product review

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)

November 19, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have an awesome online homeschool high school poetry movie or class to tell you about. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School for more great tips and resources!

When my boys entered the high school years I admit feeling intimidated to teach poetry.

An online homeschool high school poetry class with no teaching involved sounded pretty good.

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)

Besides fighting my sons’ perception that poetry is too emotional and for girls only, I struggled with the humdrum way I was taught poetry in high school.

I was given this product for free. All opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun!

High School Poetry

When I saw that Literary Adventures for Kids had an online homeschool high school Poetry & a Movie literature course, I couldn’t wait to get started on it with my third teen.

Movies, an online self-paced course, and a hands-off approach to teaching the Poetry & a Movie literature course piqued my interest. My son not so much.

However, by using this course I’m so tickled that I’ve been able to ignite my son’s interest in poetry.

This course has easily become one of my favorites and must-haves for teaching high school teens poetry.

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved). When I saw that Literary Adventures for Kids had an online homeschool high school Poetry & a Movie literature course, I couldn't wait to get started on it with my third teen. Click here for this fun high school course!

Overview of Poetry & a Movie

Let me back up first and give you a bird’s-eye view of this super course:

it’s self-paced and online
there is no physical product and my high school teen loved to pick up and go at his leisure
the literature course has 10 units
it is a study of the master poets and their poetry
it is a study of the poetic devices or literary elements
videos are scattered throughout
it has a grammar component
it’s designed to give your teen the broad strokes of literary elements so there is no overwhelm
you can purchase the books used in the course or borrow them from your local library
a movie suggestion is included for a unit end celebration
there is flexibility to use this course as a full high school credit, one-half of a language arts course, or enrichment

Although studying literary elements is the foundation of poetry over prose, I couldn’t take that usual approach with my son.

Another roadblock of high school programs is that most use a textbook method.

My son is an auditory learner.

Online Literature Course for Homeschooled Teens

You know my struggle through the years with him because taking notes doesn’t work well with him.

I need to blend different styles of teaching to fit his need to learn in a way that appeals to him and make this course a challenge.

Taking information in through audio works extremely well.

The Poetry and a Movie course uses an eclectic method of teaching by combining video, text, and real books. Win!

Besides searching for courses that match his learning style, I had to overcome his perception that poetry is not manly.

If you have boys you know what I mean. Challenge on.

Instead of picking up another boring textbook about literary devices and beginning there, the course begins with a series of videos about what is poetry.

I won’t ruin the videos for your kids, but I heard a chuckle or two from my son.

Poetry and Living Books for Teens

Using the living book in the course that is suggested as a spine or frame for this course is what my son loved.

Remember, a spine is normally a living book that is the foundation on which a course is built.

That is another win for the course because real books should still be used in high school.

Now that I had my son hooked on the course, the next step was to choose a master poet that would help my son let go of his negative perception of poetry.

Before I tell you what I did, it’s important for your teen to cover the master poets in order.

If this is your middle or high school teen’s first introduction to the beauty of poetry, don’t skip ahead like I had to do.

I was tickled to see Edgar Allan Poe listed as one of the master poets.

We moved right to his poems first because my son needed to understand that poetry is not just about love; poetry is about real things in the world like cruelty, war, nature, despair, and friendship.

Because the powerful words of Poe were the first ones that inspired me, I was almost sure his words would not make my teen yawn. It worked.

Next the unit moves on to helping your teen define literary devices by using video to teach them and giving examples.

At this point, your teen will set up his poetry notebook.

Poetry, Literary Elements, and Trivia are the tabbed sections in the notebook.

Teaching Teens about Literary Elements

Guide your teen to help him set up the tabbed sections because they give your learner a way to break down learning into meaningful and fun parts.

After all, learning poetry should have an organized approach so as to not miss one tiny detail.

The teacher in me needs to be sure my son comes away from high school with a foundation in literature and appreciation for figurative language and not just analytical writing.

The trivia section in the notebook helped my teen to see that poetry is lively, upbeat, and challenging.

I mentioned before that this course uses many different teaching styles, but it equally incorporates different homeschool approaches.

The study of poetry is both a classical and Charlotte Mason feature.

Charlotte Mason touts studying one artist or composer for a while.

Studying one master poet thoroughly is the same approach in this course.

Instead of quickly shifting focus, poetry requires lingering on words and digging deep for the intentions of wordplay by master poets.

After my initial fast forwarding to a point in the course to hook my kid on poetry, we benefited from staying focused on one poet for a considerable length of time.

Mastery is also a unit study feature and that was one huge benefit for us in this course.

Living Books and Online Poetry Study

Having a culminating activity like watching a movie together or having teatime with your teen keeps it fun.

Of course I didn’t dare mention teatime to my boy, but popping some popcorn and lighting the fireplace before a movie made it memorable.

Although the course is designed so that your teen can learn independently, don’t miss out by not reading the poems together. Poetry is supposed to be read out loud.

Mentoring your teen doesn’t stop in high school.

If you want him to appreciate figurative language and rhyme, then he needs to hear your voice.

I enjoyed reading the poems out loud with my teen, but you don’t have to.

Another benefit of the program is that he can read it along side the narrator on each video.

I have to admit, my voice was no substitute for the narrator reading “The Tyger” by William Blake. Your teen will love listening closely as the poem is read to him.

Although you can use the course for writing lessons, my goal was to use the time to kindle my son’s appreciation for poetry.

5 More Things You Should Know About Poetry & a Movie

One/ The specifics of the course are the introduction, the master poets which are Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Langston Hughes, William Wordsworth, William Butler Yeats, Dylan Thomas, and Robert Frost.

The last section is a Final Project writing essays.

Two/ You will need to determine beforehand how much credit you will assign to your teen.

Of course this depends on how extensive you want to use this online language arts course.

Third/ Each poet has been planned for a month-long study. Because I wanted to get the flavor of the course, we initially skipped around as I explained earlier.

Now, my son prefers to cover one master poet in-depth.

Four/ There is unlimited access to the course and I see this as a huge savings.

If you don’t know by now, curriculum for older kids is more expensive.

We’re preparing teens for adulthood and curriculum shouldn’t just impart knowledge or rote facts; it should stir a teen’s mind to be included in the bigger picture of life after high school.

Teaching a teen how to think using poetry as an analysis cements beautiful thoughts in our kid’s mind and reciting poetry is a memory aid to use into adulthood.

You don’t want to miss covering poetry and it’s especially fun when there is no stress planning.

In addition, this course can be used in a few different ways to get your money’s worth.

The master poets and literary elements can be introduced in middle school.

In high school, use the course again, but fold in the grammar and essay components for high school credit. It’s a two-fer.

The best part is that you can use this with all of your younger kids. What a deal for a course that is prepped and ready to go.

Five/ Literary Adventures for Kids is owned by a homeschooling family. Y

ou know how much I prefer curriculum prepared by a homeschooling family because they get it when we need curriculum easy to teach and that appeals to a variety of learners. Another win for me.

Poetry Study for Homeschool High School

Poetry & a Movie may be a good fit for your family:

if your child needs multiple approaches to learning
if your child prefers using real books instead of a textbook
if you want to foster independence with your middle or high school teen, but want your child to have a framework to follow
if you fear teaching poetry and want to learn alongside your teen
if you prefer an online self-paced course over a physical product
if you need a course prepped and ready to go with minimal teacher planning

Bottom Line: I’m extremely delighted with Poetry & a Movie and any apprehensions I had that my teen son may find poetry only a girl’s subjects has been put to rest. Hearing him repeat part of the poems he learned as he goes through his day is a proud mama moment.

I am so pleased with this course and I just can’t think of anything that needs to be changed.

I would highly recommend it if you have a teen that needs to learn outside the box, but don’t have time to prepare a unit study.

Poetry & a Movie is a keeper in my home and I plan on going over it again both as a standalone course and to use as a review tool.

I look forward to seeing my son build on the foundational skills he learned in this poetry course. This has been a rewarding experience and has helped my son enjoy learning to write and read poetry!

Thanks to Literary Adventures for Kids for this excellent product to serve the homeschool community!

Go on over and give it a look see. I’ll know you love it as much as I do!

How to Purchase It.

Product Name: Literary Adventures for Kids – Poetry and a Movie

Website: Literary Adventure for Kids/Hide the Chocolate
Grade Level: 7th grade and up Note: There are products for your younger kids too.
Type of product: These is an online course. No physical product will be shipped to you.

Also, you’ll love these other helps for high school:

Hugs and love ya,

How To Teach Homeschool Art Like a Pro (When You’re Not)

June 29, 2017 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I was given this product free from Atelier Homeschool Art and I was compensated for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off. ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun stuff!

Knowing that it requires both skill and creativity to be a successful artist, I’ve spent years looking for a homeschool art curriculum which teaches both concepts. There is a reason I’m using Atelier Homeschool Art again this year. It teaches both concepts easily to a novice student and teacher.

Atelier Homeschool Art is video-based teaching. So it not only frees up my time to teach, but it also gives me teaching tips in the parent/teacher’s manual.

I like to be selectively controlling when teaching art. What I mean is that at certain times, I want to learn alongside my son while teaching him. Other times, when I have minimal to no teacher prep time, I want art lessons laid out so that it’s pick up and go.

Before I go on I just have to let you know one important thing and that is you don’t want to miss the SWEET surprise at the end of this post!

Kids Art Lessons

Teaching homeschool art use to be a subject that intimidated me.

(Creative expression can be learned by following a model.)

When I first started homeschooling, I was lopsided in my teaching. I was overly focused on skill subjects or the three Rs. Little did I understand that art feeds a child’s mind and that a creative imagination is the beginning to a lifelong love of learning anything.

Let me back up though because I want you to understand how Atelier Homeschool Art is laid out.

Homeschool Art Lessons

Look at these quick facts about how Atelier Homeschool Art makes it easy for me to teach art.

They offer 8 levels and because the levels overlap several ages it gives me more wiggle room when I had to choose a skill level.
The subscription is a full year of visual art lessons which you get for 3 years. More on that in a minute. However, there is no need to plan when lessons are ready for the year.
It is also a family subscription. I wouldn’t be wrong in saying you could use it for all of your kids but the subscription allows you to learn art too. It’s not just for multiple ages of children, but mom and dad can join in on the fun because the program is not baby-ish. The teaching and material are top-notch produced.
Not only is the art program offered online, but the DVD program is the same content. Let’s face it. There are still some places that don’t have a fast internet connection and there is no need to have to settle for mediocre art curriculum. I do love that Tiny can use his iPad and then I can look at his lessons on my laptop.
Another super help to me is that they offer art kits for just about 80% of the lessons. No need to guess which products you need. However, I also like the fact that prior to each lesson you are given a list for supplies. Why is this important to me? In teaching children to be independent, they need to receive proper instruction. If we don’t have art supplies in the house for the next lesson, Tiny needs to review ahead to let me know what supplies he needs. Yes, I love that Atelier Homeschool Art teaches independence even in art study. It’s Tiny job to gather his supplies and be ready for the next art lesson.
I mentioned that art is about having skill and creativity. Some kids have natural talent in that area and some need a model to follow. Either way, those skills can be taught or reinforced which is why the scope and sequence is important to me. We are working on Level 8 this year and look at what we’re learning. Students will build and develop a foundation of skills by learning and working through the essential elements and principles of art including: line, color, space, shape, texture, pattern, and balance. Level 8 also includes art-history, media exploration, creative self-expression, cultural appreciation, and much more.
It is a well-rounded art curriculum and allows plenty of time for free expression.

Then something else that really helped me as a beginner when teaching art is learning insider’s tips and tricks of the trade. I left the penciled grid lines on the beautiful art above that Tiny did while learning about Michelangelo. I wanted you to see that trick. Not only did he learn art history but he learned pro tips like making a grid line on his page when doing really larger pieces of art. It may seem like a small thing if you’re experienced at art, but if you’re like me, you appreciate all the seemingly insignificant, but important pro tips. Too, it makes Tiny really proud of his work instead of ending up with a small scale picture that he worked so hard on, but that only takes up about 1/4 of the page.

It helps us to look at art through the eyes of an artist. Tiny tends to be more like me in expecting perfection of himself. Sad, but true that the kid got that quality from me. This means we need more encouragement to let go of that expectation, but we still want to have guidance and drawing aids. That is another huge benefit of each lesson. Not only are teacher instructions included, but drawing aids are made available for download. We also appreciated the visuals used in each class as the art instructor explains what she sees in concrete objects. Again, helping us to see art through her eyes.
Although I mentioned the teacher’s guide, it’s important for you to know that not all teacher’s guides are designed equally. I have a high standard for a teacher’s guide and especially for one about a subject that I’m not an expert at teaching. This teacher’s guides exceeds my expectations because of the content and helpful how-tos. The teacher’s guide is 184 pages. It includes background information on how to teach art and how to grade it. It has a scope and sequence along with a glossary of terms and objectives. It is truly comprehensive.

Teaching Art While at the Museum

However, there is one more benefit that really sets this curriculum apart and that is the digital art prints along with the Art Print Guide.

It is already comprehensive but this nifty feature just makes it overflowing with ideas on how to incorporate art into every day life.

Make visiting an art museum come alive when you discuss the series of 10 digital prints. We have started a notebook with these prints and are covering them slowly since the guide has questions (with answers) along with activities to extend learning.

Each print has artist background information along with information about the artwork.

This could easily count as a fine art credit for a middle or high school student or half-credit depending on how comprehensive you want it to be.

Having multiple options when buying is appealing to me.

Included with each family package for the online Great Art Appreciation Program are 10 Great Masters Art Images and the Discussion Guides.

But if you choose the enrichment option, you get at least 90 artworks.

The enriched family package option also includes the Great Masters Virtual Museum. This virtual museum contains at least 90 artworks displayed in 7 galleries, along with discussion guides for each artwork. It is designed for those families who wish to include an enriched art appreciation and art history component with their studio art lessons.

Teaching homeschool art use to be a subject that intimidated me. I didn’t give up trying to teach it because I feel so much emphasis is always give on academics and not enough time to power up a child’s creativity. Look at easy it can be to teach homeschool art. Click here to read the tips!

Hands-down this is by far the best homeschool art program I’ve used and I’m PROUD that Atelier Homeschool Art is part of our curriculum!

How to Purchase It.

►Product Name: Atelier Online – Level 8 (ages 12-16) Levels 1 through 8 are available, which can be used for ages 4 to 16.
►Website: Atelier Homeschool Art
►Try it for Free: Click here for free sample lessons.
►About the product: All Atelier art lessons are presented on video, and reinforced by lesson plans. Not only are the videos a rich source of creative ideas and inspiration, it also clarifies the objectives, materials, techniques and procedures of each lesson. Abundant instructional coverage, as well as that of students in a virtual art class performing the lesson and displaying their finished artwork, consistently produces exceptional student results and learning, regardless of the art background of the parent-teacher.
►Formats: This program is not only available online, but the same materials can be purchased in dvd format too.
►Type of product: Online video-based.
►Art Supply Kits: We had many of these art materials, but did have to purchase some of them. If you’re like me and want things easily laid out, then you may like the Atelier Art Supply Kit which includes approximately 80% of the supplies needed for a complete level.
►Price: 140.00 for each grade level BUT that is for 3 years. Did you think I would forget to tell you about this? Why is it for 3 years? Because Atelier Homeschool Art knows that to truly master skills it takes years.

So to find the true cost. Divide 140.00 by 36 months (3 years) and that equals $3.88 per month. What a value for beautiful art curriculum.

Like I mentioned before, each lesson has drawing aids. Last year, Tiny picked one drawing aid to work on one skill and this year Tiny chose a completely different drawing aid. However, he is still working on improving the same concept in align with his maturity level.

But if you have a stricter budget that you need to stay in, you’ll love their newest option to buy. You can buy just individual modules.

You’ll love these other tips!

Homeschool Art (Why Video Based Teaching Rocks)

May 25, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching art has always been a struggle for me, let alone teaching a teen. And I’m not against Tiny learning art from a book, but when you can have a professional art teacher come into your home at your convenience, I just couldn’t say no to trying Atelier Homeschool Art.

We received Atelier Online – Level 7 (ages 10-15). It is designed for ages 10-15, Level 7 and it is a full year of visual art instruction. Students will build and develop a foundation of skills by learning and working through the essential elements and principles of art including: line, color, space, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance and emphasis. Level 7 also includes art-history, media exploration, creative self-expression, cultural appreciation, right-brain drawing techniques, and much more.

It’s hard for me to call this a review because we just had so much fun and will continue with it into the summer. When you get a minute, look at my other posts Homeschool Art (Art Lessons From Home) and Video Based Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved) so you can see more pictures.

Each lesson varies in time from ten minutes up to twenty eight minutes and we tried to cram in as many as we could before I had to tell you about it today.

Look at the lessons we did and the concepts being taught.

Positive and Negative Designs: Space and Composition
People Contours: Contour,Drawing, Line
Tropical Birds: Color
Op Art: Art History and Technique
Greek Olympics and Art: Art History
Egyptian Art:Artist Appreciation and Cultural Appreciation

3 Advantages to Video-Based Art Lessons

ONE| The gem of this product is that it is video-based and that means more to me this year than it did before.

Now that I am down to homeschooling one kid, I have had to learn to teach in different ways.

Not only are the lessons video-based, but they are created so that they can be done completely independent. Each video lesson has 3 or 4 parts, which are materials, the lesson/s, students working and examples of student artwork.

In case your student gets lost in all the words or prefers to watch a video like Tiny does, then he simply makes a list of all the materials he needs for the upcoming lesson, does the lesson and can even see examples of student artwork to see the outcome.

I can’t say enough about that part of the art lessons for us.

It has been hard to impress on Tiny to let go of the product and enjoy the process. When he gets to see samples of student works, it made him feel comfortable with his creativity.

When you have a kid that expects perfection in everything he does, no matter how much you tout the fact that you want him to ‘let go’, I admit I was skeptical about him looking at other student’s work.

You know I am a big advocate of models when it comes to teaching subjects like writing or even math but I learned a lesson by Tiny seeing models or student artwork even when doing art lessons.

I had always thought of only the negative effects of comparing his work to others and not the model or ideas he could use from them. The examples of student artwork gave Tiny a concrete way of measuring his work to see that he was right on target.

Instead of stifling his creativity, looking ahead at student samples of artwork ignited it. Allowing himself to ‘let go’, Tiny was able to gauge his own progress, but add his own flair to each art piece.

TWO| For me, the teacher in me was so happy that this curriculum was organized and detailed.

Everything needed to do the art lesson is contained right there in the lesson.

For example, the student hand outs are included as downloads along with the lesson plan. In addition, there is a parents manual, a supply list, helpful tips about art elements and principles and a glossary of terms.

Everything the non-loving art teacher (me) needs to feel empowered. After a few lessons, I could easily turn the lesson over to Tiny.

THREE| Did I mention that I could watch the lessons on my laptop while Tiny did them on his iPad?

Whether you live overseas like I did, travel or are limited on room, you’ll love the fact that the lessons are completely mobile.

Too, I had a problem the first time I downloaded the product, so I emailed them. The customer service was super fast in getting back to me and helping me to find what was not working.

Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved)

Though we really lapped up these art lessons we did have a rocky start when Tiny noticed right away the classroom setting. Tiny has never been to public or private school and at first didn’t connect with the classroom setting.

He has taken other homeschool classes where the ages were mixed and obviously feels more comfortable in that setting.

However, because he has never been exposed to a classroom setting, I know that whether he takes a workshop for his career or college, he will need to be familiar with a classroom setting.

That part wasn’t a deal breaker for us but I had to let him go slower in the beginning as he got use to it.

However, if you have a kid coming from a public or private school setting, he may not even blink an eye at that setting.

Also, I want you to know that this is a pricey curriculum or so it seems at first glance. The cost for this level is 140.00, but it is for a family subscription and it is for 3 years.

If you have three kids like me then you would divide that cost of 140.00 by three, which is about $47.00 for the year. Then there are twenty lessons. Twenty lessons divided by 47.00 is about $2.35 for each child for each lesson.

Comparing curriculum is sometimes not easy to do, but comparing actual costs should be.

Looking at the actual cost per child, this curriculum is a super deal for all the lessons, downloads and tips.

I think your kids will love doing art this way and I think you’ll love turning the teaching reins over to somebody else.

Pssst! No one has to know if you do the lessons right alongside your kids because it is a family subscription.

Look at these other facts that you don’t want to miss.

Product Name: Atelier Online – Level 7 (ages 10-15) Levels 1 through 8 are available, which are from ages 4 to 16.
Website: Atelier Homeschool Art
Try it for Free: Click here for free sample lessons.
About the product: All Atelier art lessons are presented on video, and reinforced by lesson plans. Not only are the videos a rich source of creative ideas and inspiration, it also clarifies the objectives, materials, techniques and procedures of each lesson. Abundant instructional coverage, as well as that of students in a virtual art class performing the lesson and displaying their finished artwork, consistently produces exceptional student results and learning, regardless of the art background of the parent-teacher.
Formats: This program is not only available online, but the same materials can be purchased in dvd format too.
Type of product: Online video-based.
Art Supply Kits: We had many of these art materials, but did have to purchase some of them. If you’re like me and want things easily laid out, then you may like the Atelier Art Supply Kit which includes approximately 80% of the supplies needed for a complete level.
Price: 140.00 for each grade level.

Hugs and love ya,

Video Based Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved)

May 12, 2016 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I just couldn’t resist showing you a few more art lessons that Tiny did from Atelier Homeschool Art.

Also, check out his beautiful tropical bird art lesson that he did earlier.

Video based art lessons have been a nice change this year because we have used book based curriculum in the past.

I’m loving the part where I don’t have to teach.

Tiny learned about how the Greek put their art on everything and then he did a lesson about the Olympics.

Also, there is an art lesson about positive and negative space and how to create mirror images, which I found fascinating.

Also, he did some opt art.

He found it pretty cool using hexagons to cover the page and then pick the colors though he tried to stay with the more abstract look and colors.

Homeschool Art (For the Non-Artsy Homeschooled Kid)

Look at this snippet about the videos.

All Atelier art lessons are presented on video, and reinforced by lesson plans.

Not only are the videos a rich source of creative ideas and inspiration, it also clarifies the objectives, materials, techniques and procedures of each lesson.

Abundant instructional coverage, as well as that of students in a virtual art class performing the lesson and displaying their finished artwork, consistently produces exceptional student results and learning, regardless of the art background of the parent teacher.

You can try a free preview of the curriculum by clicking here.

I have a review coming up soon, but just had to tell you about this if you’re considering art curriculum for next year.

How do you fit art into your day?

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students

August 8, 2014 | 8 Comments
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”.

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 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.

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.

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product review

High School Poetry

Overview of Poetry & a Movie

Online Literature Course for Homeschooled Teens

Poetry and Living Books for Teens

Teaching Teens about Literary Elements

Living Books and Online Poetry Study

5 More Things You Should Know About Poetry & a Movie

Poetry Study for Homeschool High School

How to Purchase It.

Kids Art Lessons

Homeschool Art Lessons

Teaching Art While at the Museum

How to Purchase It.

3 Advantages to Video-Based Art Lessons

Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved)

Homeschool Art (For the Non-Artsy Homeschooled Kid)

Homeschool Writing Program

Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students

Choosing an Online Writing Course

Working Through the Essay Rock Star Writing Lessons

Personalized Writing Lessons

Writing Program for Middle and High School

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