Preparing your Homeschooled High Schooler for College Writing - Updated

How to prepare your homeschooled teen for college writing.  Including sources for homeschool high school English courses, and how to teach writing to your college bound high schoolers.  It is not hard to do!  #homeschoolinghighschoolenglish #highschoolenglishcurriculum.  This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

My homeschool grad is a college grad now.  When she was in high school, I worried whether she would be prepared enough for college writing.

I remember supporting her work with her first college writing assignments during her freshman year.  She had an opinion paper to write, a research paper to finish, and a bibliography to create.  

I met with my daughter to hear how she planned her writing and study time, and she took it from there.  She was doing well with her college writing assignments, and continued to do so.

I thought back to her high school days and how we did her high school English at home. 

So today, I'd like to share seven things that we did for high school English, that prepared her for college writing. 

1.  First thing - Write a Lot

I encouraged her to write. Mostly every day. 

In whatever way that she felt motivated to do....  Write about a newspaper article, write some dialog to a short story, write how to's - such as a recipe, or how to find a good deal on cell phones, etc.  

It is also helpful to introduce your teen to different types of essays, such as narratives, expository essays, persuasive essays, etc. Time for Learning has a great resource for that here.  But the topic was always teen-led.


2.  Literature and Composition 

Whether you use a prepared curriculum or put together your own course, literature and composition are vital for college writing. Many colleges ask for both of these components on transcripts for high school English.  

They are looking for both literature and composition on the transcript.  

IEW , Oak Meadow and SOS all offer Literature and Composition courses.  But they are pricy, especially the first two options, IEW and Oak Meadow.

That was a bit too much for our budget.  We found that 7 Sisters Homeschool also had Lit and Composition courses, that were well laid out and well done, plus much more frugal. 

But actually any of the 7 Sisters year long English courses would serve just as well for the Literature and Composition that the colleges are looking for.  World Literature, British Literature, American Literature, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many more choices are on their site.

We chose their American Lit in junior year.

The  American Literature course 
consists of a 125 page downloadable ebook text, which is a complete college prep one year course, centered around nine classics.

Each of the courses we used were helpful for teaching our teen literary analysis, which was crucial to my 2e daughter developing her critical thinking skills, for college readiness.

They have many more options to choose from for your high schooler's English studies here.

If you prefer the do-it-yourself style, that can work well, too.

By choosing good literature and assigning essays to go with it, you can make your own high school English courses. 

Time for Learning has a helpful resource for do-it-yourselfers - It is a listing of writing standards for 11th and 12th grades.  

3. Literary Analysis

Doing literary analysis was key for my daughter, too.  

It taught her critical thinking skills, preparing her for more complicated essay writing in college.  Many of the prepared English programs, mentioned above, will guide you in teaching this important skill. 

7 Sisters English does this, as well as IEW , Oak Meadow and SOS, by asking lots of questions to ponder about plot, setting, character development, etc.  

I found these helpful in getting my daughter to really dive into literary analysis.

 Ambleside Online also has a great sample list of narration questions as well.  Here's another great resource on this, from IEW- Windows to the World - An Introduction to Literary Analysis.

4.  Ask Lots of Questions

When discussing literature with your teen and having them do their written narrations or essays, ponder the why's and how come's of the story, the plotline, how the setting impacted the plot, etc. 

  

5.  Creative Writing

If your teen is interested in writing fiction, I would encourage that. Writing fiction is a great way for kids to learn the components of literature - setting, point of view, characters, plot, etc. 

6.  Do Research Reports

We started report writing early on, with early book reports, then moved on to simple research reports about her current interest.  From penguins, to aerospace, etc. Her first report was on rats, but that's another story.

But by the time she reached high school, we wanted her to learn to components of a real research report.  And we turned to 7 Sisters Homeschool for guidance, because of the quality of their frugal high school courses.

"Many teens find it easiest to start with an APA research paper.  It is 

an extension of the basic report. However, if teens enjoy writing their 5-paragraph essay, they might enjoy starting with writing an MLA Paper." 

Vicki Tillman of 7 Sisters Homeschool

As my daughter liked the 5 paragraph essay, we started with that, and chose their Chicago Style Research Paper Writing Guide.  

Writing research reports gave my daughter practice in the all the components of researching, such as:

• note taking
• compiling data
• drafting 
• revising

and the all important bibliography.

If your teen likes writing basic reports, 7 Sisters Homeschool has an online course just for them, called APA Style Research Paper.  

Note - They now offer an online video course that goes right along with their APA Style outline. 

Just click the link above for more info on that. 

Wish they had that when my daughter was in high school!

IEW and Oak Meadow include research reports in their high school English.

Learning good research writing skills is essential for all teens, but especially for those that are college bound.

Writing research reports gave my daughter practice in the all the components of researching, such as:

• note taking
• compiling data
• drafting 
• revising
• and the all important bibliography.

7.  Practice the Steps of Writing (from brainstorming to publishing)

Time for Learning has a simple outline of these steps here, which include Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing. 

My daughter disliked making an outline, but learning how to make and follow an outline has really paid off for her in college.

For more information on preparing your teen for college writing, click here - What kinds of writing should college bound teens do?

After handing in her assignments, we took some time to go on a mini road trip and stop by our favorite farmer's market.  

I was amazed at all the vegetables that were already available there.  And lots of great apples, too.

That got me busy cooking, and making applesauce.  Nothing like homemade applesauce.  We had it with latkes, potato pancakes, for dinner.    

What is your favorite way to encourage writing for your teen? Thanks for stopping by and I love reading your comments.

Amazon 

Free to read on Amazon Prime.

This book includes:

- My own homeschoolers guide to the Common Application

- Where to find college scholarships

- SAT/ACT Prep

- How to make your own homemade courses

Recommended by: Lessa Scherrer, Certified College Counselor

                          

More high school posts are on Pinterest here: Homeschooling High School Pinterest Board.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, 
college and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,  

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Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2024
Revised 

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Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum - Grasp Aids

Summary: Homeschooling handwriting curriculum - Aids for developing grasp and grip of the pencil. Some children benefit from writing aids to help them grasp their pencil.  This post may include affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our own homeschool.  Please see my disclosure policy.

Do your little ones struggle with handwriting?  

Is it hard for them to hold a pencil comfortably?  Or do they grip it very tightly? 

Learning to write shouldn't have to be a struggle. Often kids learn good grasp patterns by doing small muscle activities.  

Other kids just take longer to develop the physical and sensory skills necessary for a mature grasp.  (More on that below).

But some don't and still have trouble grasping their pencil in a comfortable way.  

If your child is struggling with that, I invite you to try some playful handwriting activities first, before looking at handwriting aids. 

I invite you to click here for my articles on Handwriting activities, from my O.T. days.  I recommend trying some of these activities before you look at getting a grasp aid.

Handwriting Aids for Grasp

One of my favorite resources for pencil grip aid is a pencil kit from Draw Your World.  It is made up of helpful writing aids and devices to make learning to write easier for your kids.    

Here's their Grip Starter Kit, which includes a booklet for parents to help your kids with grasp. But I recommend their grip aids, if they are a fit for your child.

These devices guide the fingers into place for a mature grasp.  To see how to use them, see the photos next to each description below:

Photo Credit - Draw Your World

Here's one of the aids from their kit, for kids who are more advanced:

This Grip Starter Kit from Draw Your World is a frugal resource and it includes six aids for handwriting and a special pencil as shown above.

Draw Your World's booklet mentioned above is called Hold The Pencil and is free. 

They also offer a free video on pencil grip called Video - Hold the Pencil.

Pen Again - Twist"N Write Pencils  offers two aids at less than $7.00 at Office Depot.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I do enjoy reading your comments!   

Do you have a struggling writer in your house?  We would love to hear from you in the comments or on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled from preK through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school & college and wrote - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind.   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

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Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2020

All Rights Reserved

Teach Your Kids to Write - Free and Frugal Resources for Handwriting

Summary: A frugal approach to handwriting curriculum for homeschoolers and early elementary kids using these inexpensive handwriting resources.  Teach your homeschooled preschoolers or kindergarten kids to write their letters when they are ready. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

Do you have young ones who are eager to learn how to write?  

Do they show signs like playing a lot with crayons, noticing letters and signs, or making lots of marks and shapes on paper?  Do they already know the alphabet?

Today, I'd like to share my guide to handwriting, using simple frugal resources for the basics of handwriting, including:

- Introducing the A,B,C's
- Learning to write the letters 
- Simple copywork activities using your child's own words
- Practicing handwriting with Draw, Write, Now, link below.

You don't have to use an established or expensive handwriting program.  We didn't.  Instead we found two frugal resources for teaching handwriting, which I will discuss below.

TIP - Make writing meaningful to your child by using her own words whenever possible.  

Here's how we approach handwriting, starting with the A, B, C's.

1.  Introducing the A,B,C's

Using the Library - We introduced the ABC's through fun alphabet books from the library.  You know, those books that start with "A is for Apple", etc, with lovely photos to go with them.

The Big Book of Alpha Tales - This book has very funny stories for each letter of the alphabet, with mini books to make for each one. (Approximately $5.00)

Using Clay or Magnets - Sometimes we made the letters out of clay.  I also got my daughter a set of magnet letters for the frig.  These are readily available at the drug store.

I just put them down low on our frig, and my daughter loved rearranging them into little designs.  And through her play, she learned the shapes of the letters.

Next, she was ready to learn how to write her letters.

2.  Writing the ABC's with this Frugal Handwriting Curriculum

from MelissaAndDoug Storytelling Paper

We used a variety of activities to help her learn to form her letters....including:

- copying large letters onto the chalkboard
- practicing writing the letters in the air
- making letter shapes in fingerpainting
- even using pudding!  

I gave my daughter a lot of time to explore the shapes and learn her letters.  When they are ready start with the capital letters first, using this chart above as to how to shape the letters.  

But if your child decides to write them a different way, starting at the bottom instead of at the top, let it go if their letters are legible.

Once she could write the letters of the alphabet, we went on to copywork, using storytelling papers, see below.  This frugal packet goes for about 6 dollars and has 50 heavy weight handwriting paper for your use.  Or just goggle handwriting paper, and chose a free one with wide lines.

3.  Frugal Handwriting Homemade Copywork

Once my daughter could write her letters, I looked for some very wide lined paper, which had a blank space on half of it, for coloring.  

I found Storytelling Paper from MelissaAndDoug at my local teacher's store, but it can also be ordered online for just a few dollars.

We always started with drawing first, then I asked my daughter about the picture.

DRAWING  

So first, I would ask my daughter to draw a picture.  Often it was something that she had done the day before, or a favorite animal, or two.  Then she would tell me about it.  Drawing is a great way to build fine motor skills, of course.

COPYWORK  

I listened to her words, then I would write down a few of her 
words, so she could then copy them onto the lines on her paper.  

And there you have it - Homemade copywork.

My goal was just that the letters be legible. The important thing is that my daughter was using her own written works to communicate. 

Neatness and goals:  Neatness and staying in the lines will come, but often it takes a lot of practice.

I suggest not focusing much on that, but instead on helping your child practice writing, using her own words for copy work.  

The writing sample above is excellent work for a young handwriter who is not struggling with handwriting.  It is going to be a messy thing for quite a while, and that is more than ok.

Our last step was to practice handwriting, using frugal books from Draw, Write, Now, which involved copywork with short stories.

4. Building Handwriting Skills 

I was delighted when I found 

Draw Write Now. Each writing lesson included a shape or animal to draw, and a very short story to copy. 

Drawing first helped her to relax.  The more relaxed your child is, the better they will write.

The Draw, Write, Now series is a homeschool handwriting curriculum that consists of eight books, each with a different theme, and all written at the same reading level, around 2nd grade.

I took my daughter to the nearby children’s book store and she chose Book 1 - On the Farm, Kids, Critters. It was full of her favorite animals to draw.

My daughter's handwriting greatly improved from doing this easy to teach program.....Click here to read more of my review.....of Draw, Write Now.

If you have been following my series on handwriting, you already are probably familiar with my post on fun fine motor activities.  

These activities help to develop the small muscles of the hand, key for little writers.   If your child has trouble grasping her pencil, you might like to check out 9 Fun Ways to a Mature Grasp, or Grasping Aids and Devices and the other posts I have on handwriting struggles.  Just click on "handwriting" and scroll down. 

This year my daughter is now in college, writing essays, etc. But it all started with these simple, frugal resources for handwriting.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is a former O.T, preschool teacher and published author of children's stories.  She is mom to her 2e college grad whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool about the early years, high school, college, and is the author of "Homeschooling High School with College in Mind".  She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.

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Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool
Revised 2022
All Rights Reserved

Homeschool Middle School Writing - A Teen-Led Approach

Summary:  Homeschool middle school resources for doing middle school writing, with 3 different approaches to teach writing to young teens.  Note - This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

At BJ's Homeschool, we kept our interest based focus during the middle school years, too.  

This was especially true in our approach to writing.  Encouraging written expression is so important, and finding ways that are child or teen-led can make all the difference! 

So we followed my daughter's interests, and that led to develop her middle school writing skills, three ways: through story writing, nonfiction writing, and then research report writing in her areas of interest.  

And these three approaches may help your middle schooler, too.

1.  Story Writing   

When my daughter was a 7th grader, she was all about story writing.  She loved to read and try her hand at mysteries and other stories.  Then she began working on a science fiction story at co-op.  It was something that she wanted to continue, even after the class ended. 

So in 7th grade, I introduced her to the National Novel Writing Month.(NaNoWriMo)  And we got their great writing book,  No Plot? No Problem.  This served as a helpful guide to my daughter, as she worked on story writing.  We also connected with their facebook community page, so that my teen could connect with other middle and high school writers.

NaNovWriMo encourages kids and teens to write something every day, and work on a long short story or even a novel.  But it doesn't have to be that complicated.  Just working on writing every day is a great goal.  

My daughter wanted to work on a short story, so we dropped our other homeschool courses and just focused on writing in November.  We would just gather up all of our favorite blankets, and write on the couch.  

National Novel Writing Month. helped her to track her progress, giving her pep talks and support, and also connected her to others online.  

Then, later on, my daughter wanted to write about her field trips with our co-op.  For that, she needed to learn more about nonfiction writing. 

They encourage kids and adults to write every day during the month of November.  

But their site has a bunch of resources for story writing which can be used at any time of the year.

One of these is the Young Novelist's Notebook for Middle Schoolers.

2. A Nonfiction Focus

To learn how to write field trip stories and more, we turned to Spectrum Writing. 

My daughter wrote about her favorite field trips, and got one article published in a magazine for kids and teens.  

It is not that hard to do. Here is the online magazine she wrote for, Creative Kids.  They regularly look for child and teen articles, so send them in if your child requests that.

Then, later, we took on another aspect of nonfiction, that of writing research reports.

3.   Research Report Writing

One day, while we were studying science together, we saw that her curriculum called for a research report.  My young teen wanted to write about her favorite animal, but she was not confident in her research writing skills. 

So we searched the shelves of our local bookstore, the Children’s Bookshop (www.childrens-bookshop.com), and found the book How to Write a Research Report. 

This book turned the process of report writing into a series of easy steps! 

"Sometimes the hardest part of report writing is just getting started. The worksheets in How to Write a Research Report could be much less daunting than staring at a blank page! 

When my daughter finished working through this book, she had written her first middle school research report on her favorite topic."  Click here to read the rest of my review, if you like.

So that's the three ways we did writing during the middle school years.   

What are your favorite resources for middle school writing? Whatever way your teen wants to write.

The important thing is that they are expressing themselves in written language....If you have a little time for a comment, I would love hearing from you!

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind
 2nd Edition on Amazon

For more info: Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - 2nd Edition

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

.   

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook 


No spam ever.  Just encouragement for 
your homeschool in your inbox.

Copyright, 2019 All Rights Reserved