Class Descriptions for 2008-09
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Thank you for your interest in Writing Home! Below is a list of classes offered by Mrs. Baumgaertel. For Mrs. Mealey's classes go to Reading Home .org.
Mrs. Baumgaertel's Classes
- Elementary Language Arts: Third through sixth grade students will write plenty of complete sentences and solid paragraphs in this elementary level course. We will progress quickly to narrative writing, book reports, and topic reports. Our main focus will be to develop confidence in writing. When young writers start with a firm foundation and plenty of skill building exercises, they become mature writers who can boldly attack a blank piece of paper! Text: A Composition Cache. Fee: $20/month Time: Tuesdays, 10-10:55 a.m.
- Junior High Composition I: Junior high students
need to be stretched
and prodded into choosing great writing topics, writing with their audience in mind, AND following all those picky English language rules. That's a lot to ask from a junior higher, isn't it? I love teaching junior high. I'll ask them to write a variety of composition assignments and to study grammar intensely. Texts: A Composition Cache and Easy Grammar (the red book). Fee: $20/month. Time: Tuesdays, 11 - 11:55 a.m. - Junior High Composition II: Similar to JHC I, this class assumes a student has mastered the Easy Grammar red book and is ready for a more demanding study of English grammar. We will, of course, continue to stress good writing skills with weekly composition assignments. Register for this class if your student has completed one year of junior high composition and/or is proficient in his grammar skills. Grammar text to be announced. Fee: $20/month. Time: Tuesdays, 1-1:55 p.m.
- High School English (HSE): Any student who has
successfully completed
junior high composition and/or is writing at a 9th grade level may take HSE. Students who took HSE from me in 2007-08 may take this course again as we will cover new topics. Our focus will be on narrative writing and the five formal essay styles: comparison/contrast, exposition of a process, extended definition, cause and effect, and classification. Besides composition, students will enjoy reading and evaluating classic literature. All texts are included in the tuition fee of $35/month. Time: Tuesdays, 9-9:55 a.m. - Honors English: My youngest daughter has taken all the courses I offer, and many of her friends/classmates are off to Running Start next year. I have to keep her busy, so what should I do? I know! I'll offer an honors English course! Your high school student is welcome to join us as we tackle advanced essay writing, college prep grammar, and a survey of classical British and American literature. Scope and sequence for this class is my summer project, so I will contact you personally regarding texts, etc. if you choose to enroll your student. Prerequisite: one year of HSE and permission of instructor. Fee: $35/month. Time to be announced.
- High School Biololgy: Apologia's
Exploring Creation Though Biology 2nd
edition is our text for this high school level course, which is equivalent
to a 1-credit lab science class for a high school transcript. Students will
listen to a lecture, take notes, and participate in all lab activities.
Text: Exploring Creation Through Biology, 2nd edition. Fee: $45/month.
Time: Fridays, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon - Correspondence Course: For those wishing a private or semi-private writing course without having to drive to my classroom, a correspondence class may be just the answer! In a correspondence course, I will establish an email relationship with parent and student. Each week I will email an assignment from my book A Composition Cache and ask the student to complete it within one week. After I receive the completed assignment, I will respond within 24 hours with comments and suggestions regarding the assignment, and then either ask for a rewrite, or give the student a new assignment. Correspondence classes are best suited for high school or junior high students with good typing and computer skills; however, I have had elementary students succeed in this course with parent help. Fees for this course are based on the student receiving and completing four writing assignments per month. Parents and students may correspond with me as much as they like and/or need to, though. Required text: A Composition Cache by Kim Baumgaertel, $25 plus tax and shipping (if shipping is necessary). Tuition: $20/month, due by the first Tuesday of each month.
- Home Education Consulting Services (HECS): Knowing firsthand the anxiety faced by home educators as their children enter high school, I am piloting this new service beginning September 2008. My intent is to provide guidance and accountability for students in 9-12 grades by working together with their parents to construct an educational program that will meet high school graduation requirements. I will help you choose textbooks and materials, then meet with you and your student throughout the year for academic counseling and accountability. You may also choose to have me administer yearly SATs and assist with college applications. At the end of the year, I will provide you with a professional transcript showing your student’s coursework, letter grades, credits, and G.P.A. Fees for this service vary from $100-300 per student/ year, depending upon my involvement in your educational program. Families with high school students enrolled in any of my English or science courses will receive a 25% discount for HECS.
- Junior High Science (JHScience): Students in
grades 6-9 will use
Apologia's Physical Science text in this junior high level class. For
students who have had little or no lab science experience, and who are
preparing to take high school biology or chemistry in the future, this class is an excellent preparation. They will learn how to apply the scientific method and will experience for themselves how to conduct an experiment and write a lab report. Text: Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physical Science. Fee: $35/month. Time: Fridays, 1 - 2:30 p.m. - Elementary Science (E Science): Elementary
students in grades 2-5 will
study life science with Apologia's Young Explorer series. As always, Mrs.
Mealey and I will provide plenty of lab activities and cool experiments for our budding scientists! We know that the more exposure students have to scientific concepts at this young age, the better they will be prepared for junior high and high school level science courses. Fee: $35/month. Time: Fridays, 2:45-3:45 p.m
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