Welcome to Our Writing Life: Learn to Write Well Homeschool Course

Course Outline of Our Writing Life: Learn to Write Well Homeschool Course

Students learn about how to write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in this learn to write well course. 

Unit One: Introduction to Writing: Writing for Life, for School, and Basic Skills

• Lesson One: The Importance of Writing Well in All Walks of Life
• Lesson Two: An Overview of Writing-Related Careers
• Lesson Three: Writing Reports for School
• Lesson Four: Writing Essays for School
• Lesson Five: Brainstorming: Finding and Developing Ideas
• Lesson Six: Observation: Developing Awareness of the World Around You
• Lesson Seven: Description
• Lesson Eight: Editing Overview, Review, and Unit Test

Unit Two: Nonfiction

• Lesson One: Writing for Newspapers
• Lesson Two: Writing for Magazines
• Lesson Three: Writing for Christian Magazines: Devotionals, Inspirational Pieces, and Testimonies
• Lesson Four: The Role of Research in Writing Nonfiction
• Lesson Five: Contributing to Nonfiction Books
• Lesson Six: Marketing Basics and Unit Test

Unit Three: Fiction

• Lesson One: What Is Fiction?
• Lesson Two: Point of View and Fiction Genres
• Lesson Three: Writing Techniques: Plot and Character
• Lesson Four: Setting and Theme
• Lesson Five: Review and Unit Test
• Lesson Six: Writing Flash-Fiction

Unit Four: Poetry

• Lesson One: Definition and Elements of Poetry
• Lesson Two: Syllabic Poetry and Shaped Poetry (Nonrhyming)
• Lesson Three: Rhymed Poetry, 4-8 lines
• Lesson Four: Rhymed Poetry: The Sonnet
• Lesson Five: Poetry of the Nations
• Lesson Six: Review and Unit Test

Unit Five: Project

• Lesson One: Choosing Your Project
• Lesson Two: Goal Setting and Getting Started
• Lessons Three-Seven: Writing
  • Nonfiction: three thousand-word articles
  • Nonfiction: seven days of devotions
  • Fiction: short story
  • Poetry: chapbook with ten to fifteen poems
• Week Eight: Marketing

More About Our Writing Life: Learn to Write Well Homeschool Course

This 34-week writing course in five units is designed to open the students’ eyes to the importance of writing whatever lifepath they take and then to look more closely at the three major genres: nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. It concludes with a final project in the genre of their choice. The student will be required to keep a daily journal, and each unit includes instructional material, writing assignments, required learning activities, learning activities for extra credit, and optional enhanced learning activities, often outside the home. Students are also provided with a booklet that contains additional resources such as interviews, book report forms, and unit tests. The answers are given in a just-for-teacher answer booklet.