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

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Unlocking the Secrets of Writing and Literature

Practical, easy-to-use writing and literature courses for homeschools, Christian schools, and co-ops by Sharon Watson

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance Day

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Holocaust Remembrance Day is when we bring to mind the people—most of them Jews—who were exterminated by the millions in World War II by the Nazis.

Maybe you’ve read The Diary of a Young Girl (or The Diary of Anne Frank), a real diary of a young girl just turned thirteen. In it, she chronicles her days of hiding out with her family and another family in an annex (an unused portion of a building, like an attic) in Amsterdam. Why are they hiding? Because if the Nazi soldiers find them, they’ll be sent to a concentration camp and likely be killed.

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Word Choices: From Boring to Glowing

Word Choices: From Boring to Glowing

SHARON’S BLOG

Your word choices can have a huge impact on your readers. Or your words can muddle them. Let me give you an example.

If I write that a toddler is a good eater, I suddenly have a communication problem. The word “good” is not specific enough. Does “good” mean that the toddler is neat while eating? Does it mean that the child eats a large quantity of food or perhaps a variety of food without complaining? My readers will not have a clear idea of my meaning.

Middle school students will learn this in the first writing prompt. I’ve written a very boring paragraph about something that seemed exciting to the student, but the words I selected were flat, overused, and not specific enough.

Teens will have fun with the second writing prompt as they practice using specific words and phrases to get a point across or create a focused mood.

Ready? Let’s go . . .

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Connotations: Illegal Aliens

Connotations: Illegal Aliens

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

The Colorado House of Representatives voted to remove the words “illegal alien” from their state laws and substitute them with “undocumented immigrant” or “foreign national.”

Stephen Lebsock, the Democratic Representative behind the bill, says that “aliens are from other planets. We should not be referring to human beings as aliens,” according to the Denver Post. And the radio station K99 in Colorado quotes him as saying that the term “illegal alien” is “outdated and hurtful language.”

 

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