find suggested timelines for progressing through the MLA Research Paper Writing Guide. Parent/Teacher and student should decide before beginning this project how many pages the final paper should be and how long they will take to complete the project.
  • Base these decisions on the student’s skill level and experience as well as other scheduling factors in the school plan. (In general, I recommend that a student take at least 4 weeks for a research project and no more than 10 weeks, regardless of the length of the final paper.)
  • This minimum and maximum encourages thorough research, analysis of material, and careful writing while avoiding procrastination and loss of drive in the project.

Timeline for 4-Week MLA Research Paper Project

  • week 1: Checkpoints 1-5
  • week 2: continue research & Checkpoints 6-9
  • week 3: Checkpoints 10-14
  • week 4: Checkpoints 15-17

Timeline for 6-Week MLA Research Paper Project

  • week 1: Checkpoints 1-5
  • week 2: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
  • week 3: Checkpoints 8-9
  • week 4: Checkpoints 10-12
  • week 5: Checkpoints 13-15
  • week 6: Checkpoints 16-17

Timeline for 8-Week MLA Research Paper Project

  • week 1: Checkpoints 1-2
  • week 2: Checkpoint 3
  • week 3: Checkpoints 4-5
  • week 4: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
  • week 5: Checkpoints 8-9
  • week 6: Checkpoints 10-12
  • week 7: Checkpoints 13-15
  • week 8: Checkpoints 16-17

Timeline for 10-Week Research Paper Project

  • week 1: Checkpoints 1-2
  • week 2: Checkpoint 3
  • week 3: Checkpoint 3 continued
  • week 4: continue research & Checkpoints 4-5
  • week 5: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
  • week 6: Checkpoints 8-9
  • week 7: Checkpoints 10-12
  • week 8: Checkpoints 13-14
  • week 9: Checkpoints 15-16
  • week 10: Checkpoint 17

Weekly Details for 8-Week Syllabus

Homework: Prior to your official start date

  1. Read and complete chapter 1 of MLA Research Paper Writing Guide (Choosing Your Topic).
  2. Prepare a purpose statement (checkpoint 1).
  3. Begin finding sources. NO WIKIPEDIA

Week 1: Due – Purpose Statement

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapters 2 & 4

Homework

  1. Create a working bibliography (checkpoint 2). NO WIKIPEDIA
  2. Begin researching and creating notecards (checkpoint 3).
  3. Create a preliminary outline (checkpoint 6).

Week 2: Due – Working Bibliography, Preliminary Outline

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 3

Homework

  1. Complete the Thesis Exercise from your guide (Checkpoint 4). For more information on writing a Thesis Statement, read this post.
  2. Finalize your thesis, based on your thesis exercise. (Checkpoint 5)
  3. Continue researching and creating notecards.

Week 3: Due – Thesis Statement (typed), 10 notecards

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 4

Homework

  1. Continue research and notecard creation.
  2. Develop a detailed, formal outline (checkpoint 7).
  3. Revise and fill-in your outline based on continued research (checkpoints 8-9).

Week 4: Due – Formal Outline, 15 more notecards

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 5

Homework

  1. Schedule your rough draft consultation with a parent/teacher.
  2. Write your rough draft (Checkpoints 10-12).

Week 5: Continue writing your rough draft.

Week 6: **Due – completed, printed rough draft**

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 6

Homework

  1. Create in-text citations and Works Cited page (checkpoints 13-14). *See requirements on page 1*
  2. Rough Draft consultation: Meet with parent/teacher at your scheduled time.

Week 7: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 7

Homework

  1. Revise your paper based on your consultation (checkpoint 15-16).
  2. Edit your paper.
  3. Print out your final copy following specifications in your guide. (Checkpoint 17).

Week 8: Final paper due. YOU DID IT!

10 Week Syllabus

Week 1: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Intro & Chapter 1

Homework

  1. Read and complete chapter 1 of MLA Research Paper Writing Guide (Choosing Your Topic).
  2. Prepare a purpose statement (checkpoint 1).
  3. Begin finding sources. NO WIKIPEDIA

Week 2: Due – Purpose Statement Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapters 2 & 4

Homework

  1. Create a working bibliography (checkpoint 2). NO WIKIPEDIA
  2. Begin researching and creating notecards (checkpoint 3).
  3. Create a preliminary outline (checkpoint 6).

Week 3: Due – Working Bibliography, Preliminary Outline Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 3

Homework

  1. Complete the Thesis Exercise from your guide (Checkpoint 4). For more information about writing a thesis statement, read this post.
  2. Finalize your thesis, based on your thesis exercise. (Checkpoint 5)
  3. Continue researching and creating notecards.

Week 4: Due – Thesis Statement (typed), 10 notecards

Homework

  1. Continue research and notecard creation.

Week 5: Due – 10 more notecards Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 4

Homework

  1. Continue research and notecard creation.
  2. Develop a detailed, formal outline (checkpoint 7).
  3. Revise and fill-in your outline based on continued research (checkpoints 8-9).

Week 6: Due – Formal Outline, 10 more notecards Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 5

Homework

  1. Schedule your rough draft consultation with a parent/teacher.
  2. Write your rough draft (Checkpoints 10-12).

Week 7: Continue writing your rough draft.

Week 8: **Due – completed, printed rough draft** Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 6

Homework

  1. Create in-text citations and Works Cited page (checkpoints 13-14). *See requirements on page 1*
  2. Rough Draft consultation: Meet with parent/teacher at your scheduled time.

Week 9: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 7

Homework

  1. Revise your paper based on your consultation (checkpoint 15-16).
  2. Edit your paper.
  3. Print out your final copy following specifications in your guide. (Checkpoint 17).

Week 10: Final Paper Due. YOU DID IT!

 

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Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course

Great Role Models for Homeschool High School: Great Christian Writers

Teens need some great role models for homeschool high school: Great Christian Writers.

Great Role Models for Homeschool High School: Great Christian Writers 7SistersHomeschool.com Teens can find good role models in good books.

Great Role Models for Homeschool High School: Great Christian Writers

When I was a teen, I had some pretty faulty role models for learning to live a healthy adult life. Fortunately I loved to read and found some *paper mentors* in characters in the books I read.

Even if homeschool high schoolers have great IRL role models, they can benefit from having some great paper mentors. That’s one reason why 7Sisters put together an inspirational curriculum of great role models for teens: Great Christian Writers, a Full-Year High School Course.

Great Christian Writers Literature Course 7SistersHomeschool.com

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Like all 7Sisters Literature courses, Great Christian Writers is based on real books…and not just old, musty books but a great combination of old writers and modern writers to help teens look at good role models and great ideas throughout the ages.

As always, homeschool high schoolers learn with a collection 7Sisters Literature Study Guides. The guides are adaptable to different interest and ability levels (instructions in the guides for adapting are easy to follow) and they include NO-busywork, don’t-kill-the-book questions that help build comprehension and critical thinking skills. There’s an answer key for moms.

What is unique about 7Sisters Great Christian Writers is the mix of historic works like Pilgrim’s Progress and Hymns and Creeds along with modern biographies like Chuck Colson, Mother Teresa, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Corrie Ten Boom. There’s also CS Lewis’ fabulous The Screwtape Letters.

Homeschool high schoolers read about role models developing the fruit of the spirit and resiliency through trials and blessings. They watch great role models develop thinking and leadership skills.

The collection of Literature Guides in Great Christian Writers titles includes:

Here’s a post on how to use Great Christian Writers in your homeschool high school co-op.

Activities for Co-op Using Great Christian Writers from 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image to read post.

One of my teens’ favorite books of all time was God’s Smuggler. (If you’ve never read this action-packed autobiography of a Bible smuggler during the Cold War, you should.) Reading his story helped inspire (and calibrate) them.

As Lavar Burton always said on Reading Rainbow, “but don’t take my word for it”, don’t take my word for it. Here’s a post where teens share their thoughts on 7Sisters Great Christian Writers course.

What Homeschool Teens Say About Great Christian Writers from 7SistersHomeschool.com

Click image to read post.

Check out this episode of the Homeschool Highschool Podcast for a delightful discussion about Great Christian Writers your teens should know.

Download Great Christian Writers for your homeschool high schoolers and give them some great paper mentors.

 

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Great Role Models for Homeschool High School: Great Christian Writers

Help Teens Understand the World through World Poetry

Here is one way to help teens understand the world through World Poetry.

Help Teens Understand the World through World Poetry: Reading and Writing

Help Teens Understand the World through World Poetry

Current events and news in social media connect our homeschool high schoolers to the world in ways that are different than the old days when all we parents had were newspapers and the evening news. This quick and sometimes overwhelming connectedness may make teens feel curious or critical.

We can help them understand some of the cultures in the news (while enhancing a powerful Language Arts credit) by teaching our teens about cultures in the WORDS of that culture. When young people read the actual writings (translated into English, of course) AND try their hands at writing some of those styles, they have a little better view of those people groups.

That’s why we’ve introduced World Poetry: Reading and Writing to our local homeschool high schoolers, who have genuinely appreciated the experience. Now we are offering it to all our homeschool friends.

Help Teens Understand the World through World Poetry: Reading and Writing

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World Poetry: Reading and Writing gives teens a glimpse of various world cultures BUT not in a stuffy, overly-serious format.

In this 5-week (4 days per week) guide teens will learn about several poetic styles from various world regions that they find in the news: Korean, Japan, Arab countries, Ireland, Israel. They read selections (your teen will need the internet for this). Then they are guided through writing their own poem in all they styles. (They can skip writing ghazals, which may be too complicated for teens to write.)

Homeschoolers will read famous examples of each type of poetry, then write their own poems in each style.

  • Week 1: Poetry of Korea: Sijo
  • Week 2: Poetry of Japan: Haiku, Senryu, and Tanka
  • Week 3: Poetry of Persia, Middle East, and Northern Africa: Ghazal
  • Week 4: Fun Poetry of Europe: Limericks
  • Week 5: Poetry of Israel: Psalms

As always, 7Sisters’ motto is: “Don’t kill the topic by busywork”.

This is a downloadable 32-page workbook includes an answer key to help parents with grading.

Click here for a free excerpt of World Poetry: Reading and Writing.

Your homeschool high schoolers will enjoy World Poetry: Reading and Writing. Download a copy today.

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Help Teens Understand the World through World Poetry

Suggested Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A

Here is a suggested syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A.

Suggested Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A

Suggested Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A

Okay! We did it! 🙂

We frequently get requests for *schedules* or *syllabi* for our courses. We don’t usually give a syllabus for courses because we so firmly believe that there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, thus what works for one family won’t be a best-fit for another family.

But we understand that having a sample syllabus gives a homeschool mom a starting place. Our course Introduction to Literature & Composition is the course we receive the most requests for a syllabus, so I chose this course to give homeschool families a sample. Adapt at will (AND insert dates).

Suggested Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A Introduction to High School Literature and Composition

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Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A

Text:

Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A, Published by 7SistersHomeschool.com

This is the first semester of a two-semester course.

Writing course includes short story (family narrative) writing and essay writing.

Literature course based on books with study guides including:

  • Background information
  • Vocabulary
  • Literary themes
  • Comprehension questions
  • Inferential questions

Literature Books Included:

  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
  • Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
  • God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

The goals of the course:

The goals of the course are to develop:

  • introductory high-school writing skills in short story and essay methods
  • high-school level skills in comprehension and inferential thinking
  • understanding of key literary themes
  • build strong vocabulary skills

Grading scale:

Grading scale will be:

  • A 92-100
  • B 83-91
  • C 74-82
  • Lower than C needs to be repeated

Grades will be based on:

  • rubrics for the writing project
  • grades for literature guides

Due Dates for Key Projects:

Family Narrative Short Story Due Date: Friday of 5th week of classes

Essays:
First Essay: Day 5 of Week 3

Persuasive Essay: Day 5 of Week 5

Compare/Contrast Essay: Day 5 of Week 6

Literary Analysis Essay: Day 5 of Week 7

Letter to the Editor Essay: Day 5 of Week 8

Timed Essay: Day 2 of Week 9

Timed Essay: Day 1 of Week 10 OR SAT Essay

Short Story:

Day 5 of Week 5

Literature Study Guides:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Day 5 of Week 2

Anne of Green Gables: Day 5 of Week 4

God’s Smuggler: Day 5 of Week 6

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Day 5 of Week 8

Cry, the Beloved Country: Day 5 of Week 10

Other projects, to be determined

 

Weekly Writing Assignments:

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative Week One: Family Narrative Short Story

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative Week Two: Developing Your Family Narrative Short Story

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative Week Three: Conversations

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative Week Four: Storyline

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Short Story Writing: Family Narrative Week Five: Revising and Sharing

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Final draft due

Essay Writing Week One: Essay Format and Introduction

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Essay Writing Week Two: The Body of the Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week Three: The Conclusion, Editing and Revising

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week Four: Persuasive Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week Five: Persuasive Essay continued

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week 6: Compare/Contrast Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week 7: Literary Analysis Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week 8: Writing an Letter to the Editor

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Day 5: Essay due

Essay Writing Week 9: Timed Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Essay Writing Week 10: Timed Essays OR SAT Essay

Day 1: Lesson 1

Day 2: Lesson 2

Day 3: Lesson 3

Day 4: Lesson 4

Weekly Literature Assignments

Weeks 1 and 2 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Student should read 1/2 of the book the first week and 1/2 of the book the second week. Read the book and answer the study guide questions at the same time.

Define and daily review 1/2 of the vocabulary word the first week and 1/2 of the vocabulary words the second week.

Weeks 3 and 4 Anne of Green Gables

Student should read 1/2 of the book the first week and 1/2 of the book the second week. Read the book and answer the study guide questions at the same time.

Define and daily review 1/2 of the vocabulary word the first week and 1/2 of the vocabulary words the second week.

Weeks 5 and 6 God’s Smuggler

Student should read 1/2 of the book the first week and 1/2 of the book the second week. Read the book and answer the study guide questions at the same time.

Define and daily review 1/2 of the vocabulary word the first week and 1/2 of the vocabulary words the second week.

Weeks 7 and 8 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Student should read 1/2 of the book the first week and 1/2 of the book the second week. Read the book and answer the study guide questions at the same time.

Define and daily review 1/2 of the vocabulary word the first week and 1/2 of the vocabulary words the second week.

Weeks 9 and 10 Cry, the Beloved Country

Student should read 1/2 of the book the first week and 1/2 of the book the second week. Read the book and answer the study guide questions at the same time.

Define and daily review 1/2 of the vocabulary word the first week and 1/2 of the vocabulary words the second week.

Weeks 11-15 Special Projects for Leveling Up

Choose special projects from the study guide if your student is leveling up and complete these during the last weeks of the semester.

Download Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A to get your homeschool high schoolers started on a great year!

Suggested Syllabus for Introduction to Literature & Composition Part A

How to do High School Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen

Here’s how to do high school Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen.

How to do High School Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen

 

How to do High School Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen

Some teens love reading and love to delve deeply into a literature topic. Some teens don’t give a flip. They have other interests and giftings that don’t have anything to do with literature and writing. That’s okay. God made ALL kinds of teens.

However, all teens need 4 legitimate Language Arts credits on their homeschool transcripts.  So, here are some ideas for handling the general-interest teens:

How-to #1: Don’t go for Honors level in Language Arts.

If your teens are gifted and interested in Home Maintenance, put your efforts there. If they love Science, put your efforts there. Do the minimum requirement for graduation that your teen will need.

  • In many cases, college-bound teens will need a minimum of College Prep credits for Language Arts, even if they will have a Math or Science major.
  • In most cases, a career-bound teen only needs an Average level course for Language Arts. Why do more than that?

Not sure how what levels are? Don’t worry! Here are a couple of posts that will help:

Also, check out this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast for an explanation of how levels work.

how to do high school Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen HSHSP Ep 116: What Are Levels in Homeschool High School?

Click image for link to podcast.

One of 7Sisters’ curriculum is that we include instructions on how to simplify or enrich our texts so that teens can adapt the text to the level they want. Listen in on this Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode for ideas of leveling 7Sisters texts.

How-to #2: Use a *boxed* curriculum with a mix of topics

Keep your general-interest teens engaged with a curriculum that is:

  • Easy to use
  • Uncomplicated
  • Has a variety of literature and writing topics

Requests for parents of general-interest teens is exactly why 7Sisters developed (and vetted on homeschool high schoolers) our Literature & Composition series. The curriculum is presented by semester with a mix of different literature topics and writing assignments that span the requirements for a Language Arts credit in an interesting way.

Here is a link to Introductory Literature & Composition, first semester. Our teens who are general-interest types have really appreciated it.

how to do high school Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen Introductory Literature and Composition Part A

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Your general-interest teens can earn a meaningful and interesting Language Arts credit when you gear their curriculum to their needs. Our Literature & Composition series is a great way to accomplish this! Download your first semester.

Here’s a Facebook live from Sabrina explaining more about levels and Language Arts.

How to do High School Language Arts with a General-Interest Teen

How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write?

We have been asked: How many papers should MY homeschool high schooler write?

How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write?

How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write?

All homeschool high schoolers need to write.

  • College-bound teens need to be prepared with the writing and thinking skills they will use to succeed in higher education.
  • Career-bound teens need to be able to train and capture their thoughts so that they can be the culture-changing citizens we are raising them to be.

Often, though, homeschool parents are not sure how many books their teens should read each year. Here is what we advise them:

  • There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! All teens are different in their abilities, interests and needs.
  • However, there are some tried-and-true guidelines that you can follow or adapt to your teens’ needs.

Here are the guidelines we use.

First, you need to determine your homeschool high schoolers’ level. While there’s not a standardized definition of levels, these are the levels that our homeschool community uses. (Here is a post that explains levels.)

Next, adjust expectations by the year your homeschool high schoolers are in? Over the grades 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades there are increasing expectations.

You will find that writing guides are enormously helpful. 7Sisters Writing Guides coach homeschool high schoolers step-by-step through the writing process, helping learn to distill ideas and express them well. The most important aspect of 7Sisters’ Writing Guides is that they are not intense and contain NO busywork! They are not going to waste your teens’ valuable time. The guides also includes rubrics for grading.

How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write? Writing Guides

Click image to peruse 7Sisters’ many Writing Guides.

How many papers should MY homeschool high schooler write? Here’s the breakdown by grade and level with the numbers of each kind of paper.

Language Arts 9

Language Arts 9 Level 2

  • 4 short papers – whatever the parent feels the student needs
  • 2 essays
  • 4-page research paper (3 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 9 Level 3

  • 4 short – at least 2 creative
  • 4 essays
  • 5-page paper (4 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 9 Level 4

  • 5 short – at least 2 creative
  • 5 essays
  • 7-page paper (6 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 9 Level 5

  • 6 short – at least 3 creative
  • 6 essays
  • 8-page paper (7 pages + references) or 2 5-page papers; must cite sources
How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write? Introductory Writing BUNDLE

Click image to discover this user-friendly curriculum.

Language Arts 10

Language Arts 10 Level 2

  • 4 short papers – whatever the parent feels the student needs
  • 2 essays
  • 5-page research paper (4 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 10 Level 3

  • 4 short -at least 2 creative
  • 4 essays
  • 6-page paper (5 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 10 Level 4

  • 6 short – at least 3 creative
  • 5 essays
  • 8-page paper (7 pages + references) or 4-page and 5-page; must cite sources
How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write? Intermediate Guide to High School Writing

Click image for info and excerpts.

Language Arts 11

Language Arts 11 Level 2

  • 4 short papers – whatever the parent feels the student needs
  • 3 essays
  • 7-page research paper (6 pages + references); must cite sources

Language Arts 11 Level 3

  • 4 short – at least 2 creative
  • 4 essays
  • 8-page paper (7 pages + references) or 4-page and 5-page; must cite sources

Language Arts 11 Level 4

  • 6 short – at least 3 creative
  • 6 essays
  • 10-page paper (9 pages + references); or 6-page and 5 page; must cite sources

Language Arts 11 Level 5

  • 8 short – at least 4 creative
  • 8 essays
  • 2 8-page papers (7 pages + references) or 1 8-page and a 4-page & 5-page paper
How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write? Advanced Writing Guide

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Language Arts 12

Language Arts 12 Level 2

  • 4 short papers – whatever the parent feels the student needs
  • 3 essays
  • 10-page research paper (9 pages + references) or 2 6-page papers; must cite sources

Language Arts 12 Level 3

  • 4 short – at least 2 creative
  • 5 essays
  • 10-page paper (9 pages + references) or 2 6-page papers; must cite sources

Language Arts 12 Level 4

  • 6 short – at least 3 creative
  • 6 essays
  • 10-page paper (9 pages + references) and 4-page paper; must cite sources

Language Arts 12 Level 5

  • 8 short – 3 creative and 3 response papers
  • 8 essays
  • 2 10-page papers (9 pages + references) or 1 10-page and a 6-page & 5-page paper; must cite sources

How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write? Senior Year Writing

Download 7Sisters Writing Guides to help your homeschool high schoolers have fun and successful experiences with writing.

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How Many Papers Should MY Homeschool High Schooler Write?

Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 115: How to Plan Highschool Language Arts

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 115: How to Plan Highschool Language Arts. This post is running concurrently on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.

Podcast HSHSP How to Plan Language Arts for Homeschool Highschool

Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 115: How to Plan Highschool Language Arts

How can you know what to plan for when organizing your materials for your teens’ homeschool highschool Language Arts credits.

  • Reading (Literature)
  • Writing
  • Grammar
  • Vocabulary
  • Public Speaking

Reading

There’s not one right way to choose books for homeschool highschool. For students with learning disabilities or career-bound teens they may need more practical reading and/or audiobooks. Think at least one book per month with a literature study guide (follow guidelines for ability level usage in each 7SistersHomeschool.com’s Literature Study Guides). Then fill out the list with Bible reading, magazines, poetry, etc that interests them. Discuss this with you supervisory advisor for exactly what can be counted.

Writing

Writing is as important as reading. Everyone needs to be able to write efficiently.

Grammar

Grammar is necessary for homeschool highschool. However, teens who have a practical mastery of grammar rules may find that editing their papers is enough grammar (proof that they understand grammar usage).

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is part of being well prepared for life. All homeschool highschoolers need some vocabulary study each year. However, teens who are headed to college need to lean heavily into vocabulary. 7Sisters literature study guides include vocabulary but more can be added with specific courses or online games like FreeRice.com.

Public Speaking

Public Speaking needs to be part of your homeschool highschooler’s yearly experience. It can be as simply as prayer at a large family gathering. However, for teens who are willing to stretch, they can do a full-year course or a speech team or any variant of that. 7SistersHomeschool.com has a curriculum that is popular with speech teams, co-ops and group classes.

Join Sabrina and Kym for fun and encouragement about planning high school Language Arts!

Also, enjoy these encouraging posts:

Why is Language Arts Such a HUGE Credit?

An Authoritative Guide to Literature for Homeschool High School

 

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Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 115: How to Plan Highschool Language Arts

Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration

Here’s how to earn a practical Language Arts credit based on Career Exploration.
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration

Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration

Career Exploration is an elective credit that is absolutely necessary for homeschool high schoolers. Why?
  • Teens need to have SOME idea of what they want to do with their adulthood
  • If they are headed for college, they need to develop a transcript that builds toward their major
  • If they are NOT headed for college, they need to decide what kind of training or apprenticeships to invest in
  • Teens who have no idea what they want to do often experience anxiety
The problem is: How do you fit Career Exploration in an already busy schedule. (We’ve already addressed why spend time on it in this post.)

Here’s one solution: Make Language Arts the base for Career Exploration!

Here is a way to build a Career Exploration credit into Language Arts.

Literature: Read biographies. Whether teens choose a career after being inspired by a biography or not, they will have the vicarious experience of learning about a career through the book. This is important. The more different kinds of careers teens are exposed to, the better their brains are at honing in on one. 7Sisters has some favorite Literature Study Guides based on biographies: Joni, God’s Smuggler, Something Beautiful for God, Born Again.
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration Literature Study Guide for Something Beautiful for God

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It’s kind of like fitness: the more overall fitness teens have, the better their bodies are at honing skills in a specific sport. Give your teens *career fitness*!
Literature: Read self-awareness books. Help teens get to know themselves. According to teens interests, they might come to know themselves better if they read a book like: What Color is My Parachute for Teens, The Road Back to You, Emotional Intelligence 2.0.
How many books should your teen read? It depends on their goals. Here’s a post that explains how to decide. 
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration How Many Books Should My Teen Read?

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Writing: Research Paper on Career Exploration. Teens need to write a research paper each year. Why not make it actually useful? Teens can use Career Exploration as their topic and write a page or two on 4 or 5 careers.
I would suggest an APA-style paper, as it is information-based rather than thesis based. (MLA papers are thesis-based papers- trying to prove a point but APA papers are attempting to share unbiased information. This is a good choice for an information-gathering paper like Career Exploration.)
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration APA Style Research Paper Introductory Writing Guide

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Writing: Essays. For a good Career Exploration credit, teens should also do some shadowing and/or volunteer work: whether they are interested or not in a job, they can get the feel for different work atmospheres, which may help them clarify their goals. Then they can write a 5- paragraph essay on each of their shadowing experiences and several volunteer events. It could be a compare/contrast essay about what they like and don’t like about each.

Be sure to log hours on shadowing and volunteer work and count it toward your teens’ Career Exploration credit.

If teens are feeling rusty about compare/contrast essays, there are good step-by-step instructions in 7Sisters’ Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing.
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing

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Writing: End of the year essay. Also, teens should definitely be working through the Career Exploration Bundle. At the end of the year, have your teens write a personal essay about what they know about their gifts, talents, experiences, interests, values and goals.
Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration Career Exploration: A Comprehensive Curriculum

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Bonus: At the Homeschool Highschool Podcast’s Facebook page, we often share videos and posts about different careers. Like and follow the page and share with your teens!

Your homeschool high schoolers can record a Career Exploration elective credit when they have:

  • logged 120-180 hours (the number varies by state) or
  • read 8 books and logged 60-90 hours
  • read 8 books, logged 30-45 hours AND completed Career Exploration Bundle
Congratulations! Your homeschool high schoolers have earned a Career Exploration credit AND all those books and writing also count for their Language Arts! And the best thing is: They feel better about themselves.

Earn a Practical Language Arts Credit Based on Career Exploration