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Discover the Best High School Writing Courses & Recommendations

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When you are planning your child’s high school writing courses there are several things to consider. Also, look at my page Practical Homeschool Writing Curriculum from Pre-K To High School for more tips. 

Whether your child is college bound, or they will go the trade school route, having a strong grasp on writing, grammar, etc. will help them in life.

These skills will translate into being able to write great emails and reports and communicate clearly and quickly.

Discover the Best High School Writing Courses & Recommendations

Good writing will help your child excel with proposals and presentations, get thoughts out creatively and concisely, fill forms out correctly, and more.

The best writing program for your homeschooler is the one that meets their individual needs and helps them achieve their writing goals.

But there are things to consider when looking for a writing program.

4 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN HIGH SCHOOL WRITING COURSES

  1. Student’s Learning Style: Consider whether your student learns best through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic methods. Choose a curriculum or platform that matches their learning style.
  2. Budget: Some curricula and platforms can be expensive, while others are free or low-cost. Consider your budget when choosing a writing program.
  3. Time Commitment: Some programs require significant time commitment, while others are more flexible. Consider your student’s schedule and your own availability when choosing a program.
  4. Level of Parental Involvement: Some programs require a high level of parental involvement, while others are more self-directed. Consider your own comfort level and availability when choosing a program.

Now that you have considered these things it is time to assess your student’s needs.

IDENTIFY YOUR STUDENT’S NEEDS IN A WRITING COURSE

Identifying student’s strengths and weaknesses: Consider their learning style, interests, and goals. Where do they need additional support?

Set Goals: Use the assessment of strengths and weaknesses to determine specific writing skills that you want your student to improve- technical, creative, etc. and set both long- and short-term goals for your child.

Research various options: Explore various curricula, platforms, and additional options. Read reviews, compare features, and consider your assessment criteria.

Use free trials and placement tests: Use free trials or sample lessons when available before you commit to a company.

Create a Writing Schedule: Establish a regular writing schedule that fits into your homeschooling routine.

Offer constructive criticism and encouragement. Celebrate your child’s successes and help them overcome challenges.

Supplement with Additional Resources: Use writing prompts, online resources, and other materials to supplement your chosen curriculum or platform. I found something like a Word a Day calendar is fun for building vocabulary.

Seek Outside Support: Consider joining a homeschool writing group, finding a writing coach or tutor, or enrolling your student in a dual-enrollment program.

Discover the Best High School Writing Courses & Recommendations

Some other sources that you can consider are local community colleges or coaches and tutors.

Writing Coaches and Tutors: Individualized instruction from a writing coach or tutor can be beneficial for students who need extra support or want to focus on specific writing skills.

Local Community Colleges: Many community colleges offer dual-enrollment programs that allow high school students to take college-level writing courses for credit.

Also, look at more homeschool writing curriculum and tips.

MORE HOMESCHOOL WRITING CURRICULUM & TIPS

Now let me share with you some of the best high school writing courses I have found focusing on a variety of needs and in different formats.

7 High School Writing Courses

Now let me share with you some of the best high school writing courses I have found focusing on a variety of needs and in different formats.

Elegant Essay Writing Lessons : Building Blocks for Analytical Writing

Institute forExcellence in Writing (IEW): IEW offers a structured approach to writing, focusing on
grammar, style, and different writing genres. It utilizes a "teacher-led" model with both online and print materials,  live online writing classes, online tools like IEW Gradebook, and printed materials like workbooks and DVD’s.

WriteShop I Student Workbook, an incremental writing program

WriteShop provides a comprehensive curriculum with step-by-step lessons, writing prompts, and detailed teacher's guides. It covers various genres and emphasizes the writing process, giving them a solid foundation in descriptive, informative, and narrative writing.

Photo Credit: bravewriter.com

Brave Writer | Writing programs and online classes

This program is a more relaxed and creative approach to writing, emphasizing the joy of self-expression. It offers various courses and resources for different ages and writing styles. You have options for individuals or families with students of different ages.

Word Roots Beginning: Learning The Building Blocks of Better Spelling and Vocabulary

This company offers a range of writing workbooks and software programs that focus on grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills.

Photo Credit: apcentral.collegeboard.org

AP English Language and Composition

This course prepares students for the AP Language and Composition exam and focuses on analytical and
argumentative writing.

The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, 2nd Edition

Finally, your teens will write without dread! Have they almost given up on writing? Do they reach for the tissue box when you say, "Write an essay"? Do you worry they won't be ready for high school or college writing? Do they say they think of things to write but can't write them down? With THE POWER IN YOUR HANDS: WRITING NONFICTION IN HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND EDITION, they'll learn essay writing in a relaxed, nonthreatening atmosphere with a little humor thrown in.

Photo Credit: www.writeathome.com

WriteAtHome.com

Write at Home courses are very user-friendly and completely hands-off for the parents. They offer 8-week, semester, or year-long writing classes for students in high school.

Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’ve used some of the best homeschool writing curriculum; I hope you’ll benefit from my experience. Also, I’m going to help you hone your goals. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

Your goals are key to choosing a homeschool writing course which works for your family.

Then, I’ll share some quick comparisons between the best homeschool writing curriculum.

best homeschool writing curriculum

Besides, what is the best homeschool writing program during the elementary years is not always the best writing course in high school.

First, look at how I honed my writing goals and standards for my children.

This is your beginning point. Isolate your goals with clarity.

4 Ways to Identify the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum

  1. Identify what type of writing curriculum your family needs now. A curriculum can include the physical act of learning how to write which is penmanship. In addition, it may only be the mental part of writing which is composition. Penmanship is learned in the early grades; a good rule of thumb for beginning composition is fourth grade.
  2. Narrow down the choices to either a complete language arts course or just the writing component. I prefer to keep language arts separated components because my children were at different levels. From my experience, my children learned better by not heaping grammar, reading, and spelling into one lump. Isolating just to composition or writing courses helped my children to learn the art of writing.
  3. Understand that learning how to write is an interactive skill but that doesn’t mean it should always be learned online. Although I didn’t have experience teaching composition when I started, I chose detailed teaching manuals so I could understand the writing process. I’ve learned that most children just need a caring adult to guide them even if they choose an online course. So, even if you choose an online writing course, your writer, no matter the age still needs you.
  4. Be sure these vital components can be identified in a writing curriculum: brainstorming tips, prewriting, drafting, editing/rewriting, and publishing.

Homeschool Writing Courses for Elementary Students

Next, look at these writing courses I used for varying purposes and times through my journey.

In my children’s early years, I used curriculum which encouraged copywork, but equally important was what was being copied.

I hail to the mindset the great writers need to see excellent writing, hear beautiful words, and copy them.

We used part of Aesop for Children: Story and D’Nealian Copybook Volume I and Writing Strands.

However, I started by using the older version of Writing Strands; a newer one has come out. I have mixed feelings about Writing Strands.

While it sometimes did not give an abundance of clear direction for me, it was a lightweight and fun curriculum.

At the time when I was struggling with an outline of what to teach in each grade, it eased the burden I had put on myself.

It gave me a glimpse of how easy it can be teaching writing logically.

Another curriculum I loved and used in the early years was Writing with Ease by Susan Wise Bauer.

As an artist when it comes to writing, you’ll love her methods for teaching writing.

Did I mention Susan Wise Bauer is a homeschool mom whose career was based on writing?

Not only is her passion for writing contagious, but she understands that as parents we want comprehensive teaching tips.

It’s true that Writing with Ease is a classical approach which means a heavier focus on writing, but it’s a solid writing program for the younger years.

Then, WriteShop is another favorite written by two homeschool moms. We loved the crafts and hands-on way to bring writing to life and reduce the struggling writer syndrome.

WriteShop worked for me when I needed step-by-step instructions of the writing process. In addition, I’ve learned to toggle between a gentle and rigorous approach in the early years. This means mixing curriculum.

Writing Reference and Supplement Tools for Young Children

Besides, mixing curriculum with different approaches is based on my child’s development.

Some years we did more writing.

Other years my children focused more on brainstorming and organizing thoughts.

It’s all part of the whole writing process.

So you need a variety of tools and references for your child to get the whole picture of writing.

Don’t feel like you need to stick to just one curriculum.

For example, I love Daily Paragraph Editing.

Besides, essays at the higher grades are really just bigger paragraphs. If a child struggles with writing, typically it can be traced to the basics — a lack of variety of sentences and how to write a paragraph.

Next, I’ve always used these books by Emma Serl because they use a gentle Charlotte Mason approach.

Moving on to the older grades there are just as many solid choices for writing curriculum as they are for the early grades.

Middle School and High School Writing Curriculum

We have loved Institute for Excellence in Writing for middle school and high school.

Institute for Excellence helped to foster independence in my kids for writing. Having a fun writing teacher to teach my kids was one of the best parts.

I didn’t completely abdicate all teaching to Mr. Pudewa but it was hard to contend with him.

He is funny and teaches writing to be something that my children looked forward to.

And although it’s more structured writing curriculum it still maintains a Charlotte Mason flare.

The next one I used with my middle son was Jump In: Middle School Composition.

It’s a great example of how a curriculum should take a student from brainstorming to prewriting and end with a final version.

Jump In: Middle School Composition takes a traditional approach to teaching writing.

I found it quite easy to implement with my teen and it presented the writing steps in a coherent way. We loved the step-by-step help.

Finally, like any conscientious parent, I worried about finding the perfect homeschool essay writing curriculum.

More Homeschooling in Middle School Resources

Little did I realize that Jump In: Middle School Composition had already given my sons a great start in how to write essays.

Once I learned that all essays follow the same format — introduction, body, and conclusion, I encouraged my sons to write on a variety of topics.

Homeschool Essay Writing Curriculum

Similarly, The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School is written by the same author as .Jump In: Middle School Composition. It’s another winner for us during the high school years.

One year I felt one of my sons needed more of a challenge and the curriculum touted to be a college-prep course.

best homeschool writing curriculum

He absolutely soaked up the challenge.

Look at my post Review of The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School.

Another one we used in high school was Essentials in Writing.

Although it is a complete language arts curriculum by the time your teen gets to high school, he needs those teens.

One of my sons loved using Institute for Excellence in Writing for his essays and preferred their structure. At this age, I do think your teen should have a voice in how he learns best.

My vote is for Essentials in Writing and The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School for essays because I love things that are detailed and simple.

Both programs have visuals to help my teen organize his writing and evaluate his work.

Also, another resource which has helped me through the years is Write Source 2000.

Beyond writing, it helps your middle school and high school students learn how to think. All the parts of learning how to write are connected.

It’s not just about putting pen to paper. Why?

Because a teen needs to learn how to learn, how to organize his thoughts, understand his audience, and know the difference between formal and informal writing. Write Source 2000 has served as guide to me and a reference.

Did this help you to identify a few writing courses which can help you this year?

Moreover, here are more homeschool curriculum posts.

Find more writing curriculum tips here:

3 Ways to Choose the BEST Online Homeschool Curriculum (Psst! Don’t Miss Black Friday!)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m PROUD to partner with Time4Learning. However, Time4Learning did not pay for this post. All opinions of any curriculum are always mine, but I wanted you to know that I’m proud to have Time4Learning as a sponsor.

In the past 10 years, it seems like online homeschool curriculum has popped up and taken over the homeschool market.

We’ve never had so many choices in choosing online homeschool curriculum as we do now.

When I chose to use Time4Learning,  I had a lens through which I chose online curriculum and it worked.

ONLINE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM THAT ROCKS

[ad] You'll love reading these 3 timeless tips about how to choose online curriculum, but come on over for Black Friday BOGO from Nov. 24 to 27! Hurry!!

Sharing 3 ways to choose the best online homeschool curriculum, I want you to look past all the blinking beacons on websites and look at these tried and true tips.

One/ Flexibility. Don’t underestimate the value of it.

One of the reasons I started homeschooling was to decide when and how my kids would learn.

During my homeschool journey, I’ve experienced many exhilarating planned adventures like living overseas in South America and trekking the Amazon Rain Forest and many unplanned sad and stressful times like time spent in the ICU as my husband recovered.

I needed laid out lesson plans and I needed a variety of grade levels to choose from. It’s why I chose Time4Learning.

I don’t want to have to check in with a teacher like an online school.

I simply did not need the stress of answering to the schedule of another person.

Second/ Curriculum on the go. 

Until I moved overseas, I didn’t appreciate the value of curriculum on the go.

When I learned that we could take only two suitcases each for our move overseas, I almost passed out.

My shoes (ha) wouldn’t fit in two suitcases let alone our homeschooling books.

Oh sure. We could have paid thousands of dollars to ship my physical curriculum or I could look for a PreK to 12th grade curriculum to cover multiple grades. That’s another reason I love  Time4Learning.

You simply sign up and sign in each day and follow a routine set up for you.

Third/ Know the difference between choosing online curriculum and an online school.

When you first start homeschooling, you may think you want an online school.

Soon, you realize that it’s just public school at home. Look at my tips The Great Homeschool Hoax – Public School At Home.

You move to another phase of your journey, the one you stay at longer and learn then what you really need is curriculum help and not an online school.

For me, what I really wanted was NOT another school telling me what to do, but homeschool curriculum laid out in an easy way for me to use.

That is one BIG reason I love, love Time4Learning.  It’s not a school but curriculum.

It’s not like those online schools designed to stress you out because they want your kids to test, meet with you in a parent/teacher conference, and dictate what my kids should learn.

I’ll decide if I need that for my kids since I’m the one with them each day.

There are many online schools, but not many all online homeschool curriculum providers for Prek to 12th grade that have been around for a long time and understand homeschoolers.  Because Time4Learning is not public school at home, it’s not offered to public schools.

It’s just what it says, online homeschool curriculum that does not bring public school to home just because you chose online homeschool curriculum, but supports you when you need help.

You’ll love how easy Time4Learning makes it for you to teach and guess what?

You can try them out because for Black Friday they have a super nifty deal. It’s a BOGO. Buy one month, get the 2nd free!

HURRY- BOGO November 24 to 27 or Mark Your Calendar

[ad] You'll love reading these 3 timeless tips about how to choose online curriculum, but come on over for Black Friday BOGO from Nov. 24 to 27! Hurry!!

Have you tried Time4Learning? What do you like best about online homeschool curriculum?

Also, look at these other super helpful tips.

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I often hear that the fun in school stops at the middle and high school grades, but I have not found that to be true. Being selective in our choices for homeschool writing programs has been one way that we have avoided middle and high school monotony.  Also, look at my page homeschool middle school and how to homeschool high school page for more fun tips.

So when I heard about Fortuigence, which is an online writing course, I was thrilled to try it.

However, knowing that I will be moving in just a few weeks though, I invited Jasmine as a guest blogger from Ponder the Path to review Fortuigence/Writing Rock Star for us, because I just didn’t want to pass up the opportunity for you to know about this wonderful homeschool writing program. 

Before you read her helpful review below though, I wanted to let you know what makes a curriculum wonderful to me.

Homeschool Writing Program

(Jasmine was given a free copy of Essay Rock Star.  She was compensated for her time.  Her opinions and my opinions are our own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind, because it does not mean any company will get a rave review.  However, if I accept a review it’s because I am excited to tell you about the curriculum.  This post also contains affiliate links.  Read my full disclosures here.)

As I homeschool longer I get more vocal about avoiding companies that invade the homeschooling market because we are a large educational niche for some companies

 Not all, but a lot of companies are not really bringing any real value or help to our children or to us as the teachers. 

Neither do they understand the paramount role parents have as teachers.  So I try to actively seek out companies like Writing Rockstars whose students are mostly all homeschoolers, value our role as educator and create their products specifically to suit our needs.

I think you’ll see what I mean when you read Jasmine’s review.

Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students

What do GMO’s, (genetically modified organisms) rock stars, and mind maps have in common?

All three were part of a recent homeschool writing curriculum my daughter worked on this summer!  Maddie will be entering the 7th grade this fall and had never done any formal writing before. 

When the opportunity came up for her to try Essay Rock Star she was excited to take her first online course.

Choosing an Online Writing Course

After choosing one of the four Essay Rock Star classes, Maddie was signed up with her own account.

This may not seem like a big deal to most, but to a 12 year old girl this was a big deal. 

She was able to log in to her class on her own and receive emails directly from Ms. I, as her teacher is affectionately called.

I decided it would be best if Maddie took the Essay Rock Star: Expository Essay class. 

In this class, Maddie learned to write an essay that explained a specific subject or topic. 

Maddie had heard me talk about GMO’s before and knew basically what they were. She wanted to find out more about them and thought that they would make an interesting topic for her essay.

Other Essay Rock Star classes include: The Personal Statement, The Persuasive Essay and The Textual Analysis.

Working Through the Essay Rock Star Writing Lessons

When Maddie first started the course, I sat down with her and walked her through the “classroom”. We went over how to work through the class, where to turn in assignments, and how to complete the lessons.

Each of the 7 lessons has a video for the student to watch. 

In the video, Ms. I walks the student through each step in the writing process. After watching the video, the student then reads through the lesson or can choose to listen to the audio version (great for different types of learners!).

There are several learning aids included in each lesson that the student can either save or print out and put in a notebook. These items are great to keep on hand for future student writing assignments. 

Some of the ones that we thought were particularly helpful were: “How to Write a Strong Introduction and Conclusion” and the “Revision Checklist”.

organizing writing content

After watching the video, reading the lesson, and printing or saving any of the extra learning tools, Maddie would work through each step of the writing process. 

For instance, one of the first steps is the brainstorming process. 

Ms. I shared a great tool for brainstorming called mind mapping.  She shared a link to Bubbl.us which is an online software tool that allows you to create pictorial mind maps and save them as images.

This was one of the funnest parts for Maddie, as she could visually see how her ideas fit together.

And the software allows you to move ideas around and create or delete ideas as needed. 

You can get very detailed with your mind map, or just create the main points for your essay. We will definitely continue to use this tool in our writing assignments.

Personalized Writing Lessons

One thing that stuck out to me as Maddie went through the writing process, was the willingness of Ms. I to work with her students right where they were and teach them in a personalized way. 

For instance, Maddie had decided to write her paper on GMO’s. 

She did some research for her essay.  Because she had outside sources she had used for the information in her essay, Ms. I showed her how to cite her sources at the end of the paper.

This was not in the original lesson, but was taught when it was needed.

Maddie learned so much in the process of the course and it offered me a break in teaching. 

It also gave Maddie a different learning perspective.  

She enjoyed the independence of learning on her own and receiving feedback for each lesson. 

Writing Program for Middle and High School

She now has the knowledge to work through each step and complete an expository essay on her own.

I look forward to seeing her build on the foundational skills she learned in this writing class. This has been a rewarding experience and has helped her enjoy learning to write!

You’ll also love these other tips:

Product Facts At A Glance

Product Name: Essay Rock Star: Expository Essay. In this course, students learn to write an expository essay. The expository essay is the most common essay form that is often assigned in high school, college, and in the workplace. The purpose of an expository essay is to explain or inform an audience objectively about a specific subject.

Website: Fortuigence.Com

Type of Product:  Individual essay courses and a longer course with multiple essays.  Each essay takes approximately 4 weeks to complete.  The courses are a combination of pdf and video content.  Ms. I provides personalized feedback throughout the process!  I like the fact too that your child can receive high school credit even during the middle grades.

Age: Middle School to High School, but can be used by an advanced writer.  The 1:1 tips also makes it a great curriculum for writers who dread the process.

Jasmine

  Air Force wife, homeschooling mom, herbalist in training, quilter, soapmaker, all around homesteader…yup, that about sums it up!  You can find Jasmine at Ponder the Path.

Homeschool Writing Program