Institute for Excellence in Writing: US History/Living History (6th-8th Grade)

Teacher: Melissa Liipfert Date/Time: Wednesday - 10:40 AM to 12:10 PM Recommended Grades: 8th Departments: Language Arts, Middle School Core Classes Grade Level: Middle School (6th-8th) Maximum Enrollment: 15

Who is this class for?

This class is perfect for students who are ready to build on foundational skills to prepare them for high school-level academic writing. Students will be challenged to work towards writing independence (I’ll be right there if they need me!), grow comfortable writing longer compositions, and recognize the importance of revisions and mistakes during the process.

This class will also use part of the time to learn more about U.S. History through historical fiction, bringing real events, people, and places to life, making history feel relatable.

This class may be used as a full-year language arts and U.S. history course, depending on homeschool requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For student success, I strongly suggest that your child take an introductory writing course or have experience with IEW before joining this class. He or she should feel comfortable writing longer papers (three-paragraph minimum). Students who are newer to formal writing may be better served by starting with Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales (offered on Mondays) before advancing to this course.

Would you rather watch a video introduction? Click HERE for more information!

Writing

Overview:

2 classes in 1: Grammar/Composition & Living History.

Students will focus on weekly writing assignments as the core of their learning, so please consider this carefully when registering. IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) is a rigorous academic writing curriculum that uses theme-based learning to teach students strong writing skills.

Please note that because skills build on previous skills each week, the class is structured as a yearlong course.

During each meeting, we will have a history-based writing lesson focusing on stories of the past. This includes a lesson in:

• A specific subject and structure.
• Stylistic techniques to enhance your writing.
• An introduction to new vocabulary words
• Writing practice in class and at home.
• Sentence diagramming

Expectations and Requirements:

• For the writing portion of class, students are required to purchase the U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons (Sample) . 
• Please note that we will be using Fix It! Grammar. The level will be determined after the class has been assessed for basic skills.
• Please prepare for at least two to four hours (thirty minutes to one hour per day) of reading and writing each week.
• Homework assignments are typed and submitted through IEW Gradebook weekly. Students should be comfortable typing or using voice-to-text on a computer at home.
• Each lesson will be assessed for structure, style, and mechanics (MLA format, spelling, grammar, etc.), and each student will receive personalized feedback to strengthen their writing to become confident, competent writers.

Living History

Overview: For the living history portion of class, students will read assigned chapters at home to participate in a round-table, Socratic-style discussion during class. The goal of round-table discussions is to enhance student engagement, strengthen communication skills, boost confidence in a safe, friendly environment, and dig deep into historical fiction to embrace the joy of learning history in a fun, relatable way.

Reading List:

• Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac
• Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
• Night Journeys by Avi
• Give Me Liberty by L.M. Elliott

• By the Great Horn Spoon! By Sid Fleishman
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Like a River: A Civil War Novel by Kathy Cannon Wiechman
• Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreath Jr.

Expectations and Requirements:

• In addition to reading, students will create and maintain a dedicated binder notebook system to explore historical timelines, people, places (geography), and events thoroughly within their novel studies.
• Students will be assessed by participating in weekly discussions, occasional class presentations, being the group discussion leader during an assigned week, and/or class tests and projects.

This class will not be successful without the help of parents at home, ensuring that students stay on top of their reading and use their weekly IEW checklists before submitting papers.

Tuition: $350/semester + IEW Workbooks + Books if you decide to purchase them. Please note that many can be found at the local library, on Project Gutenberg, or on archive.org.

5 students minimum - 15 maximum