You are here: Lamp Post Home »
Curriculum » Composition and Creative
Writing Index » Composition and Creative Writing Curriculum Index
Composition and Creative Writing Curriculum Index
If you wonder if your child can write, then ask if your child can tell a
coherent story or verbalize what was just studied. It so, the writing
"problem" may be a simple logistical problem. Not being able to compose and remember it long enough to
handwrite it, spell it, and punctuate it might be the problem—not the
inability to write.
I suggest
getting an inexpensive tape recorder to tape the student as he dictates/tells his "writing" to you. Later he can listen to what he said and write it on paper.
If your student can dictate and tell you a story or the answer to question
from another course, then your student can compose.
A wealth of home school curriculum exists for composition and creative writing.
The following composition and creative writing books and courses were choses because they are favorites among homeschooling families,
are homeschool friendly, and they work.
Homeschool Composition and Creative Writing Curriculum
Grade Based Composition and Writing Curriculum Grades K to 6
Multi-Level Composition and Writing Curriculum Grades K to 6
Writing Resources Grades K to 12
|
Grade Based Composition and Writing Curriculum for Grades 7 to 12
Multi-Level Composition and Writing Curriculum for Grades 7 to 12
|
We're using Fairview's Guide to Composition and Essay Writing as a
mini-mester course with our two youngest sons in homeschool high school.
Completing it will meet their writing requirement for language arts this
year. I'll let you know how it goes! They like to chunk English courses.
Fairview's Guide accommodates this
time of learning style.
Fairview’s Guide to Composition and Essay WritingBy Gabriel Arquilevich, Publisher: Fairview Publishing
Fairview's Guide to Composition and Essay Writing is a high
school level composition and essay writing book that will help your student to
learn to write an essay.
It is divided into four sections as follows:
- The Big Picture
In this section your student
will cover active, illustrative writing, followed by a study of tone,
audience, paragraphing, and drafting.
- Sentence Fluidity
In the next section your
student will identify and correct awkward sentences, practice choosing
words, write transitions, and incorporate quotes in writing.
- Sentence Combining
Learning to utilize a variety
of sentence structures and to combine sentences to improve them will
help your student to write better.
- Four Essays
The student will apply what's been
learned by writing four types of essays: taking a stand, compare and
contrast, personal, and mock essay. One suggested use of this section is
to write various essays that your student can use on college
applications.
Fairview's Guide to Composition and Essay Writing is a good homeschool
course for the student who likes to work independently with accountability
to the teacher who will grade the work and be available to work with the
student on the more difficult parts of the book.
The home teacher could also
be at the student's side to guide him through the lessons as a personal
tutor would.
In order to use this composition and essay writing and course, your
student should have a basic understanding of punctuation and grammar rules.
It can be completed as a supplement to a literature course. If your student
likes to chunk his learning, then this could be used as a month long course
as in a "mini-mester" or summer school class.
Grade level: 9+ 103 pages. Soft cover.
|
ISBN-13:
9780964904217 |
List $20.00 Sale Price $17.95
 |
Story Starters, Helping Children Write Like They've Never Written Before
By Karen Andreola, Publisher: Charlotte Mason Research and Supply Company
This creative writing curriculum gives the start of a story and leaves it hanging—awaiting the creative genius of your student. This is a multi-level curriculum for grades 4 to 12, though you can use it with younger children if you read to them and they narrate their ending back to you. It is reasonably priced and non-consumable.
In Story Starters, there is an illustration for each story. The author, Karen Andreola, collected antique illustrations over a 15 year period and used them to illustrate the stories. It's a nice touch, and keeps you wondering how the story is going to relate to the picture when you flip through the book.
The section for teachers is well organized with easy to follow instructions. No, it doesn't grade the writing for you, but the author includes a section on grading that is very helpful and doable for parents. Sometimes parents have a fear of teaching writing, because they have no clue about grading. The guidelines in this section are "real life helpful"! Relax, you can teach writing.
Next up are the 67 story starters—plenty of interesting stories without endings. Often the story starters are followed with Writing Helps (questions to help start the writing process) and/or Additional Challenges. For students who are eager to write, those are optional, but may be used for improving the rough draft.
There are additional sections that include helps for improving a writing project, lessons on writing, and more. Overall, Story Starters is a gem that takes the stress out of learning and teaching creative writing.
Grades 4 to 8 |
ISBN-13:
9781889209043 |
List $34.95 Sale Price $25.95
|
Reach for the Stars: Young Author's Fiction WorkbookBy Susan K. Marlow, Publisher: Media Angels
Written by an experienced writer, Reach for the Stars
teaches young writers the tools of writing fiction in a step-by-step approach. The lessons are interesting and easy -to-follow. Older children can work through this workbook alone. A parent can help a younger child with the lessons.
It can also be used in a homeschool co-op or for multi-level teaching in a family.
Grades 3-8, 144 pages, paperback |
ISBN-13:
9781931941198 |
Price $18.95 Sale $17.49
|
Writing for 100 DaysBy Gabriel Arquilevich, Publisher: Fairview Publishing
This homeschool friendly and sometimes humorous book addresses four areas of writing:
- Composition
Lessons on composition in Writing for 100 Days
focus on skills such as word choice, dialect and slang, parallel
construction, transitions, sentence
variety, and organization.
- Fiction
Lessons in fiction writing cover main character,
plot, setting, point of view, dialogue, and writing the story draft..
- Poetry
In poetry, lessons explore writing limericks,
sonnets, haiku, free verse, blank verse, and song lyrics.
- Writing in Action
"Writing in action" lessons
focus on writing business and friendly letters, speeches, a column, an
advertisement, technical writing, and more.
Writing for 100 Days can be used by the homeschool student who likes to work independently.
It is suggested that you find another homeschool student or family and work
through it together for the interaction. The home teacher could also
be at the student's side to guide him through the lessons as a personal
tutor would.
Your
student should have a basic understanding of punctuation and grammar rules in
order to use this writing course.
Grade level: 6+ 103 pages, soft cover. |
ISBN-13:
9780964904200 |
List $20.00 Sale Price $17.95
|
The Elements of Style (illustrated)By William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, Illustrated by Maira Kalman
This famous style manual is in it's 4th edition. The Elements of Style explains the basic principles of plain English. I enjoy Maira Kalman's lively illustrations which show sample sentences from the text. They make the "learning experience more colorful and clear."
For junior high to adult. Younger children might benefit if the teacher carefully selects parts they could understand. |
ISBN-13:
9780143112723 |
List $15.00 Sale Price $13.49
|
Easy Writing Grade 5-12Publisher: Easy Grammar Systems
"A text for learning higher-level sentence structure including appositives, introductory participial phrases, semi-colon construction, subordinate clauses, and more."
Easy Writing has two levels of instruction: Level 1 is for upper elementary level. Level 2 is for upper elementary to high school.
Does your student need to learn sentence combining? Easy Writing can
help.
Grades 5-12 |
ISBN-13:
9780936981086 |
List $28.95 Sale Price $25.95
|
|
