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

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The Discoveries of Youth

The Discoveries of Youth

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

There’s an advantage to being very, very young. I’m talking about younger than you are now.

When you’re really little, you discover new things all the time, things that seem old or boring to you now. Everything is amazing; everything is new.

The following is a passage from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. It’s about a woman remembering back to her youth, thinking about the first time she had discovered . . . well, I’ll let you read it:

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Young Entrepreneurs

Young Entrepreneurs

SHARON’S BLOG

How about writing something fun with your children, something that involves dreams and schemes?

Here’s the background: My husband and I traveled to California one year to participate in the Great Homeschool Convention in Ontario, California. At a Winchell’s Donut House in Las Vegas—have you ever tasted their pineapple fritters?!—we saw an interesting entrepreneur who had set up shop in the parking lot.

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Snowflakes in Summer?

Snowflakes in Summer?

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

Hot, sweaty, summer days are filled with things you can’t do other times of the year, things like going on a beach vacation, weeding and harvesting, canning, swimming outdoors, catching fireflies, going camping, spending time with friends, and so on.

So perhaps it makes no logical sense that this prompts is really about winter.

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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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2 Fresh Summertime Ideas for Writing and Literature

2 Fresh Summertime Ideas for Writing and Literature

SHARON’S BLOG

Happy summertime hello to you!

Since we’re deep into vacations, cook-outs, swimming, gardening, swatting mosquitoes, and avoiding school, I wanted to keep this post light and share some fun stuff that doesn’t take a lot of energy.

Writing in summer?

1. Want some fun writing activities for your kids this summer?

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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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It’s Not Just Your Parents

It’s Not Just Your Parents

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

You probably are used to your parents limiting the time you can spend on social media: texting, tweeting, watching movies and YouTube, checking in on Instagram, and gaming. Now doctors are in on it, too.

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes limits should be set on

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When a Product Outlives Its Usefulness


SHARON’S BLOG

productI just learned something new today. When a product or service outlives its usefulness, it’s called “end of life” or EOL. Who knew?

I learned this when a company that provides a service to my Website emailed to tell me they are discontinuing that particular service because they believe it is no longer needed.

That made me think of other products or services that have reached the end of their usefulness or are obsolete. Top of the list:

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