Homeschooling High School

Guest Blog Lee Binz

2012-09-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: unicom dot com

Reading Lists for the Resistant Reader: How to create a reading list for resistant readers for colleges.

A robust high school reading list enhances any student’s college application, but what can you do if your child doesn’t like to read? Are they doomed to a non-literary life? Fortunately, there are a variety of helpful tips to follow if your child would rather build forts than read books, so don’t despair. It may require a little thinking outside the box, but there are many ways to encourage at least a willingness to read in most students.

Some reluctant readers are reluctant not because they don’t like to read, but because they’re active learners. In this case, find books that have very active main characters. Tom Sawyer, for example, is a character in a book who always gets into tons of trouble, whereas Jane Austen books are mostly about girls sitting around thinking stuff. Steer your student towards the action works. It’s helpful to think about the movie genre your student likes and find books in that similar genre.

Even for active learners, choosing a non-fiction book about doing things is helpful. Survival books, building books, or electronics books are very good examples. You can also read and watch active plays for active learners. Short books can be a great way to encourage reading. There are plenty of books on the “reading lists for the college bound” that are short, but if you need any help finding some, talk to your local librarian. Also make sure to encourage reading in the areas of your child’s specialization, books and magazines about their passion.

You can also include any books you used in regular courses. For instance, if you used The Red Badge of Courage for English class, you can put that on the reading list as well as on the course description. Include any books of faith, such as Bible, devotionals, etc. And don’t forget the books that your student reads for fun. Popular literature such as Harry Potter, Twilight, Marley and Me, or other books should be included in the list. Colleges want students to read popular literature as well as classical, so it’s okay to include books from the “New York Times Best Sellers” list.

You can also include audio books, although you should make sure that you indicate this beside the title. Audio books can help broaden a struggling reader’s horizons. Books that are read aloud can be put on the reading list, as well as magazine subscriptions. You can include the great books, the living books, and even the stupid books because variety is good when it comes to the reading list!

Author Bio

Lee Binz is a homeschooling expert and the founder of The Homescholar. She successfully homeschooled her two sons and currently aids many parents in homeschooling their own students.

Heritage Histroy Giveaway

2012-07-06T11:12:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year I did a review for Heritage History, currently I am going through books. We all do this every year, and we are done with this, so I decided that it was given to me for free for review, I should just give it away. So, that is what I am going to do, this is an awesome curriculum, and not just for high school students. You can read my review for more information here.

Okay, so this is how it is going to work, the first person to email me with their shipping information gets it. I will reply to the winner only, so if you do not hear from me within 24 hours, you did not get it.

College Courses for High School Students

2012-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: Maranatha Advantage

Maranatha is offering a 50% off scholarship for juniors and seniors. Classes will run for eight weeks and are taught from a Christian worldview, these classes are transferable. Students can choose from over fifty subjects including basic classes such as English or Biblical studies.

While this is a great opportunity be aware that some colleges will treat students as transfer students if they have to many credits. Students also may not qualify for other scholarships due to, to many credits. If your student already knows where they want to attend college I would urge you to talk to them concerning this topic

The up point is that you can save a lot money utilizing this opportunity. Even if your student is not sure about their major kicking out the basics such as English, which can also be used as a high school credit. I mean really 50% off of online classes to count as either a single credit or dual credit, wish mine qualified.

Patriot Academy

2012-03-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: Patriot Academy

Rick Green started the Patriot Academy as a means of educating our youth to be leaders and further the kingdom of God. After his freshman year as a state Representative it became clear to Rick that there were more politicians than patriots in government positions.

Patriot Academy is not just for those seeking government positions, but for everyone. This program was originally set up for sixteen through twenty five years, but due to popular demand for classes for those over twenty five, Rick has obliged them. Currently registration is open for the upcoming session which begins July 30, 2012 through August 4, 2012 at the Texas State Capital in Austin Texas.

"Students will participate in fast-paced, interactive workshops on media relations, public speaking, campaigning techniques and the Founding Fathers’ philosophy of government. Current and former elected officials and experts share their personal experience in government and discuss today’s most relevant issues."

There are forty seats available at this time. An application must be sent in and the individual accepted, there is no payment until after acceptance. Once accepted you have two weeks to send in the $50 deposit, if not received within the time frame your position will be given to someone else. However, you can reply going through the whole application process again. The total amount of $900 is due by May 15, 2012 after that payment must be made by July 1, 2012 at $995.

I know it seems like a lot of money, but I had the opportunity to speak with a rep at a local homeschool conference and this is what she said. They encourage the individuals to make the money and give them suggestions on how to do it.

Mission Trip

2012-02-16T11:15:00.002-08:00

Mission trips are a great way for our youth to learn service along with learning about how others live. The Landry Academy is offering students three different mission trips, France, Spain and Germany. While all three of these are great opportunities,

Youth with a Mission Head Quarters

I want to talk about the one to Germany. Yes, I am being partial, but only because I love castles and the students will be adding in the cleaning up and maintenance of one which is 400 years old. Not only that, but they will be staying there also, how exciting. The castle is located in Hurlach, but the main focus will include youth evangelism in the nearby town of Landsberg. The castle is the head quarters of Youth with a Mission whom the group will be working with. I also love architecture and the fact that the students will also be visiting Munich to view the Gothic architecture of the town hall makes me want to go. Oh! But that is not all they will be viewing.

Neuschwanstein Castle

One morning they will be heading to the Alps to view two legendary castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau along with the Museum of Bavarian Kings. Not long after Adolf Hitler was appointed to the position of Reich Chancellor he set up a camp in Dachur for political prisoners. This became the model for the concentration camps which came later, students will receive a private tour of this memorial.

There will also be plenty of time for worship and fellowship through out the days. The dates for this trip are July 5-July 16, 2012, cost is $880 or $704 before February 17, this does not include the air fare which is $1330 round trip and must be purchased through Landry Academy. Students must be 13 years old before the trip date and with both written and verbal permission may go without a parent however, parents are welcome to go.

For more information on this trip along with the others please visit The Landry Academy. Because all of the trips the academy offers are on one page you will have to scroll to find it. Be sure to read the cancellation policy along with other information concerning the cost of the flight.

YWAM Germany from YWAM Germany on Vimeo.

Scholarships

2012-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some scholarships being offered that came in Jane Burk, College Prep Genius, newsletter.

The 2012 scholarship contest is open to students attending a US college or university full time for the 2012-2013 academic year (community college, undergraduate or graduate school). Entrants must also be a legal US resident. Please read the Official Rules.

Entry Period: October 18, 2011 - March 6, 2012
To enter this contest, create an original entry piece that shares with us what you want to achieve in your personal and professional life after college. Follow the theme: This is how I “Frame My Future.” Your creation must be submitted through the online entry form, within one image, in a .JPG or .PNG format, and must be fully viewable and/or readable online. The entry form also includes a section to submit a short accompanying description of your entry piece (maximum of 500 characters). Some example entry piece ideas:

photograph
collage
poem
drawing
painting

graphic design
short, typed explanation
scrapbook style page
anything you can create within one image

Please Note: The complete and overall entry piece must be original and the entrant's own work. For example, do not submit a company advertisement, photo you found online, or stock art as your sole and final entry piece. You may incorporate these elements within your creative entry. Submission of an entry piece that is not the entrant’s own original work, may result in disqualification. A professional portrait, such as a senior photo, will not be accepted as an entry. These are owned by the photographer.

The Odenza Marketing Scholarship is available to students in the U.S. and Canada who are between the ages of 16 and 25. You must submit two 500 - word essays to be considered for this award. A minimum 2.5 GPA is also required.

Award Amount: $500

Deadline: March 30, 2012

The ALA Viral Video Scholarship Contest is open to high school and college students. To enter, you must create and submit a viral video / public service announcement, of up to 240 seconds, on any topic covering public safety.

Award Amount: $1,500

Deadline: March 31, 2012

The Castle Ink Paperless Scholarship is available to students who are currently enrolled in college or planning to attend college in 2012 or 2013. You must be a resident of the U.S. to be eligible for this award. To be considered, you must submit a short essay, YouTube video, tweet, or Facebook status that explains how you "reduce, reuse, and recycle."

Award Amount: $1000

Deadline: March 31, 2012

Deadline: March 30, 2012
Award Value: $500

To be considered eligible for the Odenza Marketing Scholarship you must:

A) Be between the ages of 16 and 25 on March 30, 2012

B) Submit answers to the essay questions, which can be found on the application page, prior to the March 30, 2012 deadline.

C) Have at least one full year of post secondary studies remaining at the time of the award

D) Have a GPA of 2.5 or greater.

E) Be a citizen of the United States or Canada

The scholarship winner will be announced on or around June 1, 2012 and will be posted on this website immediately after. All applications must be received by 11:59pm ET on March 30, 2012. No late applications will be reviewed.

Guest Blogger Answers

2012-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Kim Hall is a retired homeschool mom of 3 who delights in aiding others with her knowledge and wisdom of homeschooling. While Kim's answers are not necessarily the only answers, they are very uplifting and encouraging. Which for new homeschoolers starting out in the high school years will help ease some of their fears. Please feel free to leave a comment to aid others during this new adventure.

What is enough, especially for the high school years? Each state has different requirements. Following closely to what your state requires is a suggestion from HSLDA that we followed. That just keeps you in the safe area if ever audited so to speak. That said, in high school is a time when students can develop strengths that will be their gifted areas. While it is, in my opinion, a good idea to keep them well-rounded (that is why schools teach such a broad scope of subjects) be understanding in areas where they are not as gifted and help them expand their knowledge in areas that they are. For instance: My daughter was NOT gifted in math so we did the basics that were required if she went to school. Yet, we made sure she understood why. That this would give her a foundation of understanding in that subject. She was gifted in writing. So we allowed her to soar in this subject, challenging her along the way to work toward excellence. Today she balances her checkbook to the penny but still loves writing and journaling and has started on a book.

How do you know what you’re selecting for them to study is the right thing or is it just a waste of their time? A great question from a caring parent who knows the value of time. First, may I share with you a little query: What would you do... IF you were given 86,400? Can you imagine what you would be able to do with that? But, while this amount would be given to you daily, it would all expire at the end of the day to zero. So, you will want to use it all... now, what would you do with it? In actuality you ARE given that amount each day... in seconds. So, a wise person realizing that they do not compound but go away at the end of each day will choose to use them efficiently and well to make the more of them. So, good job! Now, when students are in their teens it is not a bad idea for them to try many different things to see where they are strong and where they are weak. Funny thing, our one son was weak in math to begin with BUT he determined to learn it and now has a degree in Finance. You never know which way they will go. Again, following state guidelines is important and really not so bad for the students. Learning the basics of all subjects is never a waste of time. While I hated history in high school I went on to find an appreciation in grown up life and even wrote a history/geography curriculum for home schoolers and taught it at a co-op. I did change from making the students memorize dates to understanding the time-line of history and the cause and effect.

Guest Blogger

2012-01-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I do not blog on a regular basis. Not because I do not want to just because I do not always have something to blog on. So, due to lack of new information on an ongoing basis I have asked for others homeschooling high school to be guest bloggers.

Our first guest blogger is a lounge sister of mine from The Homeschool Lounge, Latrice. Latrice is the homeschool mom of three and writes a blog of her own called, Raising Chefs.

Raising Chefs is all about starting early with children and getting them more involved in the whole cooking process. It's about bringing them into the kitchen at an early age and teaching them how to make healthy choices when it comes to how we prepare our meals, from the shopping to recipe development to entertaining in a healthful kitchen. Teaching them how to shop for fresh ingredients as well as how to clean and store food. Raising Chefs is also very big on family bonding. We stress then importance in bringing back that family bonding around the dinner table. Lets face it, we are so busy and not only the adults but the kids also with their sports, working after school and other commitments we all have. Its very refreshing to be able to sit down at the table together and bond over great food and the love of FAMILY!

Latice's blog is different from the traditional blog, she had some questions. So, I asked one of my friends on Linkedin, a veteran homeschool mom Kim Hall, if she would answers Latrice's questions. To lighten the reading I will post her answers tomorrow, however if you have any advice for Latrice please feel free to post your comments. Also if you would like to participate here the way in which Latrice has please send me an email.

Alice Coffer Academy - What's a Homeschooling HS Mom to do?

Trying to find the right studies for my 9th and 10th grader everyday hasn’t
been an easy task to say the least. Because we’re more of an eclectic
homeschooling family when I do find something I tend to question if its
enough. As a homeschooling Mom I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels
this way. There are so many of us that go through this because we want to
make sure we’re giving them the very best education possible. And we must
not forget this will help to shape the people they're suppose to become.

What is enough, especially for the high school years? How do you know what
you’re selecting for them to study is the right thing or is it just a waste
of their time? How do you know for sure if you’re choices will be enough
to prepare them for the rest of their lives? Whether they attend college, start a business or find a career/job? *What’s a homeschooling HS Mom to
do?

Going Green

2012-01-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: Guide Book Gallery dot org

Brandon does not like to write, but has no problem typing. So, what I am doing is having him type up what would normally be written then send to me via email. I have a folder entitled homeschool which holds another folder titled high school, within that there is one simply titled Brandon and one more 9th grade 2011 2012. It is in this folder where I organize all of his work by subject.

He is required to use Word for his work, he uses one document for each subject for a weeks worth of work. He needs to date each individual assignment, so Monday will include the date at the beginning of the assignment. On Tuesday he will continue with the same document for say science and at the beginning include the date. This not only cuts back on paper, but allows me to easily organize his work. For work which is deemed excellent I put into another folder, excellent, to use for college interviews.

This system came about because he has his own lap top. At first I had him create a folder for his work on his lap top, but it was difficult for me to remember to check his work. So, I came up this system and it is a lot harder to ignore an email from son knowing it contains his school work.

Homeschooling High School

2012-01-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest struggles I have faced thus far homeschooling a high school student is history. Yes, history, my 15 year old has no interest in this required topic at all, except one area, Ancient Japan. This is because he wants to be a game designer and is a big fan of Anime, a Japanese style of motion-picture animation. Not to mention the fact a lot of the games he enjoys stem from Japan. World history is what we are currently working on and after listening to Lee Binz talk about Delight Direct Learning we will be studying Ancient Japan for World History the second part of the school year.

Delight Direct Learning is part of a series of teachings Lee has put together under a program called Parent Training A la Carte.This is a way in which parents/caregivers can learn from Lee without spending a lot of money doing so. I had heard Lee speak on Delight Direct Learning previously so when I saw this topic I had to have the information. I am so glad I did now I know how to take Brandon's interests and use them to obtain his credits in not only World History, but all subjects as well.

She also taught me strategies for transcripts, grading, how to award credit, the subject area to place the credit, how to group certain subjects together and how not to double dip. Double dipping is when you use say Cindy's dance as both PE and music however, you can use it as music along with an activity. If a student is made to study something they have no interest in they will not learn and will also begin to not enjoy learning.

Some of you right now are thinking, well that's fine if they are not planning on being a doctor or attorney. The woman who lives next door to me homeschooled her two children through this very process, by the time her son was 16 he had a full ride to college. I forget what it is he does, I remember it something in the science realm. This is were he interest lay and now he is very successful. Learn how to use your student's interest for high school credit, I promise you will not regret it. All it cost you is $15 and some time.

I do not work for Lee nor do I get paid to blog on her in any way. We are in our first year of homeschooling and finding Lee has helped me greatly, it is this fact that I share with you and will continue to share any and all resources I deem helpful.

Oh one last thing I noticed that Lee has a special on one of the teachings in the A la Carte section for $5 called, Homeschool Planning, Your Goals This School Year. There is no direct link you will have to scroll down to find it, it is right after Delight Direct Learning.

SAT/ACT Tests

2011-12-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Lord has brought it to my attention that I should be writing on Examiner.com instead of blogging, but I want to make sure my followers and those subscribing do not miss anything. Plus the resources will continue to be updated as they are found and articles which are shorter I will post as blogs. So, that is why you are seeing links verses an actual blog. You are probably wondering if I get paid to write on Examiner.com, yes I do. Now brace your self for the amount of money I make on an article, are you ready? I get a penny every time some stays on my page for the allotted amount of time, I know a whole penny, can you believe it? You are probably wondering why I bothered to blog at all when I can make a penny every time someone actually reads the whole article. OK all joking a side I just wanted to inform everyone of what is going on. I have a lot articles going on in my head and I am learning a lot from the veterans which have come before us, so do not give up on me.

SAT/ACT tests read the article to find out what I learned about the colleges for the arts.

College Prep Genius, Jean Burk

2011-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

College Prep Genius, Jean Burk

This concerns a free webinar taking place today regarding scholarships starts at 3:30 PM central standard time, I'll be there.

Missing You, Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T08:24:00.001-08:00

Missing You by edjumpoff on polyvore.com

Lee Binz The Homescholar

2011-12-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lee Binz The Homescholar

High School Jobs

2011-11-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

This morning I checked my email as I do every morning and noticed an interesting question on a Yahoo group I belong to, Homeschool 2 High School. Someone was asking if there are others who are making sure their children are capable of earning money while in college.

When my daughter was a senior I had told her to take a year off of school and go to beauty school. She has always wanted to do hair and make up and will recruit any victim she can to play with, including me. I felt if she did this she would always have an income and could use it when she was not teaching during the summer months. However, she felt pressured to go to college and never did get her degree in hair and make up which would have taken her less than a year to get.

I have thought about ways in which Brandon could start learning about something to aid him now and in his college years, but want to make sure it is something he interested in. He likes to work with wood and their are two men on our road who build custom items for others. I want to talk to them and see if he could not be an apprentice to one of them. While not everyone wants custom furniture one of the men would like to retire from this, but people keep asking him to make things. This man would be great for Brandon to work with because he already has a following which Brandon may be able to take over.

Other ideas which were mentioned during the discussion were yard work, nurse's assistant, the fast food industry, cook and one individual commented how her son who plays hockey has just been told he qualifies to be a referrie. Last weekend my daughter and I attended the local Renaissance Festival, we talked to one young lady who is learning how to make jewelry using a welder and I think it was copper. These types of festivals are usually seasonal and may be a great opportunity to learn a skill. These events usually utilize volunteers, so it would be educational until they mastered a skill to earn money.

What type of jobs will your child/children be able to do while in college or before?

Does your child/children currently make money in high school or college? Please share what they do and how they became involved.

From Fears to Goals

2011-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

I received a comment on my last blog from Kimby who mentioned that having goals helps to reweave the fears of homeschooling high school.

Kimby is right having a goal has re-leaved stress, but also gives us something to work towards. Brandon wants to go into game design and over the summer as I searched for a curriculum to use I found myself searching for game designers. I was hoping they could lead me to something after failing to find an actual curriculum. The gentleman was very helpful and told the best subjects for him to study before attending college. This was a great help because now when Brandon goes to college he will have a great foundation for what he wants to do. So, are end goal is to have all the subjects completed that he will need for that strong foundation.

Brandon and I worked together and discussed the end goals of his high school years. I have always involved my children in their education after all it is their future not mine. It has also helped to re-leave stress with studies because the curriculum they use they have a say in.

What are the end goals for your student?

Do you set goals with your student, set them yourself, or let them set their own goals?

Homeschooling High School

2011-11-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

Due to lack of information and my newness to this adventure I thought I would do something different. I would like to ask various questions and get responses from those who visit. I am hoping by doing this, this blog will truly be a place for those new to homeschooling high school to find answers, comfort and just know that we were all at that place at one time.

So, the first question is, what was your biggest fear when you decided to homeschool high school?

Mine was and still kinda is will he get the credits and education he needs. As time passes and I learn more I gain more confidence that yes he will get the credits he needs and at least at home I care about what he is doing and make sure he is doing it to the best of his ability.

Heritage History

2011-11-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

Brandon decided to use the Konos his sister picked out for 9th grade, but never used because she went to public high school. We liked the fact that he could receive three credits from one program. However, there was one problem, books, the books he choose to read would have to be bought. Brandon is not a big fan of history to begin with, he loves to read, but only what he wants which made the task harder.

I searched online looking to find one particular book to no avail, except to buy it. I must add I did check with the local library first, looked to see if I could get it for free or even as an e-book, nope. Than one day I got an email from Heritage History whom I had never heard of before. I viewed there site which contains a vast collection of non-fiction history books for free. Wow!! I thought to myself this is great, plus they have maps, images and more!! I felt like a little kid in a candy store. I also noted they had actual curriculum and wondered what more can there be?

I remembered in the email I received that they were looking for bloggers to review their product, so I signed up for the job. My son chose Ancient Rome and started on it last week. While we were sent both a printed copy and CD I feel the next one we use I will just get the CD it has everything on it including all the books. The printed version is great to have as a quick resource, but not totally necessary. This however, depends totally on the needs of the individual.

We are loving this program and it can be added to programs like Konos and Trisms where additional books for reading are needed or used on its own. I like that all the books are on one CD and written before 1923, so I know details are more factual than some other books which leave out important details or misrepresent the facts. There are also various topics to chose from such as biographies and battles. Brandon being a typical boy choose from the battle section for his first book, "Helmet and Spare" by Alfred J. Church. He is enjoying it and is coming to me and sharing what he has learned, this is a first.

Ancient Rome comes with suggested reading for various reading levels making it easy to use with various children at once. It includes 45 books, 60 plus maps, teaching aids and a study guide. The CD can be used on your computer and does not require the internet to operate, however there are some stories which you need to have some type of e-reader for such as a Kindle. We do not own an electronic reading device, but that is OK Heritage History was kind enough to direct me to a free download from Mobipocket Reader which allows Brandon to not only read, but also highlight and make notes, very cool.

Oh, but if you just want to get a particular book for Ancient Rome, you can read it online or purchase the e-book for $1.99 each. A study guide is also available as a download for $6.99. Heritage History has really put a lot of time and effort to make sure anyone can use their living books to study history. So, what are you waiting for go take a look, view the books and a whole lot more. Warning this web site is highly addictive, proceed with favorite beverage in hand.

I suggest viewing the following

Study Guides will give you an over all feel for the program.

E-books includes all the titles available for download, green=beginner, brown=intermediate and red=advanced.

This blog is being written right when they are having a sale. You can get the world history collection for $89 which includes 5 CDs a $125 value. For two weeks only purchase the collection and get the Early American CD free. You may also get this CD free with any purchase until November 23, 2011.

I was allowed to review this product for free for an honest review on my blog. I received no payment for the comments I have made.

Greg Landry Science

2011-11-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Greg Landry founder of the Landry Academy is taking classes on the road. He will visiting various states offering two classes, chemistry for 8th-12th and Combo of Biology / Anatomy & Physiology 7th-12th.

The chemistry class is a two day class and there is a prerequisite, students should either be studying Algebra I or already completed it. A professor passionate about both the Lord and teaching young students will be the instructor. Students will have everything they need including lunch and a t-shirt. The first class will be from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM and the second from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The regular fee for this class is $280 register by Wednesday November 2, 2011 and get a discount and pay only $184. You can read about the class in more details here.

Biology / Anatomy & Physiology Lab Intensive class for 7th - 12th graders has no prerequisites and students receive the same as above. By taking this class students will earn a complete year of lab work in two days. This class is very intensive to view all the details click the link above. Your student can get this class for free if you were to volunteer as the organizer, for which you will be reimbursed. Five other volunteers are needed to aid in the class, those who are squeamish about dissections and handling such objects should not volunteer.

While there are states and dates for each of class the exact location has not be determined at this time. A 90% refund will be returned for those canceling ten days before the class.

Please note that I received this information just today.

Writing Tips

2011-10-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

Through out college students will do a lot of writing it is best to make sure they have the writing process down now rather than wait. The earlier you start them the more time they have to improve their writing skills and the better their writing will be.

Tip #1 Students should always be aware of each instructors rules for writing because they are not always the same. One instructor might say that five or more words is considered a direct quote from the source while another may say three or more. This is important when it comes to citing the work and determining plagiarism.

Tip #2 When using a computer to type out essays be sure to save on a regular basis, not doing this can lead to a whole essay being wiped out. I made this mistake during college, once, and was heart broken because I was half way done with the essay. I would say save every two sentences and make sure the program you are using is a good one, I like Word. I don not feel that Notepad or Wordpad are truly meant for writing an essay.

Tip #3 Instead of editing after the essay is complete, stop after each paragraph and read it out loud. Go ahead and edit and than later go back and read the whole essay. Doing it this way I found is less time consuming and leaves less room for errors. Also consider asking someone else to read it for you sometimes they pick up on something that was missed.

What tips do you have for writing essays?
At what grade/age do you start your children writing essays?

Citing

2011-10-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

During the college years not only will students be required to write numerous essays, but they will also be required to cite there work as well. Citing is required in order to avoid plagiarism, it also helps for others who may be researching the same topic to find credited sources as well. While there are multiple citing sources the most common used in colleges are APA and Chicago. Colleges have manuals for citing available in their libraries for students to use. When I went to school online the college sent me one, but I have a secret to share with you.

There is a web site called Son of Citation Machine, this is the site I used during college for citing my work. This site is free and so easy to use, chose the citing source you want to use and fill in the information, it is that easy. You will notice you will be prompted to select what you want to site. For instance citing for print and non-print are different. But, also citing a government document is different than citing an article from a web site. Note that there is a place also for selecting multiple authors if it applies. Once you are done hit the submit button, if there is an error do not hit the back browser button you will lose your cite, instead hit the button on the page to return. You will than see the citation to be used in the bibliography and the one to use within your text. All that is left to do is copy and paste into your essay, it is that easy.

Brandon uses the computer a lot for his school work and is required to write an essay a week along with summaries. After the holidays I will be requiring him to cite the sources he uses, this will get him in the habit of doing so before college. When I first started having to cite I wasn't used to it and would often forget. This led me on a wild goose chase to find the web site I had used.

Do you know of other free online citing sources?

Vocabulary for SAT and PSAT

2011-10-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

I found yet another site to use in studying for the SAT and PSAT tests. A unique site called Word-Nerd which I feel would be great for audio and visual learns.

A character named Sheldon will be your tour guide and show you all the unique aspects of the site. You have to take the tour in order to look at the site, after that you need to register to use it. There are two options a year for $69 or thirty day cram plan for $25. At the top of the home page you will see when the next SAT/ACT tests will be given, I thought that was pretty cool.

One unique aspect of this site is instead of giving one word at time you get one word with other words that fall into the same category. These are pulled up on what is called a SmartSet and you will find Sheldon there as a visual aid for words. Students can click on the words below the main word for the exact definition along with hearing the pronunciation of the word.

Students can test their knowledge through a quiz once the student submits their answer they are told if they are right or wrong. If they were wrong the correct word will appear. Quizzes can be taken based on the SmartSet the student is studying or once they feel they have mastered the quizzes they can take a test which includes all the words. Word-Nerd will keep track of all the scores from quizzes and tests to allow you and your student to focus on any weak areas.

The last unique aspect of this site is that includes a list of the most often used suffixes, prefixes and roots. If the student was studying root words they would see the root, the meaning along with examples.

Be sure to take a look at the links page as well, there are some useful links there.

There are other sites for studying vocabulary under the resource button, but because all students learn differently I will incorporate different sites as I find them. Also this site has been added to the resource page, so if you don't bookmark/favorite you will be able to find easily.

Improve Writing

2011-09-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Now on the other end of the spectrum I have Brandon who can spit out an essay like it's nothing. Yes, his flow is good and his ideas are complete and nicely laid out. But, I feel he can do better so, we look at the vocabulary.

It is amazing how using a synonym can spruce up an essay not to mention adding to his vocabulary. Making a word change will also enhance an essay. Let's take a look at this sentence.

The cat laid lazily on the porch in the sunlight.

Now let's look at the changes.

The feline on the veranda basked in the sunlight.

See the difference? Encouraging students to make word changes will make a good essay into a fantastic essay. The thing is they are so proud and amazed at what comes from those changes.

I encourage Brandon to read each sentence/paragraph out loud and then go back and make changes. Reading your writing out loud helps to hear what the reader will be reading allowing for decisions in changes or even adding on for more depth.

Brandon uses Microsoft Word for his essays, while this is a great resource students need to be mindful of mistakes. If a word is wrong for a sentence, but spelled correctly it will go unnoticed. Thus another reason to read what you have written.

All the punctuation rules can be hard to remember, find a good source to review them as needed. We just revert back to English curriculum we have used in the past. We even have our Shurley English from 5th grade just because I love the way the writing process is taught.

When searching for online resources be sure to check for accreditation. I usually look for those associated with a college, school, library or teacher.

100 Little Ways You Can Dramatically Improve Your Writing

Purdue OWL is a great resource.

Reluctant Writers

2011-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Due to the importance of writing during the college years it is important to nip this in the bud before the high school years. However, if not take plenty of time to work hard on this issue during the freshman year allowing the student the next three years to improve.

This is not an easy task Brett, age 12, squirms at any writing assignment no matter how short and easy it is. It is not that he can not find the words he just does not like to put them down. I even encouraged him to type up his assignments on the computer and this did not help either. However, one thing he did like was spouting off words to me as I typed. He also liked hearing it read back to him and would proudly stick his chest out at his choice of words. This my child who in the past has slept with both a dictionary and a thesaurus, so he knows words and meanings I had no idea existed. So, here is the child with all this potential, but does not like to write.

It is time now for him to start writing essays, he is not happy. Taking it slow is the best way I have found for Brett little pieces at a time. I'm not even tackling the editing process at this point, I want to get him writing first. The biggest thing is to let them have a chose about what they write this helps greatly. Who cares if it is silly and pointless. The main thing is to get the ideas out and have them presented in an orderly fashion.

If the student decides to write about two psychotic hippos, fine, but the ideas have to flow smoothly. Start with the brain storming process, this is normally found as a fun thing to do as ideas can flow freely. The next day working on the formatting of the ideas for the essay. Students need to decide what are the main points they want to make about the psychotic hippos. The next day the student should be ready to write the first paragraph. Continue with the process until the essay is complete. Reluctant writers need someone to hold their hand, so make sure you can set aside some time to aid the student in the process. This will take a lot of coaching, praise and encouragement on your part. Yes, he did chose to write about two psychotic hippos.

However, there are students who just can not write at all for whatever reason. It is this student that really needs to be focused on and have you available to them during writing assignments. If your child has a special need I encourage you to do some research on that topic along with attaching the word writing to it. There are many web sites and blogs which discuss topics such as these. There are also a variety of message boards with special need forums as well.

The Homeschool Diner has a wonderful article on this topic called "Homeschooling Reluctant Writers and Children Who Hate to Write."

Every student is different try different tactics and methods to see which one/ones your student responses best to. You may have to take more than one day for one paragraph, that's OK remember the goal is to have them writing before college.

I have included some links to various articles on this topic I pray they are helpful to you and your student. Remember if something does not work don't get discouraged try something else and always talk with your student and get ideas and opinions from them.

Strategies for the Reluctant Writer

Tips for Parents: The Reluctant Writer this article discusses the gifted child, while this article is mainly geared towards the struggles of writing non-fiction verses fiction there is helpful information which can be applied to all students struggling with writing.

Encouraging the Reluctant Writer from Home of The Matter blog

Creative Writing Prompts while my boys are not big fans of these there are some unusual ones here.

Persuasive Writing Prompts

10 blocks to becoming a writer They trip many kids who aren't LD

Well-built writing prompts Consider process as well as product

In Our Write Minds College Prep writing for high school students

I will be blogging on Education Jump-Off on this same topic, only ways to possibly prevent it and make it fun from early on.

College Prep Genius Webinars

2011-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

While I mentioned my next blog would be about reluctant writers, I received a newsletter yesterday from College Prep Genius. They will be doing three free webinars starting tonight, Thursday September 8, 2011, at 8:30 PM central time.

The webinar for tonight, Thursday September 8, 2011, is on "Secrets to Scholarships and Free College." Jean Burk will be addressing many of the important questions homeschoolers have concerning the testing process and scholarships. She will be sharing how to get scholarships which may also include room and board, studying abroad and more. Her knowledge comes from homeschooling her two children who she helped to send to college through scholarships.

On Thursday September 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM central time Jean will be discussing "How to Ace the SAT and Get Free College." Jean will share the secrets she learned about the SATs and how you can raise your students score along with getting into the college of choice.

The last webinar is on Thursday September 22, 2011 from 6:30 PM central and is all about Jean, listen to the interview and learn more about how she gained her knowledge along with her program to aid homeschoolers in achieving those high SAT scores.

Jean's newsletter also included her tip of the month along with information on two different scholarships. If you do not get her newsletter I urge you to go sign up for it.

Note: The link for College Prep Genius will take you to the program and is available now at 25% off.