projects

Individualized Writing Courses for Homeschool Families...

"Our goal is to address the precise needs, interests, and skills of students who have chosen to learn at home."

General Information

Individualized Writing Courses

Resources

Skill Sheets
Letter Writing Program
TEACHLetter (a free monthly resource)
Bookstore
Links

Project Options

Below are explanations of some of the various types of writing taught through our courses. The list is by no means complete, but should help students and parents select projects for use in our Individualized Writing Course. On average, a student can finish one such project in a single calendar month.

Reports and Research Papers

The difference between a report and a research paper is that the purpose of a report is to present a body of information that was readily available, while the purpose of a research paper is to answer a question. Other than that, there is very little difference between the two forms of writing. Both involve thesis statements or "claims," as we call them. One might write a report about "dogs," (a very general topic) but to become a research paper the topic would need to become a question, such as "Why do dogs salivate when they see food?"

Because the two forms of writing both involve gathering and presenting information, it should come as no surprise that the two forms of writing are very similar in terms of their tone and structure.

As a very general rule, research papers tend to draw upon a much wider range of sources. Another important distinction between reports and research papers is that reports tend to deal with single subjects while research papers tend to focus on how multiple subjects interact. For example, one might write a report about “moose,” whereas the subject of a research paper might answer the question “What is the he effect of acid rain on moose populations in Canada?"

Research papers are generally written by students who are conducting legitimate scientific or historical research. In-depth reports are much more common in high schools across the country.

Information gathered for reports and research papers can assume many forms: books, magazines, journals, interviews, scientific studies, documents, etc.

Memoirs

A memoir is a piece of writing that describes an important memory. It also explains what the writer felt as he or she experienced a particular event, as well as what he or she learned from it. Subjects chosen for the topic of a memoir should be a significantly emotional, or even life-altering. Memoirs can be happy or sad, comedic or tragic.

Personal Essays

Personal essays are “personal” in that they present the writer's personal point of view on a given subject. One might write a personal essay about one's opinion of sibling rivalry, or about what happens to people when they die. Because the point of personal essay is a personal one, it’s often very difficult to disprove. After all, one person’s opinion is just as good as the next, right?

Here are some sample subjects for personal essays.

1. My opinion of winter.

2. My opinion of public school.

3. Why my grandmother is such a wonderful person.

4. Why I think dogs are better than cats.

Persuasive Essays

Its purpose is (surprise!) to persuade a reader into believing a certain idea. Persuasive essays are usually political or social in nature. Here are some examples:

1. Why the death penalty is a bad idea.

2. Why George Bush is an excellent (or not-so-excellent) president.

3. Why it's better to be a democrat (or a republican).

Each of those three ideas offers an opinion, but the opinion is much more serious than the sort you’d find in a personal essay. After all, political and social issues tend to be more serious than personal ones.

Critical Essays

Critical essays are pieces of writing that are written in order to prove a point or claim in regards to a piece of literature. One might write a critical essay, for example, about the relationship between two particular characters in a piece of literature, about how one theme impacts another, or about how the words and actions of certain characters reveal beliefs held by the author. We at WriteGuide.com acknowledge that there are many schools of literary criticism, but our purpose is not to prescribe or support any one school over any other; our purpose is simply to teach critical essay writing skills so that a writer may apply these skills to any school of criticism that he or she wishes.

Critical essays are useful forms of writing in that they provide a vehicle by which a writer may identify interesting relevant phenomena in a given text, communicate the existence of the phenomena to the reader, and then draw logical, useful conclusions based on the phenomena and surrounding text. Following are three important benefits of learning how to write a critical essay.

·        Individuals who learn to write critical essays will become more careful readers and listeners.

In order to write a critical essay, a writer must first be able to accurately perceive whatever reality is before him or her. Such an individual must be able to carefully analyze and digest without bias the information contained in a given text. This ability to read (and listen, for language skills are readily transferable from one medium to another) and take in information objectively is an essential skill in today’s world. Too often we are swayed by advertisements, political rhetoric, and individuals who seek to manipulate. People who are skilled in the area of critical analysis are difficult to take advantage of, simply because they have the ability to critically think about and analyze the world around them.

·        Individuals who learn to write critical essays will become more skilled in the art of arguing, whether it be through written or verbal means.

In addition to being adept at taking in information, people who can write critical essays are capable of putting it forth. With the ability to critically analyze information comes the ability to critically organize it, and then communicate it to an audience or recipient. It is difficult to take advantage of a person who can accurately state his or her opinion and then provide specific, concrete evidence to support it. Also, people who are skilled in the area of critical analysis and writing have an easier time getting what they ask for, and an easier time in matters that involve convincing, motivating, or swaying the opinion of others.

·        Those individuals who learn to write critical essays will be better able to express complex information through written or verbal means to individuals, or groups of individuals.

People who can take in, organize, and express information critically are, as a rule, excellent communicators. Such people are extremely efficient at public speaking and teaching because they are able to put forth information in a very clear, easy-to-understand manner, perceive which ideas their audience is having difficulty understanding, and then further expound upon whatever points need further explaining.

All three of the above points are good reasons to study critical essay writing, but they don’t make mention of the fact that nearly all the high schools, colleges, and universities in the world require students to write critical essays, or some form of writing that closely resembles a critical essay.

Short Stories

A short story is a work of fiction. Traditional short stories should be under 50 pages long. Short stories written by students are generally much, much shorter.

Many students and parents fall into the trap of thinking that short stories are "easy" forms of writing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Writing a successful piece of fiction requires the integration of many complex literary elements: plot, character, theme, setting, tone, conflict, and resolution. Having a creative imagination is not enough to put together a story. Students are often quite comfortable beginning a short story, but run into trouble when they discover the difficulty of resolving the story's conflict and at the same time creating meaning that resonates with his or her audience.

Business Letters

Adults write business letters all the time. They apply for jobs, write proposals, and correspond with other professionals. Business letters are characterized by a formal tone, and the direct delivery of a specific message or intent.

Magazine/Newspaper Article

Magazine and newspaper articles can focus on virtually any topic, and can assume many forms. Variations include editorials and news reports.

Book Reviews

Although book reviews definitely vary in terms of structure and tone, they have a very specific and definitive intent: to discuss a piece of literature in such a way that a potential reader will be better able to decide whether or not to read the book in question. Because reviewing a book involves discussing a piece of literature, it makes sense that the things discussed in the review will be specific aspects or components of a piece of literature, of which there are primarily seven: characters, climax, conflict, narrator, plot, setting, and tone. More specifically, a book review will discuss how these elements interact with one another without “giving away” the entire story.