Jeannie Fulbright Press — Homeschooling

Though we want to encourage our younger children to enjoy writing by keeping our critique to a minimum, there comes a time when evaluating your student’s writing must take priority, especially for upper level students. Though evaluating creative writing and narratives is highly subjective, by following the guidelines of what is commonly known as the “six traits of writing,” you can effectively evaluate the content of your child’s writing assignments. Even if you find the writing uninteresting, you can still grade it objectively by using these guidelines. Also, if you find the topic and writing highly fascinating, you may be […]

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I found my homeschooling days to go much more smoothly the times I produced lesson plans before the year began. There was more peace in the home and I experienced greater confidence. Lesson plans helped me so greatly because they reduced the stress of homeschooling on a daily basis. It worked best for me to create lesson plans for one semester and then create more over Christmas for the next semester. Each child was given his lesson book and each day he knew exactly what to do. I could have told my children each hour what to do, but that would have […]

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Creative and Academic writing are both important to teach in your homeschool; yet, of the two, academic writing is more necessary and useful for your child’s future success. Most homeschool courses that address writing focus on stories, descriptions, and other creative genres. The lessons attempt to pull the creative spark from the students, encouraging them to experiment with language, similes,  metaphors,  and stylistic techniques for writing. The ability to craft a more stylistic story is not necessary for success in college. However, having these tools can help a child when they are composing an essay for college. If the student is practiced […]

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Academic writing is simple, really. Almost too simple. You’ll soon be saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The Composition Code is simply a formula for academic writing. It’s the easiest way to teach homeschool writing. It’s not used in many other kinds of writing, though as an attorney, my husband uses the format loosely when writing legal briefs. After you read this, you may be thinking, boring, boring, boring. Just remember, the point of academic writing is not to entertain but to prove your knowledge in an organized and concise manner. Yes, boring–but a producer of A’s. In fact, […]

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One kind of writing—academic writing—is rigid and procedural. It’s purposed purely to convey knowledge, data, and information. It’s orderly, organized, and follows a formula. It’s necessary. It can be dull. Anyone can master it. Everyone should master it. The other kind of writing—creative writing—is inspired and artistic. It entertains with word pictures, concepts, and deep meaning. It’s enjoyable to read and touches us while teaching us. It’s an art form. It’s not necessary to learn, but a joy to those who do. Academic writing will earn you A’s; creative writing may get you published. Academic writing must be taught, but […]

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