Writing with Sharon Watson-Easy-to-use Homeschool Writing and Literature Curriculum

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What Would You Walk Across Your Country For?

What Would You Walk Across Your Country For?

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Eric Peters was a 23-year-old U.S. Army veteran when he spent seven months walking across America. He began in Clark, New Jersey, and ended in California. Along his trek, he talked to reporters, DJs, other veterans, and anyone willing to listen.

Why?

Peters, recently back from a tour in Afghanistan, suffers from

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Where to Put the Comma, Period, Colon, and Semicolon When Using Quotation Marks

Where to Put the Comma, Period, Colon, and Semicolon When Using Quotation Marks

SHARON’S BLOG

punctuation This compelling grammar lesson answers such thorny questions as this one: “Mom, does a period go before or after the last quotation mark?”

You can find the first in the series of grammar tutorials here; it’s all about compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, and commas. And if that doesn’t create some excitement in the classroom, I don’t know what will.

Punctuation and quotation marks tutorial

This week’s tutorial includes the following:

  1. An infographic to teach the material
  2. A set of sentences your students can correct to reinforce the material
  3. The answers to the sentences

There are only two rules (can you believe it?), and they are easy (again, is it to be believed?).

This lesson does not cover quotation marks in dialog. Tarzan is in charge of that here.

As you’ll notice by the infographic,

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What Memory Would You Give?

What Memory Would You Give?

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Memories are powerful.

Jonas finds that out in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.

Memories can cause pain. They also can bring hope, courage, or feelings of love.

Although no one can transmit memories from one person to another simply by touching them, this is exactly what happens in The Giver, and a memoryparticular memory gives Jonas wisdom when he has to make an important life-and-death decision. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to spoil the book or the movie for you.

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How to Use Commas in Compound Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions

How to Use Commas in Compound Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions

SHARON’S BLOG

commasOkay, so the title of today’s article isn’t the most exciting. In fact, you might find it downright boringor intimidating.

I’ve been known to zone out when my husband tries to explain football lingo and rules to me. My eyes glaze over. My ears stop working. The same might be true for your students and the subject of commas.

Commas, Compound Sentences, and Coordinating Conjunctions

You can use the infographic below to teach students when to use commas in a compound sentence that is joined by a coordinating conjunction.

In this tutorial, you’ll find the following goodies:

  1. An infographic to teach the material
  2. A free, downloadable exercise
  3. The answers
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That’s a Commercial?


HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

commercial for carWhen is a commercial not a commercial?

When it’s written to look like a movie trailer, complete with spies, secret missions, and a plot line.
The Ford Motor Company’s latest commercials for their cars and trucks resemble movie trailers, which you can see on YouTube here and here . Other elements that aid in the “movie” look are the colors (blues and grays), lighting, and the spy-movie music.

View at least one of the commercials and then come back here for more thrills and excitement.

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A Real Science-Fiction Town

A Real Science-Fiction Town

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

This real-life news report is just too good to pass up. I had to share it with you.

What would you do if most of the people in your town moved away, disappeared, or died?

According to Chuck Sheppard’s News of the Weird—and this qualifies—an older woman moved back to her hometown in Japan to find that it was no longer thriving. In fact, it was down to about 37 people.

What did this intrepid woman do?

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How to Avoid Plagiarism

How to Avoid Plagiarism

SHARON’S BLOG

Today’s article comes to you from my friend Lily Iatridis of Fortuigence.com. Her article is a tutorial on plagiarism and how to avoid it. You’ll even find helpful links your students can use to create those pesky citations.

In addition, Lily shares a solid method for taking notes and for keeping track of all the sources. And check out her handy anti-plagiarism checklist at the end!

This is well worth the read. I won’t be surprised if you use this article often as a reference for you and your children throughout the school year.

You can find Lily’s online writing course Essay Rock Star here.

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Your Brain and the 10-Percent Myth

Your Brain and the 10-Percent Myth

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

You may be familiar with the movie Lucy. While the rest of us use only ten percent of our brain, the protagonist Lucy goes beyond the bounds of biology and uses more than ten percent of her brain, giving her extra powers the rest of us only wish we could have.

The movie’s original tagline (which has since been replaced) is this: “The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%.”

Great premise. It’s the stuff of exciting and sometimes provocative stories.

You’ve heard it before—that we use only ten percent of our brain. How true is this assertion?

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Your Job in the Circus

Your Job in the Circus

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

“What a circus act we women perform every day of our lives. Look at us. We run a tightrope daily, balancing a pile of books on the head. Baby-carriage, parasol, kitchen chair, still under control. Steady now!”  -Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Anne Morrow Lindbergh knew what she was talking about. Married to the highly popular aviator Charles Lindbergh, Anne balanced marriage, social obligations, motherhood, learning

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