As a writer, it is important to define your terms. In fact, it’s one of your jobs. That way, all readers are on the same page with you and know what you are talking about. Why do you think Paul took up so much space in I Corinthians to define the word “love”?
“Tolerance” is a word that will need a definition when you talk to someone about it. Even the word “insane” (more…)
My great-grandmother marked the day in her journal when she received her first icebox. What was she using for refrigeration before then?
One acquaintance traveled the world with the army during the Vietnam years and isn’t even allowed to tell me what he did, though he likes to tell me about the strange food he ate on those trips.
But I’m not the only one who knows interesting folks.
People in your family, your church, and your neighborhood have led remarkable lives as well. They’ve fought in wars and been in accidents. They’ve experienced disasters, invented things, started their own businesses, overcome debilitating abuse or sickness, beat the odds, seen the world, or eaten raw squid.
These people want to tell their stories to someone who will listen. And your children, in interviewing these people, will come away with a new perspective on history and life. This type of writing activity is well worth the effort. (more…)
Are your efforts to have a successful writing class this year flagging?
No matter where you are in your write-o-meter, take advantage of these seven proven, powerful ways to revitalize your writing class. (more…)
Grading your middle school or high school student’s essay can be difficult. Where do you begin? What criteria do you use? How do you ask intelligent questions that will really get to the heart of the essay?
In this informative video series, I show you specifically what to look for when grading those homeschool essays. Grading Essays Made Easy #1 teaches you six key questions to ask of your student’s essay, beginning with the most obvious and proceeding to the least obvious.
For a free grading grid for middle school essays, click here. >>
For a free grading grid for high school essays, click here. >>
The question in Grading Essays Made Easy #2 is this: Are the essay’s points arranged in a logical and effective order?
In this video, I’ll show you six different point orders your student can use when organizing his or her essays. They’re easy. They’re fun. And they’re all about trash. (more…)
Noah was a righteous man who obeyed God. No, he was a psychotic mess who heard voices and saw visions.
God destroyed the earth in a worldwide flood because mankind’s sins were so great. No, he flooded the earth because we were cruel to animals and were destroying our planet.
Well, which is it?
Welcome to this week’s high school writing prompt. Is it about the new movie Noah?
Yes. And no. (more…)
I recently witnessed this conversation between a teen and his mother:
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…“The main character divorced his wife and married another woman,” the teen announced after he read his book...
.“That’s not good,” his mother said.
…“But he had to, Mom. His wife was really awful! She treated him really badly.”
The son went on to tell his mother some of the hateful things the wife had done to her husband in order to explain why this man was justified in divorcing his wife. Anyone would agree that they were truly rotten things.
The exasperated mother calmly stated, “God hates divorce.”
Her son did not change his mind. “But he had to divorce her.”..
My friend was scrambling to figure out how her son could have viewed this divorce in a positive light when she had taught him otherwise.
.What had happened to make her intelligent son fall prey to a viewpoint unacceptable to his parents?
This blog is not about divorce. It’s about two methods authors use to influence our children’s minds and hearts.
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Writing tools for all ages!
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