Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Back to school issues - middle school English

Ok, went to "back to school night" yesterday. Met all the teachers. Tons of new ones, not only new to the school but new grads as well. This can go boh ways,I know. Lots of them love outdoors, that's why they came to Utah. Science teacher is from Hartford, Conn. But I immediately started worrying about English. Teacher is a young female, fairly new grad (has been subbing at this school before), this is her first official teaching job however. Seemed to be very soft, very undecided, kind of "please love me" person. Told us that daily homework will consist mainly of reading something short and writing a response paragraph (or more)relating to the text (the text can be a novel you are reading, paper, graphic novel - whatever). This immediately rings a buzzer in my head - Busy Work !!! I can see DS one month down the road flipping frantically through a paper at 11:30 at night because he did not happen to read anything today but needs to complete an assignment. I believe in writing, actually encourage my two kids to write daily in their journals, but that is different as they write knowing nobody will be reading and grading it. What do you guys think?
But back to the real problem. When asked about the novels they are going to read, she gave me three titles, two of which DS read when he was in 3 or 4 grade. I know that he is a very good and voracious reader, I know that if you read a book when you are older you are seeing different things in it, however I think, based on mine conversation with her yesterday, that she won't be able to keep kids on subject and will allow any kind of "stupid" discussion. She looks very, very soft - -did I write that already :-) But here is a good site - she looks like she will let me ask for accomodations and will actually listen and try her best.
What should I do? Sit back and wait to see how it unfolds? Demand much more advanced course of study, individualized, for Ghost? Anybody has any experience with self studying middle school English? Novel suggestions???
Ania

Ania,
Key question,
How well accomidated is Ghost in his other classes. If this is an isolated situation, you can demand that he suppliment at home and not worry about it.

You can always change the one paragraph a day into a creative writing assignment by not actually requiring him to write about a real book.

I have to say that my own son do very poorly with folks who aren't "take charge" kind of people. I do feel for you.
You don't say if the novels are appropriate for average 7th graders, you can find out what grade level they are assigned to by checking Amazon.com. Or you can post them here and we'll make appropriate groaning noises. ((humor alert))

It seems like this is going to be a wasted year in LA, academically, but perhaps there are other lessons that he'll learn during that time. ((shrug))

Post more and I'll wrack my brain for answers, ok?
Love and More Love,
Trinity

Ania,
I only know my own kid and my own situation, so this may not apply to you, but i'll share my thoughts.

I would wait to say anything. First, you do need to respect that she is in her first year and is learning the ropes. She really needs some time to get grounded in the basics of the school and to set her class mood, rhythm, and style. Letting her do that is crucial to the success of her year. Second, you do not know yet if there really is a problem. He may get a lot out of the reading and assignments. But even if he doesn't, if his other classes are more demanding, he may appreciate a little breathing room. Third, at least for my child who is in the early stages of adolescence, I think it is important for children to begin to advocate some for themselves. I began to resent my mother advocating for me by the time I was in middle school--I wanted more independence and control and this is a good place to practice those things. There is certainly room for us to look out for our kids, but I think it is time for them to become more involved in deciding what is worth fighting for and what is worth accepting. If they want to change something, I would like to see them take the first steps, even if I come in to back them up later.

When DS is having issues with a teacher at the beginning of the year, I tell him to do his best work and hang in there of a month. The first month of school can be pretty chaotic and I like to give the teacher some time to get settled in. Sometimes the teacher makes adjustments by the end of the first month without us needing to say anything. Other times DS implies to the teacher that he would like harder work, and gets it. Other times we just decide the problem wasn't as big as we thought it was.

Also, what does Ghost think about all this?

Great Advice ACS!
I'll bet it works well.
So you'd but Ania more in the role of consultant?
"Hum, Ghost, you've got a bit of a problem there, do you have any idea on how to solve it? Let's brainstorm...."
I always enjoy reading that book "I can problem solve" - but have to do it very subtly - the compacted version. At least it puts me in the mood!

Trin

Thanx for all the advice guys.
When I am reading your responses and re-reading my post I am beginning to think that I am probably overreacting. Probably :-)
Ghost started school today so I will know more in a few days, but his initial reaction was a comment that this teacher is too soft and kids will be doing nothing in this class. I will keep my eyes open for his casual commentaries as we ride back from school each day.
He will be doing Algebra 2, but as far as science he is going to be in a regular seventh grade classroom. Teacher is new, so we will see how interesting this class will be for my DS. He is in regular 7th grade class for all the subjects but math but te kids are supposed to be clustered according to ability. At lest last year English and Science were like that. We will wait and see.
Ania

I've noticed that there is plenty of "unofficial" clustering going around - perhaps there is an advanced Math class, and then many of those kids show up in each other's classes due to "scheduling purposes." I'm glad you school clusters intentionally - it's needed! Keep us posted, and keep looking for options.

I recently saw a post for an organization, http://www.writeguide.com/
that helps homeschooler's "do writing." Perhaps if the teacher isn't going to do enough for your son, you can take advantage of your excellent history of him having to do "more" and have him do a program like this.

Smiles,
Trin

Trinity, thanx for the link. I will research more and if we decide to try it we will keep you posted.
The three books Ghost is going to read are: The Watsons Go to Birmingham, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and After the Dancing Days. He has read the first two.
If the school would allow for partial enrollment I am sure at this point that I would home school part time. Both of the kids would benefit. But there is a big no from school in regards to that.

Dear parents of 7 th graders:
What do your children do in 7th grade English class this year?
Ania

So Glad you Asked Ania -
Over the Summer it was Avi, now we are on to a play version of "The Diary of Anne Frank" with him writing a journal type entry.
Susan Cooper "Dark is Rising" - I guess they will be looking for symbolism, I hope.
"The Giver" - excellent but he read it years ago.
"Call of the Wild"
"Jacob Have I Loved"

At home he's been tearing through "The Lightening Thief" and it's sequals.

Enjoy,
Robin

Trin,
Are they covering any grammar, spelling, vocabulary?
Or does it all end in 6th grade?

Okay, I'll confess that I don't have a child in 7th grade now nor did I teach 7th grade...but I DID teach college-level freshman English (among other courses) at a Big-10 university.

The VAST majority of these students--a shocking number, actually!--did no writing whatsoever during their senior year of high school, except for a giganormous term paper that they got back with no comments, just a letter grade. And just what are they supposed to learn from that? No clue.

Granted, you're talking about 7th graders and not 12th/13th graders, but I've got to tell you that I'm really glad she's got them writing on a regular basis.

Is it busy work? Maybe. It sort of depends on her approach to it. But the other point I want to make in her defense stems from my efforts as a (budding) novelist. One of the best bits of advice I got as I was trying to figure out how to actually create a book was this: WRITERS WRITE. Every day. Even if what they write is lousy.

Even if Ghost treats the work as busy work and writes slapdash, late-night crud, he's writing. What's more, he's doing it more or less every day. That's how writers improve. I know from personal experience.

Actually, my criticism would be on the reading side: she's not giving them reading they can sink their teeth into. It sounds like she's assuming that the majority don't like to read, and that those who do will find their own way to good literature. In a 7th grade class, these are not great assumptions...

Yes they have vocabulary, linked to the reading material and grammar. I'm not sure if there is spelling. I haven't seen him study spelling individually, but I wouldn't be suprised if the spelling is built into the vocabulary test.
Trin

I liked the Giver, and I bet it did go right over the heads of many 8th graders. I kind of reminds me of what growing up Gifted seemed like to me - I'm experiencing all these thoughts and feelings that the people around me are missing. I hope DD1 liked it Dottie.
Trin

Well Guys, I really think we do have a problem. Please read carefully :-)
P/T conferences were early this year. Less than a month into the school year. I went and spoke with LA teacher. I presented Ghost's situation, opened her eyes into his test scores and asked very politely if she could supplement with something more challenging. So far her lessons look like this (according to my DS):
45 minutes of her reading aloud to the class, 5 minutes of discussion.
Few weeks ago it was listening to the book on tape instead of listening to her reading it.
She tells me that she can see Ghosts's intelligence as he is the one always leading the discussion and pushing other kids to higher limits (her own words). Then she showed me Ghost's work: four or five papers with elaborate airplane drawings accompanied by four or five writing prompts each. The airplanes are really detailed, must have taken him quite some time to draw them, there is no way he could have produced them in five minutes. The writing prompts I have to explain. In her classroom there are a few nice reproductions with one writing prompt each. She told the kids that they can take from those prompts and start writing something at their leisure. Great idea ! Ghost however has asked her if instead of starting with the given prompt he can write his own. She said yes. So underneath those airplanes you will find several different prompts invented by my son. And there it all ends. Her expectation ends at wherever the kid feels like ending.
During P/T conference she promised me that she will try to give Ghost more challenging work when appropriate. However, when he approached her about that (on his own, without any nagging from me)she told him that she believed that he is right where he should be in this class and there is no need for any additional work at his point.
I checked Utah curriculum for LA, but it is a big mumbo-jumbo, leaving lots to interpretation. I spoke with 5/6 grade LA teacher at the same school whom I know very well, asking her if this is really it. If all that is required from 7th graders is reading? She spoke to Ghost's LA teacher and the next day during LA the teacher made a comment that "some parents think that I read to much to you, but this is how you develop understanding of a written word". She read less that day however, and more time was spent discussing the text.
So far this year there was no vocabulary work whatsoever and only now are they working on their first written assignment.
And Kristen, that daily writing assignment that I called busy work is gone, they do not have to do it anymore.
I never taught English , or any other language for that matter, but I used to freelance for quite a few years and I do know how important it is to be able to write about anything and how important practice is to freeing your mind and producing something interesting. I strongly believe that in sevent grade the kids should be read to only occasionally, they should do the reading at home and precious classroom time should be devoted to discussion and grammar/writing/vocabulary development.
This am I casually approached th Principal about the mattter. If you remember I already told the P at the beginning of the school year that I am seeing some red flags there. The P has asked me if I spoke with the teacher. I said yes. then she proceeded to explain to me that in sevent grade spelling is totally gone and whatever vocabulary they will be tested on is linked to their science and social studies/history classes. She promised to look into the lesson plans, prompted by the story about Ghost drawing airplanes.
I also met the teacher briefly this am ( I teach math club in am in her classroom ) and she was visibly not very found of me. She did not say anything but was much nicer to my friend and hardly even looked at me. I do not blame her. I do think however that I am not doing any injustice to her as I started my crusade by talking to her.

At this point in the game I am very ambivalent about pursuing it further. I do not want the school to view me as a huge complainer and a mom not satisfied with anything. My daughter is accomodated to the best of her needs. I was able to work out a good plan for Ghost for his science class (he is doing combined work of 7 and 8 grade under the guidance of a regular science teacher). Next year he is going to have a separate subject called Writing, so I could not care less if all he is doing in LA will be listening to a teacher read a book. But I have a very negative feeling about this year and I just can't help it.
I am also afraid that all of this is going to have a negative effect on her treatment of my son - I do have a very bad experience in that matter from the previous school.
I would give Ghost some vocab workbooks to do at school but how can he concentrate on it when he has to concentrate on listening to what is being read in the classroom.
Please share your thoughts.
Ania

I think your concerns are merited. I'm 100% with you--this is not a good situation for Ghost.

I was worried about the reading level in the class from the start of your thread. It seems like it's even worse than it appeared. Reading TO pre-teens? Every day? Why? Contrary to what she's claiming, that is NOT how you help literate 13-year-olds to gain an understanding of the written word! Kids who can't read, sure. But not literate pre-teens! They need to wrestle with shades of meaning and begin to state their positions and construct arguments. They need to think about what makes prose/poetry beautiful, meaningful, and/or important. That means they need to TALK! WRITE! THINK!

Aargh!

(Sorry about the preaching to the choir there! It got away from me!)

In short, pretty much everything she's doing seems utterly inappropriate for a 7th grade class, let alone for a gifted 7th grader!

You are in a tough spot, made even tougher since she's already appearing to have an ax to grind with you. I'm sorry. That's just no fun, and it makes it very hard to know how to proceed.

You say you're not necessarily inclined to make further waves, but it sounds like you don't want to let it drop either. (Please correct me if I'm reading you wrong.) I guess I'd ask what your gut feeling is here. What do you *want* to do right now?

If it helps, I always remind myself in situations like this one--when I'm feeling more helpless than I would like and I just wish the other person would straighten up!--that we can't change the behavior of others, only our own actions and how we respond to the other person. Sometimes that reminder helps me to stop focusing on what isn't happening and see a possibility stemming from my changing something about me.

Unfortunately, I'm not seeing any easy solution.

One question: are there other parents annoyed, too? Even asking around is risky, since it's sure to mean that you're talking behind the teacher's back or some such silly thing. But it might be worth asking about. I think of the "one is a nut, two are a nut and her friend,...and more are a force to be reckoned with" that someone kindly posted here. (To paraphrase...) I find it hard to believe that ANY parents are happy that the English teacher is merely reading aloud to their kids. You may be the first, but I sincerely doubt you're the only!

I wish I were more help. I hope the situation improves soon!

Hi Ania,
I'm recycling my advice from your first post on this topic. ((silly me))
I'm trying to encourage you to look at the big picture. If the science is a good fit, and the Math is good, and he is getting somewhat of a challenge in History, or perhaps a 2nd language, if he is reasonably happy over-all, then it is ok to have "an extra study hall" during the day. You can also try for a subject acceleration - perhaps language arts at the high school before or after his math?

I have heard of a situation where a elementary aged kid was place in the honors English Class where it was clear that he couldn't write up to the level of the High School kids. When the Mom asked the Teacher, is it ok? The Teacher said: "Based on the reasoning he shows in class discussion, it is clear that he needs to be here. His writing will catch up, and he can do this class again next year until he is ready to move on."

If the overall fit isn't right, then it's time to take action. I understand that you have a good program to look forward to next year. Perhaps a year of homeschooling or an eary jump is worth it. Don't get overfocused on the new teacher - it's appealing to find a target for all the unfair things that have ever happened to our child and make them a kind of Voodoo Doll for the whole system. ((I'm actually doing that right now with a religious school principle, note to self - cut it out!)) But obviously this in not reccomended.

Will the teacher take it out on your son? She may, but she may not. Can he do other things while she reads? I'm sure that he can, if he learns to be somewhat subtle about it. I wouldn't encourage him to do extra work in there - because that might be seen as a slap in the face. I would encourage homework, because that is considered a 'normal and forgivable' misbehavior. That way if his homework is done he can have more flexibility at home. Also, if he gets caught, he can make the "pity me face" and say that he really likes to do homework while she reads because he has so much of it.

I'm sure that not everyone will agree, but I think that teaching kids how to BS, when to BS, and why to BS is an important social skill.

Or is he already doing all his homework during class?
((smile))
Trinity

Hi Ania,

I believe that reading to pre-teens can be valuable. I believe it is typical in high school settings and even in college classes. I remember alternating reading in my AP English class in HS. There was still plenty read at home, but it helped having it fresh in everyone's minds to then discuss and the teacher would introduce complexities, symbolism, etc. This can be very well-done and sophisticated, particularly if there are a couple other kids in the class who can really discuss things at the same level as Ghost. Oftentimes I've seen that as the problem because the level of the discussion is low caliber and my son is the one outlier.

I expect and want that reading and discussion be part of their Language Arts class at all levels (my 2nd and 5th graders' classes do this as well as my 9th graders'). Most of these classes have questions that the kids have to answer after each chapter or every few chapters. Hopefully these exercises help them think about the book more in depth.

I think spelling should no longer be part of middle school curriculum past about 6th grade (other than correcting it in papers and assignments and deducting points). I do think some vocabulary building is important, and if you do it independently, that will be good. I worked from several books with my oldest. My 7th grader just gets a handful of words or roots each week, like "omni or para or audio" and then several words from each root.

I would like to see more structured writing, essays, and even more grammar. My 7th graders has always loved to write, but has horrible run-on sentences, spelling errors, mismatched verbs, etc. I never have had any of his teachers correct any of this. It makes me so angry that he is not taught how to improve. So I painstakingly correct all his work (which he kind of ignores, because I don't give him grades). Now we're doing a little SAT prep and he's beginning to realize he needs some work. It's been valuable both in some vocabulary and sentence structure.
Even the online writing classes seem to want 8th grade and above unless it's fiction/creative writing.

Thanx Trinity and Cym:
I guess I am already a little relaxed about it since I have spoken to other people and they also tell me that starting in 7th grade LA is way less structered than before. Several people have also told me to forget about spelling at this point.

Things in the classrom have also changed over the last week, I am quessing because of my talk with the P and the other LA teacher. She is still reading to them, but closer to 15-20 minutes a day. See, this I can agree with. But the first month it was reading for 45 minutes accompanied by a 5 minute discussion while the kids were getting ready to leave.I stand firmly with my belief, that reading to middle schoolers for 90% of the lesson is way, way too much.
As you all know, we do not use English in our house, so my kid's vocabulary has to be built outside. That is mostly why I wanted her to do more vocabulary work with those kids. I know that you built your vocabulary by reading, but it is during discussion that you learn how to use those words .
Writing is pathetic, as I have said before they are only now working on the first writing assignment of the year. But I can llve with that since next year he will be writing tons.
I guess I have to look at it, like Trinity said, as yet another study hall during the day. At least Ghost does not have to stress about this class at all.

Looking back, I think that the biggest motivator behind my actions is the fact that I want Ghost to be on par with the kids that are doing Extended Learning Program (the one I could not get him into, even though his test scores are the highest in the state!!!) when he joins them, hopefully, in a couple of years.
Thankfully, Ghost is really beginning to advocate for himself.

Ania

Ania,
Another thing you might find helpful is writing contests. I tried and failed a few years ago. My DS was a bit interested in with 'winning money' angle, but I couldn't quite pull it off. I'm thinking that since your son already has experience with winning contests, he might be an easier sell. There are books full of listing of writing contests, or try Hoagie's Link http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/contests.htm

Smiles,
Trinity

I agree, Ania! There's a difference between reading a short passage so that the class can discuss it in depth and just reading the whole darn book aloud. One is a valid teaching technique to focus the attention of the class; the other is a lazy way to avoid teaching.

At least Ghost is getting free advocacy lessons. Lemons to lemonade, eh?

Happy to report that there is a change!
Yesterday Ghost brough home a letter from LA teacher saying that she is initiating an extended learning program for some of her brightest students. Each Monday they will be asigned a topic for an essay, tu be turned in Friday. They are to work on their essays during free time in class and finish at home. This month it is a persuasive essay and they are also assigned their stance on the subject.
I am thrilled. My advocating has helped not only my son but other bright kids.

That's absolutely wonderful, Ania!

I have been thinking about online writing courses to improve writing skills for DS 13. There is one through Johns Hopkins CTY Distance Learning called "Crafting the Essay" and one through Duke TIP called "Academic Writing". I wonder if anyone has experience with these or others to make recommendations?

Oh Ania! I'm so pleased that your son will be taught in LA this year!
Yippee!!
Smiles,
Trinity

Ok, they are doing those essays in something called "My access".
It is a computer program, and I immediately had my doubts but after one week the teacher turned off grading option of the computer. Ghost seems to enjoy it, he types fast and likes to be able to access it at any time.
Anybody familiar with MY ACCESS?

I went to the website - http://www.vantagelearning.com/myaccess/
I wish I could say that I had hear of this, but I have always wondered if computers could somehow be used to help children learn some aspects of how to write. Personally, I find that being 'corrected' by a spell checker much less emotional than being 'proofed' by a human. I'm glad your teacher turned off the grading option, because it seems very oriented towards writing for state assesments.

Here's their blurb:
At School :: MY Access!�
With MY Access!�, students are motivated to write more and attain higher scores on statewide writing assessments. By using MY Access! in the classroom, teachers can provide students with the practice they need to improve their writing skills. The program's powerful scoring engine grades students' essays instantly and provides targeted feedback, freeing teachers from grading thousands of papers by hand and giving them more time to conduct differentiated instruction and curriculum planning.

I think that it's good for computers to replace the more dull and repetitive parts of "being a teacher" so that the best teachers have more time to devote to things that can't be done by computer, and the worst ones are limited in their ability to hold children back. Sort of an educational safety net? ((Humor Alert)) Now the question is - how long do we Moms have to wait before we get replaced, opps, I mean supported, as well? ((wink))

((raised eyebrows))
Trinity

I have just enrolled DD10 in an individualized one month writing course at www.writeguide.com
Will keep you posted how it is going:-)
Ania

Ania,

I have been very impressed with the science, math and computer instruction offered at the junior high level at our school. However, I have become increasingly impatient with the lack of writing instruction (or writing requirements) for the 7th and 8th grades. Just this week, I discovered that my daughter�s English grade so far this quarter, is comprised solely of spelling units and spelling tests (in eighth grade)! I find this to be unacceptable and unbelievable! I had thought maybe all the grammar detail was part of some master plan, but I have come to realize that it is probably just easier to grade!

I have a feeling that you would have had this issue rectified within the first month or two of 7th grade. I did discuss my concerns with the principle last year, who said that a new English curriculum would be implemented this year. Apparently that has been delayed.

Anyway, I have become rather concerned about my daughter�s lack of experience with writing and then see your link! Thank you for posting such useful links!

Just learned that you can sign up for a free monthy newsletter, that will include some writing tips. I am sure it is just a clever marketing, but check it out:-)http://www.writeguide.com/teachletter.htm

So Ania, what did your DD think about the writing course? I'm curious because it might be something for my kiddos.

My two oldest are taking an EPGY writing course now (MUCH more expensive and neither of the boys are doing very well, but they say they are learning a lot). None of their classes at school have taught them how to write essays. Whenever they turn in an assignment, it comes back with a grade on it--no marks. They need the red pen to correct grammar, rearrange sentences--EPGY is doing that, but it ends soon.

Ugh. I always asked my college students how many of them wrote one big research paper their senior year of high school and got it back with a letter grade on it and no comments. It was definitely the majority, and many years the ENTIRE CLASS, to a person, said this was their experience!

Crazy! How can people learn to write better without feedback?

Sorry. I just hate to hear stuff like this.

Cym wrote

She is only beginning with them. I have been contacted by the administration yesterday and the teacher should contact us today. It takes about 48 hours to start. DD has been writing her book report, so she can submit it when the time comes. Will keep you posted:-)
I am keeping EPGY as an option for next school year as an in class work. How much time per day are your sons spending on it?

My 2 older DS's attend the class once/week for one hour (very manageable) Then they do their homework which is usually about 2-4 hrs total. They are supposed to improve the classroom technology in April (there have been glitches). Difficult grading can be discouraging to kids used to getting perfect grades.

http://www.writeguide.com/ introduced by Ania

I enrolled my kids for a four month course with this company. I initially intended to enroll only my daughter, as my son does get writing instruction in 6th grade. I was really pleased to learn that SIBLINGS MAY SHARE A WRITING CONSULTANT WITH THIS COMPANY AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. This is wonderful for our situation as both children have plenty of school homework each night. Although, only one child may correspond with the instructor per day, it will work out great with their other requirements.

I�ll let you know how it all progresses.

delbows,

I want to know how you like these classes. It sounds like a great program so please give us an update in a few weeks.
Thanks!
Cym

Hi Guys:

A few words about our experience. DD 10 (5th grade) finished the course a few weeks ago.
I think I am having a really difficult time evaluating this experience. I am tempted to say that it did not meet all of "my" expectations, but at the same time I think that I might sign her up again in the near future.
DD worked with her "writing consultant" on a book report about Anne of Green Gables. The second assignment, towards the end of the course, was a "bragging" letter to a Denver summer program.
I have to say, that all the re-writes were the work of my daughter, the consultant was just guiding her with totally different examples (I sometimes felt that those examples have actually nothing to do with our story, that they were too general), which I guess was good (see, I am contradicting myself:-). The bad part was that on most days all my daughter needed to do was to correct one sentence. It drove me crazy, especially on weekends - not enough to do!

I would say that overall the whole experience was mediocre. But at least DD got a feedback on her writing - hich is not happening at school.
Are there any other writing courses out there?

Hi Ania,

DS13 & DS11 both took an EPGY Writing Class (Intermediate Writing I) this spring. It was pretty intense (with all that we had going on at the same time) and expensive. But both boys thought it was excellent. They really believe it improved their writing and taught them a lot. Their last two essays were terrific. They would be in the virtual class for one hour, once a week with the instructor & other students. They would have weekly assignments that took between 2-4 hrs, sometimes a little more), readings, etc. They covered character development, literary analysis/symbolism, Point of View, essay writing, allusion, compare/contrast, peer commentary, personal narratives. It was short (10 weeks) which I really like and I wouldn't hesitate to sign up for subsequent courses, if it weren't for: cost, some technical difficulties we experienced (they say they're upgrading virtual class program), and our own schedule constraints. The exciting thing was to read the work of other students (age 11-13, but with qualifying SAT scores, so obviously very bright). DS11 has always thought he's a great writer (and he is, or at least he has the ability to become one), but when he read what another very able kid wrote, he understood he has some work to do. I think it's important to expose high ability kids to other high ability kids so that they don't expect a life of coasting. The class was also a little humbling because they're used to getting straight A's but DS13 got a B and DS11 got a B+. Each of them failed an assignment (failing is B-)...I read the work of other kids and thought it was amazing, and my kids improved their writing.

Ania-

I've just heard about this one: http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/book/blight.asp

I was considering one of the more expensive online courses for this fall, but this is very reasonably priced and the literature selections are excellent. The 19th century lit courses also dovetail very nicely with DS's Thinkwell American Govt. course.

I'm feeling so organized! I never have all this stuff figured out this far in advance...

It looks great, Lorel. I wonder if my DS would be interested...I'll have to ask.

Thanks Lorel :-)

This is however "book" only, correct ?
I need an online course, so DD can do it while the rest of the class is in regular LA class. Teacher won't help - I think.
Will have to give it more thought.

I have no direct experience w/ Bravewriter but I enjoy reading her blog. http://www.bravewriter.com/blog2/ She has online writing courses which get good reviews.

Sorry Ania, I guess it's not going to fit your needs.

Cym-

You can't beat that price either!