Calvin on Writing

No, not THAT Calvin.

I do not believe this, ultimately, to be my goal for my students, but I know it's possible, and I surely read a lot of this kind of writing.  Today it's just a funny, to blow out a bit of the dust in this blog.

Calvin and Hobbes Discuss The Purpose of Writing

I'm too busy teaching writing just now to blog about it.  I shall return . . . one day . . . Lord willing. :-)

Openings in Composition 2

The shiftings of enrollments at Veritas Press Scholars Academy have resulted in my having openings in three of my course sections, at 8:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.  We do not begin our first class until this Wednesday, so I'd love to see your enrollment if you'd like to join me!  Chris Finnegan also has openings in her sections on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Visit here to read more and to enroll:  Secondary Classes 2011-2012.

Partial Discount Extension

I've decided to offer a 10% discount on new orders through August 10, so you didn't miss yesterday's deadline altogether. :-)  Please email me at CindyMarsch@writingassessment.com if you have any questions.

www.writingassessment.com

Today's the Last Day!

Today is August 1, the last day to get a 20% discount on orders for the new school year!

Go here to learn more:  Writing Assessment Services

Great Advertisement Language

We surf the Internet.
We swim in magazines.

I saw this ad in a magazine and tore it out, but the online version is more accessible to my students and readers here.

Here you go! 

Isn't this a good extended metaphor?

A Little Testimony

One of my almost eighty students at Veritas Press Scholars Academy online this past year wrote me a very sweet thank-you note at the end of the year, accompanied by a great handmade card. She gave me permission to share it here, the student's view of the value of Composition 2.  (About four of the six sections for 2011-2012 are full, but a couple of them still have seats.  My colleague Chris Finnegan made this course a great experience, and we're hard at work now making THIS year's class even better!)

Dear Mrs. Marsch,
. . . Thanks so much for teaching comp. class. I really enjoyed it! I have learned so much from the Lively Art of Writing. It didn't just say what to do, but she would tell how most students would do something then she would tell how to change it. I know I don't remember everything from the book but it still was very beneficial.
     You presented the material very effectively and I really loved your slides and polls.
     Thank you so much for taking the time to check papers and giving helpful feedback. Probably my favorite things was how we wrote the papers. We would start about two weeks before it was due. We could take it at a much slower pace and not feel rushed. So by the day it's due all we'd have to do was proof read it. I had never written a paper starting so far in advance before!
     The last paper (the one about math) I felt it was my best paper, even though it wasn't my best grade. :-p  I knew about the subject and could make my thoughts clear (that's always really hard!).
     Thanks again for teaching, helping me become a better writer, and using LAW. Really wish I could have met you at the end of the year gathering.
     Sincerely,
     Lauren Carmody
P.S. Sorry if there are grammatical errors :-p . . . it's a letter not an essay :-)

Discounts for Summer!

Register for a course or evaluation account at Writing Assessment Services by August 1 and enjoy a 20% discount!  I am free to work with students over the summer, too--get a jump start on your school year!

Ask yourself about your home school or even your own writing goals . . .

Do we want to get started in the fundamentals of rhetoric to improve writing, practicing skills as basic as writing a narrative or discussing the meaning of a proverb, or as complex as comparing two heroes or villains or arguing before a legislative body?  Take a look at Proymnasmata Tutorials, Beginning to Advanced.

Do we want a way to enter The Great Conversation by writing about the Great Books we're reading?  Consider your own customized course from among over thirty assignments in Great Books Writing Workshop.

Do we want to experiment with sophisticated writing tasks modeled on the work of writers/speakers like Cicero and Sojourner Truth, Thomas Aquinas and Ernest Hemingway?  Browse the Gregory Roper text, The Writer's Workshop, and the course Apprenticeship Writing Workshop.

Do we want a way to get feedback on the things we're writing in our curriculum through the school year, making history and literature and even science essays become part of a robust writing program? Or are we registered for an online tutorial that does not provide feedback for the essays submitted? Enroll in an Evaluation Account and let me serve you according to your individual needs.

Finally, do we just want access to a lot of great writing material so that we can create our own course of study and evaluate it ourselves?  Register for a Resource Membership in any of the courses offered by Writing Assessment Services.

Visit the website, drop me a line, and let's see how I can help!