online writing program for middle school

Free tools to make your students better writers and readers .

Quill.org, a non-profit, provides free literacy activities that build reading comprehension, writing, and language skills for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Writing Across the Curriculum: Quill's nonprofit mission is to now build both reading and writing skills through free, OER content across the curriculum. Over the coming years, we will be building a library of free ELA, social studies, and science activities that engage students in deeper thinking through writing prompts that provide immediate feedback.

9 million students have written 2 billion sentences on Quill.

Quill Reading for Evidence

Provide your students with nonfiction texts paired with AI-powered writing prompts, instead of multiple-choice questions, to enable deeper thinking.

Students read a nonfiction text and build their comprehension through writing prompts, supporting a series of claims with evidence sourced from the text. Quill challenges students to write responses that are precise, logical, and based on textual evidence, with Quill coaching the student through custom, targeted feedback on each revision so that students strengthen their reading comprehension and hone their writing skills.

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Culture & Society Topics

"Should Schools Have Grade Requirements for Student Athletes?"

Science Topics

"How Does Eating Meat Impact Global Warming?"

Social Studies Topics

U.S. History

World History

Under Development, Coming 2023

Quill Connect

Help your students advance from fragmented and run-on sentences to complex and well structured ones.

Using the evidence-based strategy of sentence combining, students combine multiple ideas into a single sentence. They then receive instant feedback designed to help them improve their clarity and precision.

Quill Lessons

The Quill Lessons tool enables teachers to lead whole-class and small-group writing instruction.

Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt. Each Quill Lessons activity provides a lesson plan, writing prompts, discussion topics, and a follow up independent practice activity.

Quill Diagnostic

Quickly determine which skills your students need to work on with our diagnostics.

The diagnostics cover vital sentence construction skills and generate personalized learning plans based on the student’s performance.

Quill Proofreader

Proofreader teaches your students editing skills by having them proofread passages.

Students edit passages and receive personalized exercises based on their results. With over 100 expository passages, Proofreader gives students the practice they need to spot common grammatical errors.

Quill Grammar

Students practice basic grammar skills, from comma placement to parallel structure.

Quill Grammar has over 150 sentence writing activities to help your students. Our activities are designed to be completed in 10 minutes so you have the freedom to use them in the way that works best for your classroom.

How Quill Works

Set up your classroom, without it.

You can quickly and easily set up your classroom in Quill by inputting student names or providing students with a unique code. If you use Google Classroom or Clever, you can automatically set up your classroom with one click.

Choose activities

Decide if you want your students to proofread passages, combine sentences, or complete a diagnostic. Use our ten minute activities as building blocks during your classroom instruction.

Use easy-to-consume reporting

Use our reporting to spot trends and identify growth opportunities. Monitor comprehension on specific writing standards.

Get immediate feedback for your students

Save time grading and watch your students correct their mistakes instantly.

Intervene where students struggle

See exactly where your students need intervention with our comprehensive reports.

Differentiate learning to meet the needs of all students

Assign specific activities for ELLs and students with learning differences.

Engage students with adaptive activities

Challenge students with questions that automatically adapt based on their previous responses.

Align with the Common Core Standards

Easily meet Common Core language standards with our aligned activities.

Easily sign up with Google Classroom

With one click all of your students and classes will be imported.

Over 100 concepts totaling 50 hours of quality curriculum.

Teacher stories

Quill in the classroom.

ROXANNA BUTKUS, RANGEVIEW ELEMENTARY

SARA ANGEL, KIPP LA

COLETTE KANG, EAST BAY INNOVATION ACADEMY

DANIEL SCIBIENSKI, PRINCETON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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Effective writing skills are essential for students to excel in both their academic and professional lives. As middle school English/Language Arts teachers, you play a crucial role in shaping your students' writing abilities.

Teaching grammar can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be boring! One of the trickiest challenges in English grammar for both teachers and students alike is understanding the difference between "who" and "whom." Fear not, Language Arts teachers, as we embark on a journey to make this learning adventure enjoyable!

Empower students in crafting impactful thesis statements! Teach specificity, address counterarguments, and use peer feedback for compelling essays.

Differentiated grammar instruction empowers diverse learners. Flexible grouping, multimodal learning, scaffolding, and peer collaboration are key strategies.

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Our 2020-21 Writing Curriculum for Middle and High School

A flexible, seven-unit program based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and informational essays.

Update, Aug. 3, 2023: Find our 2023-24 writing curriculum here.

Our 2019-20 Writing Curriculum is one of the most popular new features we’ve ever run on this site, so, of course, we’re back with a 2020-21 version — one we hope is useful whether you’re teaching in person , online , indoors , outdoors , in a pod , as a homeschool , or in some hybrid of a few of these.

The curriculum detailed below is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it includes our writing prompts, mentor texts, contests and lesson plans, and organizes them all into seven distinct units. Each focuses on a different genre of writing that you can find not just in The Times but also in all kinds of real-world sources both in print and online.

But for students, our main goal is to show young people they have something valuable to say, and to give those voices a global audience. That’s always been a pillar of our site, but this year it is even more critical. The events of 2020 will define this generation, and many are living through them isolated from their ordinary communities, rituals and supports. Though a writing curriculum can hardly make up for that, we hope that it can at least offer teenagers a creative outlet for making sense of their experiences, and an enthusiastic audience for the results. Through the opportunities for publication woven throughout each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply being media consumers to become creators and contributors themselves.

So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what your students have to say!

Each unit includes:

Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.

As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.

A contest that can act as a culminating project .

Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).

For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.

New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.

Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.

September-October

Unit 1: Documenting Teenage Lives in Extraordinary Times

This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?

Culminating in our Coming of Age in 2020 contest, the unit helps teenagers document and respond to what it’s been like to live through what one Times article describes as “a year of tragedy, of catastrophe, of upheaval, a year that has inflicted one blow after another, a year that has filled the morgues, emptied the schools, shuttered the workplaces, swelled the unemployment lines and polarized the electorate.”

A series of writing prompts, mentor texts and a step-by-step guide will help them think deeply and analytically about who they are, how this year has impacted them, what they’d like to express as a result, and how they’d like to express it. How might they tell their unique stories in ways that feel meaningful and authentic, whether those stories are serious or funny, big or small, raw or polished?

Though the contest accepts work across genres — via words and images, video and audio — all students will also craft written artist’s statements for each piece they submit. In addition, no matter what genre of work students send in, the unit will use writing as a tool throughout to help students brainstorm, compose and edit. And, of course, this work, whether students send it to us or not, is valuable far beyond the classroom: Historians, archivists and museums recommend that we all document our experiences this year, if only for ourselves.

October-November

Unit 2: The Personal Narrative

While The Times is known for its award-winning journalism, the paper also has a robust tradition of publishing personal essays on topics like love , family , life on campus and navigating anxiety . And on our site, our daily writing prompts have long invited students to tell us their stories, too. Our 2019 collection of 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing is a good place to start, though we add more every week during the school year.

In this unit we draw on many of these resources, plus some of the 1,000-plus personal essays from the Magazine’s long-running Lives column , to help students find their own “short, memorable stories ” and tell them well. Our related mentor-text lessons can help them practice skills like writing with voice , using details to show rather than tell , structuring a narrative arc , dropping the reader into a scene and more. This year, we’ll also be including mentor text guided lessons that use the work of the 2019 student winners.

As a final project, we invite students to send finished stories to our Second Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest .

DECEMBER-January

Unit 3: The Review

Book reports and literary essays have long been staples of language arts classrooms, but this unit encourages students to learn how to critique art in other genres as well. As we point out, a cultural review is, of course, a form of argumentative essay. Your class might be writing about Lizzo or “ Looking for Alaska ,” but they still have to make claims and support them with evidence. And, just as they must in a literature essay, they have to read (or watch, or listen to) a work closely; analyze it and understand its context; and explain what is meaningful and interesting about it.

In our Mentor Texts series , we feature the work of Times movie , restaurant , book and music critics to help students understand the elements of a successful review. In each one of these guided lessons, we also spotlight the work of teenage contest winners from previous years.

As a culminating project, we invite students to send us their own reviews of a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance performance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques.

January-February

Unit 4: Informational Writing

Informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

This unit invites students to take any STEM-related discovery, process or idea that interests them and write about it in a way that makes it understandable and engaging for a general audience — but all the skills we teach along the way can work for any kind of informational writing. Via our Mentor Texts series, we show them how to hook the reader from the start , use quotes and research , explain why a topic matters and more. This year we’ll be using the work of the 2020 student winners for additional mentor text lessons.

At the end of the unit, we invite teenagers to submit their own writing to our Second Annual STEM writing contest to show us what they’ve learned.

March-April

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing

The demand for evidence-based argumentative writing is now woven into school assignments across the curriculum and grade levels, and you couldn’t ask for better real-world examples than what you can find in The Times Opinion section .

This unit will, like our others, be supported with writing prompts, mentor-text lesson plans, webinars and more. We’ll also focus on the winning teenage writing we’ve received over the six years we’ve run our related contest.

At a time when media literacy is more important than ever, we also hope that our annual Student Editorial Contest can serve as a final project that encourages students to broaden their information diets with a range of reliable sources, and learn from a variety of perspectives on their chosen issue.

To help students working from home, we also have an Argumentative Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning .

Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts

Most of our writing units so far have all asked for essays of one kind or another, but this spring contest invites students to do what journalists at The Times do every day: make multimedia to tell a story, investigate an issue or communicate a concept.

Our annual podcast contest gives students the freedom to talk about anything they want in any form they like. In the past we’ve had winners who’ve done personal narratives, local travelogues, opinion pieces, interviews with community members, local investigative journalism and descriptions of scientific discoveries.

As with all our other units, we have supported this contest with great examples from The Times and around the web, as well as with mentor texts by teenagers that offer guided practice in understanding elements and techniques.

June-August

Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing

At a time when teachers are looking for ways to offer students more “voice and choice,” this unit, based on our annual summer contest, offers both.

Every year since 2010 we have invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists and, so far, 70,000 have. Every week for 10 weeks, we ask participants to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest, then tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the Times newsroom pick favorite responses, and we publish them on our site.

And we’ve used our Mentor Text feature to spotlight the work of past winners , explain why newsroom judges admired their thinking, and provide four steps to helping any student write better reader-responses.

Because this is our most open-ended contest — students can choose whatever they like, and react however they like — it has proved over the years to be a useful place for young writers to hone their voices, practice skills and take risks . Join us!

Online writing program for K-12 students | Elementary, Middle and High School

Empower students to learn at their own pace with automated targeted interventions

Develop proficient writers who also excel on state assessments

Adopt and implement a standardized, flexible and self-paced learning platform for your students

Intuitive actionable writing performance data at your fingertips!

Deliver targeted writing instructions based on the writer’s proficiency levels

Empower students to practice critical ELA standards independently

Develop skilled writers for improved student achievement in standardized assessments, trusted by over.

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ABOUT LUMOS STEPUP WRITING PROGRAM

The lumos stepup writing program is a robust state-of-the-art online application that reduces complexity, saves educators time, and makes differentiated instruction achievable in every classroom., the program is meticulously designed and developed by expert teachers, caring parents, and innovative engineers to support educators and school administrators in preparing the k-12 students to excel in the high-stakes state assessments., it provides a collaborative platform for extended learning that supplement classroom instruction for students with robust standards-aligned learning resources and tools., with the stepup writing program you can.

Enhance writing skills with standards-aligned assignments of different writing genres and prompts

Support students on writing skills that need attention powered by actionable feedback

Focus on your writing instruction while saving time on prep and feedback

Improve students’ writing proficiency levels with AI-powered automated interventions

Implement a standardized, flexible and self-paced learning platform for students

The critical importance of writing programs, the concern with the quality of student writing has been a permanent feature of the american educational landscape. what has changed are assumptions about its uses and importance both within and outside the classroom and what educators have learned about teaching it..

Effective writing skills are essential in all stages of life, from early education to future employment. In the business world and school, students must convey complex ideas and information in a clear, concise manner. Inadequate writing skills could inhibit achievement across the curriculum and in future careers, while proficient writing skills help students convey ideas, deliver instructions, analyze information, and motivate others.

National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, The Condition of Education 1998, p. 70

In today’s increasingly diverse society, writing is a gateway for success in academia, the new workplace, the global economy, and our collective success as a participatory democracy.

The 2011 national assessment of educational progress reports that 76% of students are not proficient with basic writing., it’s a problem for them during the school day, of course, but the consequences are more significant than that. without comprehensive intervention, those with poor writing skills may struggle in college and their careers., schools need writing instruction that provides the thoughtful, well-sequenced (and sometimes remedial) lessons their students need to build necessary writing skills. educators and administrators alike lack access to detailed and objective student performance reports and analytics that accurately pinpoint students’ strengths and knowledge gaps at the sub-skill level. a robust writing program can offer data analytics that are a practical means of ranking students and assessing classrooms as a whole. these automated tools can provide dashboards for teachers and real-time feedback and evaluation for students., imagine the following classroom scenario. a teacher has divided the class into small groups based on the student’s writing proficiency. except for a small group working with the teacher, pupils engage in self-directed learning. each individual works at his or her own pace and gets feedback on progress and proficiency. teachers can look at a dashboard that lists each student by name and see where they are in completing particular writing assignments. both students and teachers receive immediate feedback on educational progress., this is not a fantasy, but now it’s possible in many classrooms around the world. personalized instruction helps both struggling and proficient students alike. those who need support have the time and teaching assistance necessary. those students who make rapid progress can take on more challenging assignments that help them develop their abilities. digital technology allows teachers to become more productive and effective at delivering personalized instruction. combining educational content with real-time assessment offers tremendous potential to reshape and improve the learning experience., obstacles to teaching writing to students, writing is a complex skill and doesn’t develop naturally, and thus it requires students to receive adequate practice and instruction in writing. a primary objective of teaching then is to educate students to use this versatile tool effectively and flexibly., in the united states, approximately two-thirds of 8th- and 12th-grade students scored at or below the basic level (denoting only partial mastery of grade-level writing skills) on the writing test administered by the national assessment of educational progress (national center for educational statistics, 2012). the relatively weak performance overtime on this and other indicators of students’ writing skills led the national commission on writing (ncow, 2003) to label writing a neglected skill in american schools., let’s explore some of the most common challenges to teaching writing to students., > students in a typical class don’t write frequently, the writing activities most commonly assigned to students involve very little extended writing, as students are seldom asked to write text that’s a paragraph or longer (e.g., gilbert & graham, 2010). they must have ample opportunities to practice writing, and this includes both writing activities that tie strongly to ela instruction and practice, such as literary analysis and writing in response to reading, as well as writing that supports content knowledge. providing students with a variety of opportunities for scaffolded practice – at all stages of the writing process – is essential as they develop robust skills that can transfer across various writing contexts., as demonstrated by the experiences of athletes, artists, actors, and other performers, practice is essential in developing expertise. the same goes for writing skills, in which sustained, on-going practice requires careful attention to instruction in the classroom and the feedback that we provide to our writers. in a nutshell, to become better writers, students need to write, and they need to be supported throughout the process of writing., > teachers aren’t able to devote enough time to writing and writing instruction, writing is a complex and challenging task, requiring a considerable amount of instructional time to master (graham, 2018a). at both the elementary and secondary levels, the typical teacher devoted much less than 1 hour a day to teaching writing (e.g., coker et al., 2016; drew, olinghouse, luby-faggella, & welsh, 2017). in some instances, the amount of time committed to teaching writing was severely limited., teachers face several constraints in their effort to evaluate students and create customised instructions. educators have so many responsibilities in addition to teaching that dedicating hours to formative assessment preparation is difficult. grading is a time consuming and tedious process. reading assignments to develop formative assessments is all the more difficult. a further difficulty is developing reliable and valid assessments. evaluation metrics must measure what they claim to assess. writing questions that are both reliable and valid is extremely difficult and time-consuming., > explicitly identifying and meeting the needs of individual students, for teachers, the hardest part of planning is meeting each student’s needs. with the push for differentiated instruction paired with the size of classes and the curriculum’s demands, it can be an overwhelming task. on top of the amount of grading teachers have to complete, especially concerning writing, it can be challenging to track individual student needs., the purpose of determining individual student needs is so that remediation can be provided. students will be allowed to reinforce skills they previously struggled to practice until they have reached mastery. instead of having all students work on the same skills simultaneously, students are given the opportunity to work on precisely what they need help with the most., in order for data to be effective, there needs to be a quick turn-around when teachers grade or score student work. the faster they can grade it, the sooner instructional decisions can be made. changing instructional plans with data helps teachers become more effective and efficient. if a teacher is just plowing through the curriculum to meet a deadline, the teacher has a more difficult time meeting the needs of individual students., > lack of student motivation, if the students are not motivated, they might not be interested in proceeding with their learning process. motivation is essential in improving students’ learning results claimed by gbollie & keamu (2017)., one of the crucial problems of writing is that students come to school as excellent storytellers. if you give a student your ear, he/she can use it for a reasonable amount of time. “anyone who has been around young children knows that they can be great storytellers” (stucynski, 2005, p. 4). the problem seems to come when students are asked to put their great stories down on paper. the transition from mind to paper seems too laborious for students to think of as worthwhile and enjoyable. students need to see that their work in writing can be enjoyable, not only for them but also for other classmates. when students share their writing, they begin to think of themselves as authors, which validates their thoughts., the celebration of children’s writing needs to move right up front to become a significant teaching goal. most students find writing painful, and much of that pain comes from too much concern with correctness at the expense of enjoyment. enjoyment and writing have not coexisted, and they do so if all our students are to become proficient writers. we are much more apt to do excellent work when we know our best efforts will be supported and celebrated, and when we believe we can succeed., > access to quality teaching materials and resources, ‘teaching materials’ is a generic term used to describe the resources teachers use to deliver instruction. teaching materials can support student learning and increase student success. ideally, the teaching materials will be tailored to the content they’re being used, the students in whose class they are being used, and the teacher. teaching materials come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have in common the ability to support student learning., teaching materials can refer to a number of teacher resources; however, the term usually refers to concrete examples, such as worksheets or manipulatives (learning tools or games that students can handle to help them gain and practice facility with new knowledge). educators tend to spend countless hours searching for materials to help students learn effectively with endless scrolling through page after page on search engines to find learning resources or practice materials. it requires a significant investment of time or money in acquiring suitable and relevant teaching materials., learning materials are valuable because they can significantly increase student achievement by supporting student learning. these can also add meaningful structure to lesson planning, the delivery of instruction, and a valuable routine. for instance, if you are to teach new vocabulary words every tuesday, knowing that you have a vocabulary game to provide the students with practice regarding the new words will both take the pressure off and provide valuable practice (and fun) for your students. in addition to supporting learning more generally, learning materials can assist teachers in an essential professional duty: the differentiation of instruction. learning materials such as worksheets, group activity instructions, games, or homework assignments allow you to modify assignments to activate each student’s learning style best., why choose stepup writing program, armed with actionable insights, deliver targeted writing instruction to drive meaningful growth.

Empower students to learn at their own pace

Make data-informed decisions

Save time on growth monitoring, calibration, and instructional planning

Provide rapid feedback for revisions

Identify and address foundational writing skill gaps

Drive student engagement and motivation

Eliminate the need for multiple redundant diagnostic tests

Facilitate guided practice or personalized help for students

Support students in building critical thinking skills

Extend learning beyond the classroom

What makes stepup writing program different.

Real-time actionable data for school leaders and educators for performance benchmarking and monitoring

Empathetic, personalized intervention for every student irrespective of their current writing proficiency level

An expansive collection of writing assignments and prompts (i.e., narrative, informative and argumentative) for rigorous practice

A comprehensive learning resource search engine to discover and assign thousands of curated standards-aligned study resources

An innovative writing analyzer to identity and track common writing errors

An automated grading system to improve the quality of feedback to students

Smartboard Practice Tool for promoting engagement, and collaboration during synchronous instructional sessions

A collaborative learning platform to foster anytime, anywhere learning

Program features.

Write Metrics

Lumos write metrics is an innovative writing analyzer designed to help educators understand common errors in student written responses and track improvements throughout the school year. it efficiently identifies and aggregates grammatical and spelling mistakes in student answers. it also has a robust algorithm that assigns a readability rating for each response. the readability and grade-level are measured based on flesch-kincaid scores., using write metrics, you can:, > diagnose and assess each students’ writing level, > easily identify common spelling and grammatical errors, > focus attention on struggling writers who need extra help, > monitor and manage students’ performance over time, > targeted writing remediation.

An Exhaustive Collection of Assignments

The program supports an extensive collection of writing assignments of different genres and prompts (i.e., narrative, informative and argumentative) – offered in multiple formats. further, you can create your custom assignments in whatever format you choose..

Remedial and Deep Remedial Additional Practice Modes

Every child learns at a different pace, which makes creating lesson timelines incredibly difficult for teachers. the remedial and deep remedial assignment feature in the stepup teacher portal can help students move at their own pace, get remediation for standards they need extra support in, and breeze through sections they have already mastered., turning on these modes can automatically assign additional practice lessons to students based upon their performance on the assignment. it’s especially helpful to test students on an exact language standard, analyze their proficiency, and provide additional support..

Self-Paced Guided Practice via Lumos Assistant

If you’re looking for ways to aid students in learning autonomously after classroom sessions, guided practice in stepup writing program can help you achieve that., the lumos guided practice in the student portal is an intelligent ai-powered conversational system. it helps students practice critical standards in english language arts (ela) in an empathetic environment that nurtures every student irrespective of their current proficiency level., like a teacher, it carefully learns from the students’ proficiency data and drastically simplifies the users’ experience. it also offers lessons that are precisely tailored to the student’s unique needs and provides interactive voice and visual aid to motivate and engage learners..

Lumos Grading Assistant

Grading an open-ended question based on the rubrics is a time-consuming job for teachers. the lumos grading assistant is an innovative tool that provides instant grading to students’ constructed responses automatically using machine learning and artificial intelligence., the algorithm provides a directional score on a scale of 0 to 4. it takes several attributes of a student’s response, including grammar errors, spelling errors, proximity to the expected answer, etc., the automated grading system increases the effectiveness and quality of feedback to students while you still stay in control..

Lumos EdSearch

Imagine getting back countless hours spent searching for quality study materials to help students learn effectively no more endless scrolling through page after page in google or your favorite search engine to find learning resources or practice materials., lumos edsearch is a premier online educational search tool designed to help educators quickly find standards-aligned resources, create and share lesson plans and assignments, whether for standardized testing or extended learning, at any grade level., using edsearch, you can:, > discover thousands of curated standards-aligned study resources, > offer safe search to students, > get ready access to a multitude of grade-appropriate resources including, reading passages, vocabulary practice aids, engaging videos, apps, worksheets, interactive quizzes, sample questions, etc., > create and assign personalized resource kits to your students to improve writing proficiency, reading comprehension, vocabulary skills and more.

Lumos Assistant

The lumos assistant is a digital assistant system similar to siri or alexa but specifically built to support students in k-12. it combines conversational bot technology with machine learning and student activity data to make highly personalized recommendations for each student., some of the key capabilities include:, > quick and effortless access to priority assignments, > alerts about pending & completed assignments, > motivates students to progress and improve, > provides optimal content to fit their needs best.

Mind Mapping

Encourage students to use the mind map tool, which provides a clean interface for students to generate and connect thoughts while attempting to write essays or any extended responses during assignments., it allows students to draw out any ideas and thoughts that come to mind, then organize them to plot out storylines, character relationships, and more. for teachers and students, mind mapping offers a fundamentally different way to work with information..

Intuitive Dashboard, Reports, and Analytics

Get instant access to in-depth student reports (collective and individual) across standards, domains, lessons, and more: view, download, and print reports related to student scores and activity data. whether you measure student-level, classroom-level, school-level, or district-level performance, our reports provide valuable insights necessary to drive school improvement initiatives..

Benchmarking Tests

Assign benchmarking assignments with standards-aligned questions for writing. students can practice the new item types and get access to detailed diagnostic reports. it’s ideal for diagnosing student learning difficulties, intervention, remedial programs, and standardized test preparation..

Smartboard Practice Mode

It enables you to share and display assignments to the students in the class for real-time student progress and performance tracking. the smartboard practice tool offers many different opportunities for teachers, such as easy customization of activities, increased information about student understanding, and collaboration opportunities. use smartboard mode to provide individualized feedback and improve the students’ engagement during writing instructional sessions., the stepup advantage.

Developed by Educationists

Quick and easy setup

Access to free resources

Collaborative Learning Platform

Data Security and Privacy

Free product training support

Ongoing support with a single point of contact

Download reports in multiple formats

How can teachers teach with this program, teachers can use this as the foundation for their school writing program., here’s how it works, > have students rooster uploaded in the program and sync your classes with google classroom or clever with a single sign-on (sso), > begin by reviewing the get started section, which shows you a brief overview of what’s available with your program, > select and assign benchmarking tests or practice lessons to the entire class, a group of students, or individual students. further, you can create custom assignments with an option of using edsearch, our proprietary educational search engine. it allows you to select resources of your choice and design a resource kit for your students in minutes alternatively, you can create a completely customized assignment from scratch using your own resources, > while creating assignments, you’re offered multiple options, such as enabling remedial and deep remedial additional practice programs. you can specify a proficiency marker, and the program measures the students’ proficiency level in each of the included standards and automatically assigns additional practice if the students’ proficiency is below the proficiency marker that you had set. apart from this, you can choose to enable guided practice through lumos assistant, learning recommendations to your students before they begin the test and much more, > the lumos assistant also supports students with disabilities. it’s an ai-powered interactive chatbot that makes it fun and easy for students to address their questions and quickly find optimal content to fit their needs best. the words spoken by the assistant are aloud and are also typed into the chatbox for easy reference. the chatbox is easy to use since it interacts with the user how humans would naturally act with each other. “lumos assistant” is a valuable feature that allows parents, teachers, and students to quickly and easily access content that can be utilized for guided practice, after school work, homework, independent practice and more, > the assigned activities will appear on the student’s dashboard in real-time. every student will have access to their dedicated student portal. each student uses their individual logins to access the student portal. they will be able to view the assigned activities and/or resources, including pending and completed action items. they can also see the grading including the teacher’s individualized feedback for their completed assignments, > encourage students to use the mind maps feature for completing specific assignments. with mind maps, students can draw out any ideas and thoughts that come to mind, then organize them to plot out storylines, character relationships, and more. mind maps work well as their visual design enables students to see the relationship between thoughts, and encourages them to group specific ideas as they proceed. it’s an excellent tool for building the students’ critical thinking skills, > the teacher portal allows you to manage the class and provide feedback to the students. you can monitor the progress of each student in the class and view and print individual reports from the teacher dashboard. it presents information on individual students, group of students or the entire class drilling down through activity reports, mastery by lessons, mastery by standards, mastery by domain, benchmarking reports and much more, > while grading assignments, you can activate write metrics. it efficiently identifies and aggregates grammatical and spelling errors in student answers. it also has a robust algorithm that assigns a readability rating for each response. the readability and grade-level are measured based on flesch-kincaid scores, > you can also access write metrics report that pinpoints students’ strengths and knowledge gaps at the sub-skill level for various assignments and monitor progress over the course of the school year, > take advantage of the detailed, objective and timely data to plan and deliver targeted interventions to students based on the mastery and proficiency levels, > in the resource section, you can find multiple accesses to additional resources that can be used for lesson planning and instructional purposes, how can school administrators utilize the program, school administrators get access to the personalized admin portal that provides a useful set of metrics and tools to improve student achievement. the next generation administrator dashboard offers several critical parameters that include teacher and student activity, students’ standards mastery and proficiency levels., the administrators have the opportunity to review information at the most granular level as well as at the district level. the reports allow the user to navigate from aggregated schools or district level information to the activity of an individual student. through this personalized user interface, school administrators such as principals, curriculum directors, testing coordinators, technology coordinators, and superintendents can get timely information about students’ assessment readiness in their districts., with the admin portal, administrators can perform the following activities, > specifically view all teachers actively involved in the program with detailed reports on their activities, > can view the no. of active and inactive students. by clicking on either the active or inactive number of students, the administrator can readily see program usage and results and notify the teacher to check on any remediation lessons that might be assigned, > drill down to view the number of ‘correct answers,’ ‘to be graded answers,’ ‘incorrect answers,’ and if any improvement has been shown. as you move further down the report, you can explore the topics that are given, the standard covered, the student’s score, and any additional recommendations/remediation assignments that need to be completed, > the progress tracker also shows how a student’s multiple attempts at a lesson have or have not improved their score and understanding of the content, > get a bird’s eye view of which schools are using the program and how many hours of usage are logged for each school. gives an overall use, and understanding of program implementation, > assign activities to teachers and get detailed reports on the teachers’ proficiency levels, > choose to receive a copy of this report monthly, weekly, daily, or never. these reports may be downloaded and printed for accountability purposes, > explore a coherency map that can show the students’ proficiency levels on standards that are one grade level below, on grade level, and one grade level above, > other critical resources include edsearch, where you can find multiple activities related to grade, content, and standards to add to your teachers’ resource kits and assign them to students, faqs frequently asked questions.

Yes, you can integrate the Writing Program with your existing StepUp subscription account. Write to us at [email protected] for more details and the activation

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The pricing for the Lumos StepUp Writing Program is based on a monthly online subscription model. We offer simple and flexible subscription packages to suit your needs. Please click here to view the standard subscription packages or you can write to us at [email protected] for a detailed understanding.

The Lumos StepUp Writing Program offers you unlimited teacher, admin and parent accounts for any of our subscription packages. However, there are some limitations on the student accounts that you can activate depending on the selected subscription package . Click Here to learn more about the available subscription packages.

Yes. All paid subscription packages are inclusive of all the features and functionalities of the program.

We take it up on a case-to-case basis. For customised packages, please feel free to talk to one of our solution experts by writing to us at [email protected] . To learn more about the pricing of our available standard subscription packages, Click Here!

Yes. You’ll need to sign up for a free trial or free account to experience the Lumos StepUp Writing Program. SignUp here!

To create an account for the Lumos StepUp Writing Program, you’ll have to sign up by entering some basic details. Sign Up here! If you would like to assist us in completing the sign up procedure, please feel free to write to us at [email protected] . One of our solution experts will get in touch, provide a personalized walkthrough session and guide you through the sign up procedure.

Step #1: Visit www.lumoslearning.com Step #2: Select the subscription package that best suits your requirements Step #3: Enter your basic personal and school details by following the on screen prompts Step #4: Make payment by choosing the preferred payment method and payment details Step #5: You’ll receive your payment acknowledgement and the sign in credentials on your registered email id. For additional support on making a purchase, please write to us at [email protected] .

We accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Once you cancel your monthly/yearly subscription in the middle of the month/year, the amount that you have paid for the monthly/yearly subscription will be refunded on a prorated basis. To learn more about our refund policy, click here or write to us at [email protected]

Register for an Access To Free Trial Account

Get access to a free trial subscription of the Lumos StepUp Writing Program. Once registered, you’ll get a personalized walkthrough of the program from a friendly member of our team, who will also set up and activate the free trial account. No hard sells, we promise.

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FREE - Available Online Anytime, Anywhere

Four Writing Lessons

Persuasive Letter

Sensory Description

Report The News

Write A Scary Story

MISSION: Helping ALL children write quality compositions before leaving 5th grade

PERSUASIVE – available now

TV game show— Best Persuasive Letter.  Students apply 5 keys to persuasion in a letter they write urging parents to buy a puppy. Convincing letters win play time with a virtual puppy.

DESCRIPTIVE – available now

Students choose vivid sensory words and similes supporting a main impression as they build a blog post about an exciting day with some friends at the beach.

INFORMATIVE – Fall 2018

Students play the role of  news reporters for their school website, covering a topic of interest to children. They present the facts and arguments in the strongest order.

NARRATIVE – in development

A haunted house is just the place for a scary SETTING, twisty CHARACTERS, an event TRIGGERING a PLOT rising to a CLIMAX and a credible RESOLUTION.

PERSUASIVE WRITING 

Interactive Learning Game

Video preview.

Persuasive Writing

Teacher guide.

“Win Them Over!”

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING 

Descriptive Writing Game

Descriptive Writing

“Sharing Personal Experiences”

Full interactive game, personalized learning.

Teachers can shift time from whole-class instruction to personalized learning. • While some students are occupied with learning games, the teacher can coach small groups or individuals. • Grade 2-3 lessons are available for Grade 4-5 students who are working at lower grade levels.

Saves Teacher Time

Teacher time is saved in planning, instruction, and evaluation.

♦  Detailed lesson plans include learning outcomes and step-by-step strategies. ♦  The basic concepts of each composition lesson provide templates for additional lessons on the same genre. ♦  Games are self-scoring. ♦  Checklists and “how to” videos enable students to revise and edit their own compositions.

Teacher Support Materials

Teachers may draw upon a rich array of learning materials, including mini-lessons, graphic organizers, and short video tutorials.

Teacher guide: Persuasive Writing

Teacher guide: Descriptive Writing

User-Tested

Information coming soon, pending results of classroom tests.

Program Highlights

Common core alignment.

Game-Based Learning

The eWriting for Kids! program is in the vanguard of a new era deploying game-based lessons to help teachers deliver highly engaging interactive writing lessons within the actual time available, and provide online lessons anytime, anywhere.

Lesson Design

Grades 2 - 3 lessons, support this non-profit organization by funding additional interactive learning games., what people are saying. . ..

Read real reviews and comments about eWriting For Kids!

This is an AMAZING Game! I love it (Win Them Over!) and so do the children I have tried it with. Stephen R. - United Kingdom

A fun 3D game (Win Them Over!) used to teach writing. The game is engaging and innovative. Strengths: Innovative, teaches writing (which is rare to find) Free, Instructor Resource/Support provided. Self-paced, can be used in formal and informal settings. I think it is great that while everyone is developing STEM teaching games, this game realizes the importance of writing. I have seen a decline in writing skills among students and I feel this game is a great way to tackle issues such as poor communication skills in our youth. Judge feedback, SIIA CODiE Awards 2017

The value is nearly immeasurable. I had a more than a few kids come up and say either ``Hey, that was (writing) actually fun!`` or ``I like writing when I can write about what I want.`` The best feature was allowing the children to discover their strengths and weaknesses regarding Descriptive Writing. It improves grammar, reading skills, and of course allows the kids to further expand on their imagination and creativity. * Comments after 16 Girls and Boys Tested ``Sharing Personal Experiences``. Sean W. - Youth Development Professional Boys and Girls Club

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Nourishing My Scholar

Exceptional Middle School Writing Curriculum

August 16, 2020 by Erin Vincent Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a middle school writing curriculum ? Do you need something flexible, and gentle, yet thorough? Perhaps you have a reluctant writer or a young writer that has trouble putting their thoughts on paper. WriteShop takes the overwhelm out of the writing process. It’s a comprehensive writing curriculum that walks the homeschool parent and their student through the skills needed to find their kiddos writing voice.

*Disclosure: I was compensated for my time in exchange for an honest review of WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course . I was not required to write a positive review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only choose to share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy and benefit from. 

We’ve used other writing curriculums in the past. And while I love their philosophy and lifestyle, my son was needing something more. He needed a writing curriculum with more structure that would help him with the building blocks of writing while developing his writer’s voice.

I, the parent, needed more direction on HOW to TEACH my son to write papers and essays. He needed more than copy work and dictation.

My son is a multi-sensory learner. But most middle school writing curriculum are boring and only focus on pencil and paper. I spent all spring searching for a better alternative. I kept coming back to WriteShop I for its ability to help students to build strong writing foundations while also allowing the student to go at their own pace. Then there are the videos that WriteShop offers. Not the boring and dry videos I’d seen across the internet, but visually stimulating and creative videos that would hold my son’s attention.

I was so happy to get my hands on WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course !

Middle School Writing Curriculum

What is WriteShop? WriteShop I is a writing curriculum that offers detailed step-by-step lessons to help introduce descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive compositions and essays. It provides pre-teens and teens with a solid foundation in brainstorming all the way through the final draft stages and builds self-editing skills. It’s also perfect for your older reluctant writers because of its gentle writing approach.

WriteShop was created by a couple of moms whose sons struggled with writing! So, they understand what it’s like to be in the trenches of homeschooling reluctant writers.

These moms found that most writing programs were great about encouraging kids to “get their ideas onto paper,” but they often failed to help parents teach, guide, and evaluate in a simple way.

With WriteShop , you’ll discover lessons that provide:

• Prewriting games to stimulate creativity.
• A way to introduce and help students develop new skills.
• Creative, varied writing exercises with clearly defined expectations.
• Incremental lessons that built upon previously learned material.
• Writing checklists to help students edit their own work.
• A simple evaluation tool to help us grade final drafts objectively

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Why I Love WriteShop I Homeschool Writing Curriculum

WriteShop I is perfect for most children ages 12-16 in middle and early high school. The student workbook contains the meat of each lesson written directly to the student.

WriteShop I focuses on stylistic techniques, vocabulary development, active voice, and sentence variation in a fully faith neutral way. Writing skills are taught in shorter writing assignments. I love that students are working on the building blocks of more mature sentences and middle school paragraph writing while teaching me how to be my child’s writing coach. WriteShop literally teaches students how to describe an object, write a sentence, a paragraph, and connect it all together! This lays the foundation for all future compositions, essays, and reports.

Benefits of Using WriteShop I for Middle School Writing Curriculum

The beauty of the program is its adaptability! Whether your child is advanced, reluctant, or struggling with learning difficulties WriteShop can meet your kiddo’s needs. Lessons are parsed out in bite-size chunks. My son loves that each day’s assignments aren’t overwhelming. In addition, most compositions are rarely longer than one paragraph. My son also does well with the multisensory aspects of the lessons, whether it’s a game or a fun prewriting activity. This means that WriteShop is especially good for reluctant writers, special needs writers, and parents who need extra support with teaching writing .

Adapting Writing Lessons to Fit Your Middle Schooler’s Needs

With WriteShop I you can use a 1-week schedule, 2-week schedule, or break it up even further for teens with learning disabilities and create a schedule that fits their needs. That means you can plan for it to take 1 semester to 2 years depending on the way you do it. It’s all about doing what works best for your individual kid.

You can go as slowly as you need to, and the assignments are not long, lengthy papers, but focused on building strong paragraphs. New skills are introduced slowly, so I don’t have to worry about my son having to master everything at once.

WriteShop Online Video Course

WriteShop also offers an online video course for their WriteShop I & II curriculum.

Play With Education provides this additional support for writers and their parents with the platform for these videos.

WriteShop Online Videos Take One Thing Off Moms Plate

Each 10- to 15-minute video introduces students to the key points of WriteShop’s lesson in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

The WriteShop online video segments cover all the teaching points of each lesson. The videos cover it so fully that I was able to hand the bulk of the teaching over to the videos. I didn’t have to add anything. Though I still watched the videos with my son initially. I also helped my son with his paper, but the beauty of the videos was that I didn’t have to teach the lesson. The videos do this for me!

The video course works beautifully alongside the Teachers Manual. I highly recommend adding the video course as part of your WriteShop I writing curriculum.

WriteShop Middle School Writing Curriculum Resources

WriteShop I does have some grammar mingled into it but it is not enough to be considered a full credit. Because my son does so well with a multi-sensory approach, we paired Winston Grammar program with WriteShop 1.

WriteShop offers homeschool writing curriculum for all grades from K to 12. The Placement Quiz will help you find the best fit.

You can learn more about WriteShop’s Scope and Sequence as well as see Sample Lessons here . Subscribe to WriteShop and get instant access to your FREE gift ! WriteShop offers so many wonderful resources to help you help your child succeed in writing.

WriteShop Homeschool Writing Curriculum

If you’re looking for a most cost-effective alternative to the hard copy curriculum, don’t want to deal with hefty postage costs, or long shipping delays then be sure to check out the E-book Digital version to all of WriteShop’s curriculum.

You can browse the Digital Bundles here .

WriteShop includes everything you need for a successful year of writing for your homeschool. We’ve been using it for several months and I already see a HUGE difference in my son’s approach to writing. He’s becoming more independent and self-motivated while getting his brilliant words and phrases out onto paper! I’m so pleased with the growth we’ve both experienced on this writing journey.

You may also enjoy:

• Are You Unexpectedly Homeschooling
• 10 Things You Need to Know to Homeschool
• U.S. Elections Process for Kids
• Free Typing Games for Kids

About Erin Vincent

Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.

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Essentials in Writing

Where learning to write well has never been so easy

18-Week Supplemental Writing Program

At-home curriculum to help your student learn to write well at grade level, what is essentials in writing’s supplemental writing program.

Essentials in Writing is a complete video-based writing curriculum for students in grades 1-12. We have designed a concentrated 18-week supplemental writing program that will act as an online writing tutor to your child and give them the tools they need to catch up to grade level.

Are you concerned that your students may not be writing at grade level? Are you looking for an after-school writing coach or tutor because your child is struggling? You are not alone! According to a recent survey conducted by Horace Mann, more than half of public school teachers are reporting significant learning deficits in their students as they return to school this year. Essentials in Writing is here to help students close the gap and get their writing skills back on track! 

We are pleased to offer our new 18-week writing programs that are designed to help your students master writing, from just the basics to help with writing essays , narratives, and research papers, in 30 minutes or less a day, four times a week. Perfect for accelerated homeschool learning, after-school tutoring at home, or as a supplemental part of a remedial program within a school, our 18-week online writing programs for elementary, middle school, and high school students will help your child succeed in areas where they previously struggled.

How It Works

Essentials in Writing’s Supplemental Writing Program is designed to be stress-free for both students  and  parents. Once you’ve selected the right level for your student, simply use the 18-week tutoring guide below in conjunction with Essentials in Writing’s award-winning curriculum to help your student reach their full writing potential!

• Create a learning space for your child
• Queue up the online video or DVD and provide a little support as your child works through the outlined writing exercises
• For 30 minutes or less a day, four times a week, students watch engaging video lessons that are short, to-the-point, and available on-demand to watch as many times as needed
• Students focus on the writing process as a series of bite-sized chunks that will instruct students without overwhelming them
• Parents can partner with our 100% free customer support and have access to certified teachers who will help you work through any questions, issues, or concerns that may arise

EIW 18-Week Supplemental Programs

Which Level is Right for My Student?

Has your student always struggled with writing.

If your child has always struggled with writing, simply choose a level below your child’s grade (e.g. If your student is in 7th grade, select Level 6 or lower). This will allow your child to really focus on writing with less complicated prompts. Our goal is for your child to gain confidence as they master the basics of good writing.

Still unsure?  Use our handy Level Selection Wizard as your guide  or  schedule a call with us  to help determine your student’s placement.

Is your child just slightly behind or could use more writing practice?

If your child is just slightly behind or you feel as though they could use more writing practice to perform at grade level, simply choose a level that coincides with your child’s grade (e.g. Level 7 is appropriate for a student in 7th grade) to compliment what they are already learning in school.

Still unsure? Contact us  to help determine your student’s placement.

Ready to Get Started?

Browse Essentials in Writing’s curriculum to find the level that’s right for your child. 

Try Before You Buy

See the benefits of Essentials in Writing when you sign up for our free 7-day trial. Select the Levels below, at, and/or above your child’s grade level to see which program is best suited for your student. No credit card required.

Please select which level you'd like to try before you buy (limit 4):

Questions contact customer service by phone, text, or email..

Our customer service team is here for you! They can help you select the right level for your child’s individual needs or put you in touch with a licensed teacher if you need advice, all at no extra charge. Nothing would please us more than to help your child get his or her writing skills back on track!

Still unsure whether Essentials in Writing is a good fit or not? Try it before you buy it!

Writing Courses

• Level 1 (ages 6-7)
• Level 2 (ages 7-8)
• Level 3 (ages 8-9)
• Level 4 (ages 9-10)
• Level 5 (ages 10-11)
• Level 6 (ages 11-12)
• Level 7 (ages 12-13)
• Level 8 (ages 13-14)
• Level 9 (ages 14-15)
• Level 10 (ages 15-16)
• Level 11 (ages 16-17)
• Level 12 (ages 17-18)

Literature Courses

• Level 7 (ages 12–13)
• Level 8 (ages 13–14)
• Level 9 (ages 14–15)
• Level 10 (ages 15–16)

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Top 10 Homeschooling Middle School Writing Curriculum Choices For 2021

Writing curriculum programs for middle school homeschooling are not a one size fits all; and, as a home educator, it is ultimately up to you to make the best decision.

We have asked some Teach Them Diligently families what their favorite Middle School Writing curriculums are. Those are listed below with a link to our complete Homeschool Family Favorite Guide.

The Top 3…

Institute for Excellence in Writing – From their website: At the Institute for Excellence in Writing, we train teachers to model an oral and written pathway of communication which develops the language skills of all students through imitation to innovation. Because every teacher can use the method in his or her classroom, every parent can be confident that every student can learn to listen, speak, read, write, and think effectively and eloquently.

Memoria Press Classical Composition – From their website: Memoria Press’ composition program, Classical Composition, is based on the original classical method of teaching writing called the “progymnasmata.” It was the program that produced John Milton and William Shakespeare. This method involved learning fourteen skills, organized from the simplest and most basic to the most complex and sophisticated. In addition, our English Grammar Recitation program will solidify the grammar your child has learned in Latin through memorizing and reciting the essential grammatical and usage rules in English.

Essentials in Writing –  Essentials in Writing is an engaging video-based homeschool writing curriculum designed for Grade Levels 1-12. Students watch video lessons that are presented in a systematic, step-by-step approach, and then proceed to writing assignments. Writing lessons and assignments are presented in small “chunks” to help students understand, apply, and retain concepts. Writing and literature lessons are modeled by the teacher. After a new or reviewed concept has been taught, the teacher “shows” students HOW to apply the new concept in writing.

Top Middle School Writing Curriculums 4-5

4. Writing Strands – From their website: This convenient all-in-one worktext features 180 days of instruction and a variety of student activities and exercises. Each week alternates between writing lessons and reading lessons; for their reading, students will read biblical passages as well as books chosen and assigned by the parent. A weekly lesson schedule is also included.

5. Brave Writer – From their website: Through our user-friendly materials and award-winning online classes, you’ll grow into a competent writing coach, calm your anxious writers, and nourish your aspiring authors.

Top Middle School Writing  Curriculums 6-10

6. Gather Round Homeschool  

7. BJU Press Grammar and Writing

9. Writing with Ease From Well-Trained Mind

10. The Good and the Beautiful

Sign up to download your free curriculum guide today!

Lizzie Gray Fritz

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Homeschool Writing Curriculum: 17 Actually Engaging Options

The specifics of a writing curriculum will vary, but a comprehensive curriculum should cover a progression of skills, increasing in complexity and sophistication from elementary to high school. Here's which homeschool writing programs best prepare kids to be great writers.

Prisma is the world’s most engaging virtual school that combines a fun, real-world curriculum with powerful mentorship from experienced coaches and a supportive peer community.

The Power of Being a Great Writer  

Living in an era dominated by rapid technological advances and artificial intelligence, it’s harder than ever, as educators and homeschooling parents, to figure out what skills kids will need to succeed in the future.

For example, why should we care about writing in the age of AI? Will technology make traditional skills like writing obsolete? On the contrary, at Prisma we believe the rise of AI makes writing more important than ever . While AI can generate text and even mimic human-like writing, it lacks the nuance, critical thinking, and empathy that are the hallmarks of human communication. The best human writers will always be able to use their command of language arts to influence others.

Plus, the practice of writing skills is important for children’s brain development. As Flannery O’Connor aptly stated, "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." The writing process enables us to crystallize our thoughts, stimulating disciplined and critical thinking —a skill that remains irreplaceable by AI. Whether it's a scientist explaining a complicated theory or an entrepreneur pitching their company to investors, the ability to articulate thoughts clearly & with originality is indispensable.

Moreover, writing fosters empathy . Writing, especially creative writing, allows us to imagine and understand different perspectives—an emotional skill that even the most advanced AI lacks. Empathy is vital for personal relationships, teamwork, and any profession involving human interaction.

Furthermore, writing teaches resilience . It's a journey filled with trials and errors. Children learn to handle setbacks, receive criticism, while continuously revising their work, skills that instill adaptability and persistence.

And it's a skill where we see a worrisome trend. According to a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, only 27% of students in America achieved or exceeded proficiency in writing. This statistic rings alarm bells about the declining writing skills among our children.

As we guide our children's learning paths at home, our responsibility extends beyond teaching writing. Our aim is to help them appreciate writing as a tool for thinking, empathizing, and persevering. Despite the rise of AI, the art of writing is here to stay. It's not just a skill, it's a compass—a compass that will guide our learners to navigate the evolving landscape of the future with thoughtfulness, empathy, and resilience.

Selecting a Homeschool Writing Curriculum: Key Factors

Choosing a homeschool writing curriculum is a crucial decision, as it will greatly impact your child's development of writing skills. Here are some key factors to consider:

• Your Child’s Interest in Writing: Is your child a very reluctant writer who may need an online app with gamified elements or lots of varied, hands-on worksheets to stay interested? Or is your child a voracious reader & enthusiastic future author who might do better with open-ended journaling, creative writing prompts , and research papers on topics they’re interested in?
• Your Child’s Learning Needs & Style: If your child has any learning differences, such as dyslexia , ADHD, or autism, you should evaluate any possible curriculum for accommodations and supports. Also consider the way your child prefers to learn. Do they like variety or lots of structure? Pen and paper or digital? Visual, audio, or hands-on?
• Level of Interaction: Consider the level of interaction the curriculum offers. Does it provide opportunities for discussions, peer review, or one-on-one feedback sessions? Interaction can often boost motivation and improve learning outcomes. You could even look for programs that offer live online instruction (we share a few options below).
• Alignment with Goals: What are your goals for your child's writing education? Do you want them to homeschool permanently, or do you hope to have them transition to a more traditional high school or college? If so, make sure the curriculum you choose prepares your learner to write aligned to Common Core standards , and make sure you feel comfortable supporting them.
• Flexibility: Look for a curriculum that allows flexibility in pace and approach. Every child is unique and might not fit into a rigid learning structure.
• Incorporation of Writing Process: The curriculum should teach the writing process – brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. This will help your child understand that good writing often involves rewriting and refining.
• Grammar and Mechanics: While the primary focus might be on developing expressive and organized writing, the curriculum should also help your child learn the grammar and mechanics necessary for clarity and correctness. But we personally feel at Prisma that too many grammar drills can be counterproductive, and many writing experts recommend teaching grammar mostly in the context of a real writing assignment after elementary age.
• Integration with Other Subjects: Writing is a skill that can and should be integrated into other subject areas. A curriculum that encourages writing across subjects can foster more meaningful learning experiences. At Prisma, all writing happens in the context of our fun interdisciplinary themes , like Cities of the Future (where kids wrote a speech proposing a new law for their dream city), Build a Business (where kids wrote a business pitch), and Unsolved Mysteries (where kids wrote research-driven podcast & video scripts for a real life mystery).

Writing Curriculum Guidelines by Grade Level

The specifics of a writing curriculum will vary, but a comprehensive curriculum should cover a progression of skills, increasing in complexity and sophistication from elementary to high school. Here's a broad guideline to assess curriculum options, or if you feel like building your own curriculum from scratch:

Elementary School Writing Curriculum

‍ At Prisma, elementary school writers focus on developing key skills in our live Literacy Labs & completing writing missions connected to our project-based themes. Content covers:

• Sentence Structure: Understanding the basic elements of a sentence, like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and how to construct simple sentences.
• Paragraph Writing: Introduce the concept of a paragraph, topic sentences, and supporting sentences. Graphic organizers often help in this process.
• Basic Grammar and Punctuation: Understanding the rules of capitalization, the usage of periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
• Story Writing: Introduction to narrative writing, creating simple stories with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Writing for Different Purposes: Practice writing informative, persuasive, and narrative pieces.

Middle School Writing Curriculum

‍ Middle school Prisma learners build up to longer writing assignments to prepare for high school writing, and increasingly complete multiple revisions and use peer feedback to perfect their work. They build skills of:

• Advanced Grammar and Punctuation: Dive deeper into the intricacies of grammar and the use of more advanced punctuation marks like semicolons and colons.
• Essay Writing: Understanding essay structure, crafting thesis statements, and creating coherent arguments.
• Narrative Writing: Developing complex narrative techniques, such as point of view, character development, plot structure, and dialogue.
• Research Skills: Learning how to conduct research, evaluate sources, and incorporate evidence into their writing.
• Revision and Editing: Strengthening the ability to revise and edit their own work for clarity, coherence, and correctness.

High School Writing Curriculum

‍ Prisma high school students develop real-world writing assignments for real audiences, preparing to share their writing with the world and developing college-ready writing skills:

• Advanced Essay Writing: Enhancing argumentative, expository, and analytical writing skills. Practice writing longer, more complex essays.
• Literary Analysis: Writing essays that analyze literature for theme, symbolism, and other literary devices.
• Research Papers: Learning to write comprehensive research papers with proper citation and referencing.
• Persuasive Writing: Developing the ability to write persuasively, shaping arguments and using evidence effectively.
• Creative Writing: Exploring different creative writing genres like poetry, short stories, and script writing.
• College Application Essays: Learning to write personal essays that can be used for college applications.
• Critical Thinking: Developing the ability to critique, analyze, and evaluate arguments in writing.

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• Prisma is an accredited, project-based, online program for grades 4-12.
• Our personalized curriculum builds love of learning and prepares kids to thrive.
• Our middle school , high school , and parent-coach programs provide 1:1 coaching and supportive peer cohorts .

Online Homeschool Writing Programs

Live online writing courses.

If you don’t feel comfortable teaching or designing writing curriculum yourself, an online course can be a great way to give your learner an interactive, high-quality language arts curriculum.

In a nutshell: Marketplace for online courses in all subjects, including writing. You can read teacher reviews and course descriptions to get a good feel of which classes will work best for your child (and try a bunch to see what works!)

Grade Levels: K-12 and above

Cost: Depends on the length, format, and teacher. Expect to pay around $10/class for most offerings, and up to $50/class for private, 1-to-1 tutoring.

Format: Depends on the class and instructor. Some courses may only be live sessions, and others may include asynchronous materials like worksheets, rubrics, and journal prompts.

Pros: Low-lift for parents, high interactivity; and often fun, engaging topics like Comic Strip Stories or Fan Fiction

Cons: If you switch instructors frequently, your child may have gaps in their knowledge or struggle to build momentum with one writing process

Written Out Loud

In a nutshell: Written Out Loud’s three core principles are transforming how kids learn - and love - to write. Prisma partnered with this organization the past two years and we can say that kids LOVE learning to write with this program. Kids write a whole book as part of a team.

Grade Levels: Ages 10+

Cost: Fee per class or camp. Current summer camp offerings are $529.

Format: In virtual courses (or in-person if a homeschool group reaches out to form a class together), kids work in teams to “break” a story in the style of Hollywood writers (decide verbally as a team what the story will look like) and then write their portions, ending in the publication of a full-length book!

Pros: Helps kids love writing, low-lift for parents, high interactivity

Cons: Doesn’t teach more traditional or “academic” forms of writing, so likely will need to be a supplement.

Prisma & Other Online Private Schools

Some homeschooling families choose to enroll in comprehensive online schools like Prisma, especially as their children get older and need more teacher support or rigorous curriculum. Although these options do charge tuition, they offer a comprehensive, intentional, expert-driven approach to academics (including writing) while still offering the personalization, flexibility, and environment of homeschooling.

Best Online Writing Apps & Websites for Homeschoolers  

Choosing an online program is great if you want something your learner can do at their own pace with minimal supervision from you. These programs can also be great at motivating learners by providing gamified elements (like points, badges, and achievements).

Essentials in Writing

In a nutshell: Former schoolteacher Matthew Stephens’ popular online program delivers direct instruction & writing practice aligned with the traditional way of teaching writing.

Grade Levels: K-12

Cost: $69-89

Format: A video-based online course with corresponding workbooks

Pros: Low-lift for parents with a consistent structure

Cons: May not be enough variety or interactivity for easily bored learners

Night Zookeeper

In a nutshell: A highly engaging game-based online world for kids to explore writing through mini games, interesting writing prompts, and drills

Grade Levels: Ages 6-12

Cost: Subscription costing about $9-13/month, depending on if you pay annually or monthly

Format: Learners sign on to the platform and explore the online activities freely. Parents can view insights into their progress on the back-end.

Pros: Both reluctant and enthusiastic writers tend to LOVE this platform, and the subscription model makes it easy to try out.

Cons: Doesn’t offer as much instruction as more traditional programs.

In a nutshell: No Red Ink is used in 60% of school districts and although the platform is primarily built for teachers, homeschool parents can register for teacher accounts and provide their children access to this interactive, comprehensive writing program.

Grade Levels: Grades 3-12

Cost: Free version, plus a premium version with additional features

Format: A mix of targeted exercises to help students master sentence structure & grammar, scaffolded writing and revising activities for a range of genres, and diagnostics & quizzes to assess your learner’s skills

Pros: Research-driven, interactive, and incorporates learner interests (kids take a fun quiz at the beginning to tailor the curriculum to what they like to write about), plus built-in assessment (a rarity for writing platforms!)

Cons: Since it’s built for teachers, may not be user-friendly for solo homeschooling parents

Online Grammar & Comprehension Practice

At Prisma, we use grammar apps to supplement our more in-depth writing assignments. Some of our favorites are:

• IXL : We like their initial diagnostic and that you can assign individual skills to learners to practice. The format is not the most exciting or engaging, though.
• Freckle : Elementary school-age writers enjoy the gamified elements of this math & language arts platform.
• Quill : Built around the research-backed strategy of sentence combining & revising as a way to learn key grammar and mechanics, this tool is both free and highly effective (though it may get boring if used too often!).

Best Traditional Homeschool Writing Curricula

Brave writer.

In a nutshell: Brave Writer is a writing curriculum designed to help children discover their own unique voice in writing. It emphasizes creativity and individuality, incorporating various elements of language arts such as grammar, spelling, literature, and writing. This curriculum is by far the most popular one with Prisma parents!

Grade Levels : Pre-K to 12th grade

Cost: Individual online classes range from $99 to $199 per course. Home study courses are available from $79 to $149.

Format: Online classes, home study courses with lesson plans and teacher’s guides, and resources for self-study. The courses take a unique approach, focusing on having lots of conversations before getting writing out on the page.

Pros: The curriculum is flexible and customizable to meet the needs of each student. It also encourages a positive attitude towards writing, reducing stress and resistance. It’s great for engaging and empowering young writers.

Cons: The less structured format may not work for all families. Parents may need to be more involved and excited about teaching writing to ensure progress and there is no built-in evaluation or assessment.

The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW)

In a nutshell: IEW is a tried-and-true homeschool curriculum option that employs a method that builds writing confidence and competence. It uses a structured and systematic approach, focused on helping students create quality writing pieces.

Grade Levels: K to 12th grade

Cost: The cost can range from $19 for single items up to $249 for a comprehensive level course.

Format: Mostly DVD-based courses, workbooks, and some online classes.

Pros: Provides clear instruction and step-by-step methods that are easy to follow. It is suitable for a variety of learning styles and abilities. The curriculum covers a broad range of writing styles.

Cons: It can be perceived as rigid by some and may stifle creativity for others. It is more traditional, we have found, than many Prisma parents are looking for. It might be too intensive for students who are not used to structured learning.

Classical Composition

In a nutshell: Based on the ancient principles of storytelling and rhetoric, Classical Composition is a rigorous writing program that leads students step-by-step through the process of writing. If you resonate with the classical approach to homeschooling, you’ll likely be drawn in by this approach.

Grade Levels: 4th to 12th grade

Cost: The cost can vary, but most books range from $15 to $30. DVDs range from $55 to $85.

Format: Textbooks and DVDs.

Pros: It provides a thorough, rigorous program that can help students become proficient writers. It's ideal for parents who prefer a traditional, structured approach to teaching writing, similarly to IEW.

Cons: According to curriculum reviews, it can be challenging and time-consuming. Some students may find it too rigorous or not creative enough.

In a nutshell: WriteShop is a writing curriculum that helps parents teach writing to their children in a step-by-step manner. It focuses on both the creative and mechanical aspects of writing.

Cost: Books and resources range from $7 to $50. Full-set curriculum kits range from $120 to $160.

Format: Books, digital downloads, and online resources.

Pros: The curriculum is easy to use and provides parents with detailed lesson plans. It encourages more creativity than some of the traditional options above while still teaching the technical aspects of writing.

Cons: Some parents have found it to be too teacher-intensive. It requires more preparation than other programs.

Writing Strands

In a nutshell: Writing Strands provides a step-by-step approach to teaching writing, focusing on a broad range of skills such as creative writing, report writing, composition, and critical thinking.

Grade Levels: 2nd to 12th grade

Cost: Individual books cost about $20 each.

Format : Books.

Pros: Even though it’s step-by-step, it is flexible and can be adapted to suit individual student needs. It's also affordable.

Cons: It lacks extensive grammar instruction, and some parents find it lacks depth in certain writing skills. The book-only format may not work for some kids who need more varied types of assignments.

New York Times Writing Curriculum

In a nutshell: This is a modern, real-world-focused curriculum, drawing from The New York Times resources. It emphasizes critical thinking, research, and journalistic writing skills.

Grade Levels: Middle school to high school

Cost: The online resources from The New York Times are often free, but for detailed curriculum materials, cost can vary.

Format: Online, leveraging articles, essays, and multimedia from The New York Times.

Pros: It offers contemporary, engaging, and relevant content. It helps students understand and engage with current events. Great for developing research and critical thinking skills.

Cons: Less emphasis on creative writing. The content might be advanced for younger students. Parental guidance might be necessary due to potentially sensitive topics.

BJU Press Writing & Grammar

In a nutshell: BJU Press Writing & Grammar is a Christian-oriented program that emphasizes grammar and the writing process, incorporating both traditional and creative assignments.

Grade Levels: 1st to 12th grade

Cost: Subject kits can range from $100 to $150, while individual books can range from $15 to $40.

Format: Textbooks, workbooks, and tests.

Pros: The program provides a comprehensive approach to teaching grammar and writing. It's straightforward and structured, providing detailed lesson plans.

Cons: Some parents have found the curriculum to be too rigid and not engaging enough. The Christian worldview integrated throughout the material may not be appealing to everyone.

Well-Trained Mind

In a nutshell: Based on classical education principles, the Well-Trained Mind approach guides parents in crafting a rigorous, comprehensive homeschool curriculum.

Cost: The core book "The Well-Trained Mind" costs around $20 - $30. Other resources' costs vary.

Format: Books and online resources.

Pros: It provides a detailed, rigorous roadmap for classical education at home. It is highly customizable, allowing parents to adapt to their children's learning style and interests.

Cons: It requires significant time and effort from parents. The approach may be too rigorous or structured for some students.

Does Your Writing Curriculum Prepare Your Kids for the Real World? 

At Prisma, one of our learning values is that education should prepare learners for the real world . 98% of Prisma parents say that our school does a better job preparing their learner for the real world than their last school. “The real world problem solving the learners do is unlike anything they do in more conventional schools,” says one parent. “If anyone tells you kids aren't ‘ready’ to consider meaningful topics like the world refugee crisis, neurodiversity, building a business, or scientific research, don't listen!”

When kids see why what they’re learning matters, they’re much more motivated and engaged . When we compartmentalize subjects, we make it unclear for learners how those subjects are used in the real world. When the only writing assignments you are given in school are to write 5-paragraph essays only your English teacher (or parent!) will read, you’re unlikely to grasp why writing is an essential skill in so many careers. Imagine if, instead, you’re asked to write a product pitch for an invention you developed to solve a real-world sustainability problem, like our learners did for the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge in our interdisciplinary theme Wild Inventions . Prisma learners are still taught foundational writing skills, they’re just asked to apply them to real world problem-solving in an interdisciplinary way.

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Easy-to-Use Middle School Writing Curriculum

Struggling to teach writing in your homeschool? This middle school writing curriculum includes sanity-saving videos, checklists, and rubrics to take the guesswork out of teaching writing!

Writing is, without a doubt, the most challenging subject in our homeschool. And let’s be real here: the challenge comes from the fact that I am not confident in teaching writing.

I don’t feel like I explain writing techniques well. I don’t know how much to require from my kids. And I certainly am not comfortable grading writing assignments.

I was recently introduced to a homeschool writing curriculum that solves every single one of my teaching challenges. With videos to teach writing skills, checklists for editing assignments, and rubrics for grading finished projects, I can now teach writing confidently and yes, EASILY.

I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to post a positive review. See our  Disclosure Policy  for more information.

WriteShop I is an incremental writing program for homeschool students in grades 6-10. This program provides the solid writing foundation that students need before they begin an advanced writing course in the upper grades.

The spiral-bound Teacher’s Manual gives parents tips for helping students through every step of the writing process. It includes suggested schedules, lesson plans, answer keys, and tips for editing and grading.

The Teacher’s Manual is more than just a lesson guide or answer key, though. In fact, it is actually more like an easily-digestible reference book for teaching writing effectively. Every homeschool parent who is teaching middle school writing will benefit from this handy book.

The Student Workbook is written directly to the student and contains step-by-step instructions for each lesson. Independent learners (and busy homeschool moms!) will appreciate how this makes it possible for students to do much of the work on their own.

The workbook also include detailed editing checklists and evaluation forms for each lesson. This takes all the guesswork out of editing and grading. Super helpful!

Note: While the workbook is written directly to the student, the Teacher’s Manual is still needed to teach the course.

Teaching Middle School Writing with WriteShop I

Incremental approach.

With WriteShop’s incremental approach to writing, lessons gradually increase in difficulty while regularly reviewing previously learned skills.

First, students learn to pick suitable writing topics (and honestly, isn’t that the hardest part for a lot of middle schoolers?) . Then they learn to develop their topic one step at a time through a specific writing process.

Flexible schedule

WriteShop I includes 16 writing lessons. Each lesson can take anywhere from one to four weeks, depending on your schedule and needs. Most students spend about two weeks on each lesson and complete the entire book in one school year.

I appreciate the flexibility to allow reluctant or struggling writers to take more time , completing the book in two years instead of just one.

Step-by-step writing process

Want your student to understand and be able to use the writing process effectively? WriteShop has you covered!

WriteShop I teaches students to use a four-step writing process:

• brainstorming

The included checklists help students learn to edit and revise their own writing . Editing and revising are huge stumbling blocks for many middle schoolers, so these checklists are worth their weight in gold!

Writing structure and style

In WriteShop I, students learn to apply their knowledge of grammar while also learning important elements of writing style and structure.

One thing I especially love is that WriteShop teaches students to write concisely . As a freelance editor, I’ve found that excessive wordiness is the single most common mistake that writers make. Your teen will gain a strong advantage by mastering concise writing skills at this stage.

Teaching Middle School Writing with WriteShop’s Video Course

If you feel unsure about teaching writing or if your time is limited, you’ll love WriteShop’s video course ! The course encourages independent learning by teaching the lessons directly to the student.

The updated WriteShop I video course includes:

• a streamlined interface
• improved course navigation
• better visual appeal with fresh graphics
• more concise teaching time
• faster loading technology
• fun examples and lots of humor
• relevance for today’s teens
• additional self-editing tips

All of the videos correspond seamlessly with the fifth edition of the workbook, and they still work with earlier versions as well.

My son found the video helpful and was also pleased that it was brief and to-the-point.

I was delighted to learn that purchase of the video course includes lifetime access! You can use them for as long as you need, even if your teen stretches the course out over two years. No rush to finish by the end of the school year!

WriteShop video course options:

• Purchase video course ONLY (for those who already have the books)
• Purchase the video course BUNDLE (includes the required books)

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Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE)

Summer 2024 programs.

The Advanced Writing Exploration Program invites rising 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore their literary passions.

The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The program will prepare writers for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program.

Price: $1290 Applicants can apply for need-based financial aid

Summer sessions include daily craft talks, writing exercises, and deep dives into different writing genres including poetry, memoir, playwriting, screenwriting, essay writing, fiction, comedy, and more. The session concludes with a reading and celebration.

Summer 2024 Date and Location Options:

• Upper West Side, Monday, July 29th to Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET
• Online, Monday, August 12th to Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET / 10 AM to 1 PM PT

Click here to apply for AWE!

School Year Programs

The Middle School Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE) invites 7th and 8th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore, expand, and deepen their literary passions. The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The AWE program also includes one private session in which the writer can focus on academic essay writing, admissions essays, or the creative genre of their choice.

The program will inspire and challenge middle school writers, as well as prepare them for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Tuition: $645 (Limited financial aid available)

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• Week 7: Screenwriting Master Class Part 2
• Week 8: Multi-genre Workshop
• Week 9: Author visit and publishing discussion
• Week 10: Comedy Master Class Part 1
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5 Secrets for Helping Middle School Writers Succeed

Even though I spent 19 years as a middle school teacher, I frequently ask myself what makes a middle school writing classroom work. I know successful teaching is a series of flexible moving parts. I know it’s one part inspiration and a bigger part organization. I know that every middle school teacher struggles to achieve more good days than bad.

In  Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School , I share meaningful and practical ideas for using what I’ve learned about teaching writing in middle school. My aim is to validate what you already know and give you new ways to support students. I also point out obstacles to watch out for and ways around them, so you don’t sacrifice the integrity of your teaching or the writing lives of your students.

As teachers, our greatest challenge may not be understanding best practices, but implementing those practices in classrooms where writing skills vary, time is precious, and the demand for high test scores can smother even the most creative teaching. But take heart. Teaching writing well is not impossible. Here are 5 secrets I know work in middle school and will help your young writers succeed:

1.     The teacher must model how to learn.

If we want our students to write, we have to show them we are writers ourselves, which means opening ourselves up to scrutiny.

2.      Learning should be infectious.

Look for inspiration everywhere and revise you lesson plans accordingly to foster a fascination with language, not just an understanding of terms. Who knows where this might lead?

3.     Students must be active.

Engaging in lively activities, working in small groups, sitting on the floor, listening to music, using the computer, and talking about works in progress keep students moving, and therefore, learning.

4.     Students will work hard if we give them rigorous, relevant tasks.

Let students take a giant leap forward and come up with their own projects and use the skills they have learned over the years to accomplish it. What they write matters less than the fact that they choose to write with such passion and determination.

5.     Students deserve honest, detailed feedback.

Get serious about providing feedback. Students will appreciate your suggestions for making their writing smoother, clearer, and more interesting, and, like any serious writers, won’t always agree or follow them. But your students trust you to tell them the truth because they know your feedback, as difficult as it sometimes will be to convey, will help propel their work forward.

The secrets of writing, once locked away in the writing teacher’s vault, must be revealed and explored. How else will we sort out what works from what doesn’t? But you know this already. The writing lives of your middle school students depend on our getting it right.

To learn more about  Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School , you can purchase the book  here.

About the author:

Ruth Culham, Ed.D.,  has published more than 40 best-selling professional books and resources with Scholastic and the International Literacy Association on the traits of writing and teaching writing using reading as a springboard to success. Her steadfast belief that every student is a writer is the hallmark of her work. As the author of  Traits Writing: The Complete Writing Program for Grades K–8 (2012), she has launched a writing revolution.  Traits Writing  is the culmination of 40 years of educational experience, research, practice, and passion.

4 Activities to Help Middle School Students Uncover New Ideas for Writing

No matter how old you are, no matter how much writing you do, no matter how much you improve over time, finding ideas and writing about them clearly and compellingly is a challenge. Small wonder, then, that middle school writers find the ideas trait difficult to master.

Writing must make sense, and that’s what the ideas trait is all about—choosing a topic, narrowing it down, and supporting it with enough details to make the message clear and engaging. In  Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School , I outline the ideas trait’s 4 key qualities:

1.     Finding a topic

2.     Focusing the topic

3.     Developing the topic

4.     Using details

The following activities will help your students develop these qualities. Each is a creative, classroom-tested idea that allows students to try out skills and strategies that you share in warm-ups and focus lessons. These activities can take 5 minutes or 50, depending on your students’ needs and interest levels, and can be carried out by students independently or in small groups.

Finding a topic | Writer’s Notebooks

Often, the best topics are the ones students come up with themselves. As you work with students, encourage them to jot down in a notebook possible ideas for use in writing later—ideas that occur to them during science, social studies, health, fine arts, or English, or in everyday life. Let students select a notebook that makes them feel comfortable. Keep your own notebook and model how you jot down ideas for writing, words and phrases you like, intriguing information and observations, and questions to ponder.

Focusing the topic | The Best and the Worst Activity

Have your students brainstorm a list of real-world jobs that require a great deal of writing: a writer for a late-night talk show, a fund-raiser for a charity, a developer of video games, an author of children’s books, and so on. Write the jobs on a chart. Divide the class into small groups and assign one of the jobs to each group. Ask group members to prepare a panel presentation explaining the best and worst parts of the job and present it to the class, using some sort of visual aid that illustrates key points, such as a chart or diagram. Hang their creations in a prominent place for everyone to read and think about. This activity teaches students that writing is a big part of most professions—a lesson they will come to learn on their own soon enough.

Developing the topic | Top-Ten List

Ask students to write a top-ten list of things every adult should know about middle school students. Encourage them to develop each point in a fun, truthful, and interesting way. Here are examples of 2 developed points:

We don’t like to be told what to do. But if you don’t tell us, we won’t do it. And even when you do tell us, many times we don’t do it unless you get mean about it. We’re kinda flakey.

Remembering to put our names on our papers is harder than being blindfolded and sending a text message with our thumbs.

Using details | Getting Into the Details Activity

Give students a general statement, such as “I love Friday,” and ask them to work with a partner to brainstorm at least 10 details that explain why Friday is their favorite school day. Have pairs share those details with the whole class and make one long list. Now ask students to select their favorite details, at least 5 but no more than 10, and choose the one they consider the most important. From there, have pairs write a paragraph describing all the great things about Friday, emphasizing one detail they feel is most important. When they’re finished, ask students to put their paragraphs on their desks and invite their classmates to walk about and read them. Later, discuss the techniques students used to focus the reader’s attention on one detail more than others.

The time you spend teaching students where ideas come from and how to develop them effectively is critical to their success as writers. Finding a topic, focusing it, developing it, and using precise details to support it is where the writing begins.

Learn more about the ideas trait and other traits critical to writing success with  Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School . You can purchase the book  here .

Online Middle School Writing Program

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What do you do when you have to teach writing, but you’re not sure how? You enlist the help of an online middle school writing program that makes it easy!

Middle School Research Paper Program

With the youngest being in 7th grade, finding a middle school writing curriculum that would compliment what she was already studying was paramount this year. We had heard of WriteAtHome but had never tried it before, so we were excited to partner with them to learn more about their Middle School Research Paper Writing Course .

What Makes the Writing Course Special

Teacher interaction.

Unlike a lot of online writing programs, the WriteAtHome course was centered around teacher interaction. And, for those of you who panicked reading teacher, let me assure you that they mean an independent teacher – not the homeschooling parent!

In fact, WriteAtHome takes a lot of pressure off of parents who are maybe not comfortable teaching structured writing or who are juggling teaching other children as well. It’s really nice to have that outside person giving suggestions and guiding the writing lessons.

Teachers communicate within the WriteAtHome portal through emails, so it is easy to see the communications. I also received a copy of the emails in my personal inbox so I did not have to worry about missing any. That was super helpful and saved a lot of time! You can customize your email alerts within the system to make sure you’re getting the notifications you need.

Weekly Assignments

While many online curriculums are self-paced, WriteAtHome’s Middle School Research Paper 8-week course was not. Each week students were assigned written lessons that spoke to the structure and outline of how to write a research paper. Those lessons then led to tasks that needed to be completed to stay on track for completion of the course.

For kids who need a lot of structure and families who like to adhere to firm deadlines, this works great as it lays out the week’s work for you. It is also helpful for those families who want to limit video time for their children as the lessons are all text and must be read.

The course is run through Canvas and it’s a great idea for even tech-savvy families to watch the introductory video before starting to know what to expect and how to use the Canvas platform.

Personalized Feedback on Writing

Instead of just guessing about the effectiveness of the paper, WriteAtHome’s course offers personalized feedback and encouragement. This gives students an understanding of how they did, where they can improve, and how to polish their papers so that they are the best final product possible.

As with all of their communication, the teachers are kind, compassionate, and encouraging when giving feedback so that students feel empowered to do their best. The fact that the comments are personalized makes it even more helpful.

A Serious Middle School writing program

Above all, WriteAtHome takes writing seriously and wants your kids too as well. It’s very classical in that sense and would be a great addition for families who follow a more structured approach to learning. Their writing programs, especially the Middle School Research Paper, are top-notch and definitely worth checking out .

Learn more about all of WriteAtHome’s programs and see why they may be a great fit for your homeschool curriculum !

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Complete Guide to Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Every Budget and Age

Looking for a homeschool writing curriculum that will educate and motivate your child to write with excellence?

It can be a hard road, Homeschool Mama!

Writing is one of the three core subjects (reading and math are the other two) that form the basis of a solid education – which is why it can be so stressful for the homeschooling parent!

We feel the pressure to develop strong writers, but we also want our kids to love writing. It can be hard to achieve both of those things.

Blessedly, there is a mountain of homeschool writing curriculum out there that can fit any homeschool style, education philosophy, budget, and family size!

This blog post is going to be your complete guide to the 12 best and most loved homeschool writing curriculums on the market.

Think of it as a one-stop-shop to explore curriculum you’ve heard of but don’t know that much about – or to discover new curriculum that is just right for your homeschool!

Enjoy and happy homeschooling!

Ultimate Guide To The 12 Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum Options

Below I have provided quick reference information for each curriculum in terms of grade level, materials needed, price, and details. 

Price is for new curriculum and according to prices available to me as I write this. 

1. IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing)

For Grades : 1st grade – 12th

What You Need : Teacher’s Guide and Student Book

Price : $55

Details About IEW:

This was the first homeschool writing curriculum that we tried, and I think it truly set an excellent foundation for my then 3rd grader. 

Our co-op at the time taught it every year, but I sat down and did the actual lessons and writing with her during the week. 

I loved that it did such a thorough job teaching kids how to put a keyword outline together for a structured, low-stress writing experience. As a writer myself, I understand how important an outline is to keep you organized and productive!

IEW is also very big on teaching vocabulary words and encouraging students to use more “interesting words” in their writing. To this day, my daughter still includes lots of adjectives and “strong verbs” in her writing because of her experience with IEW. She also carefully avoids using the “banned words” like “big” and “good” – why use those words when there are so many other more descriptive and colorful word choices out there!

Another fun part of IEW is that you can choose what theme you want your child to use for the year. For example, grades 3-5 can pick from “ Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales ,” “ Bible Heroes ,” “ Ancient History ,” or” All Things Fun and Fascinating .”

If you are looking to build a strong foundation in writing, I would recommend IEW for an excellent beginning. It was easy to teach, reasonably priced (definitely use the above links to check for used prices on Amazon), and solid.

I have not used the higher levels, but I have often heard it discussed as the gold standard for homeschool writing. 

Keep in mind that the IEW grammar program is sold separately.

2. BJU Writing & Grammar

What You Need : Teacher’s Guide and Student Workbook

Price : $110

Details About BJU Grammar and Writing:

BJU Writing & Grammar is the next writing program we tried. When our co-op shut down for the pandemic, I realized I was on my own for teaching writing.

We shifted gears to BJU Press because it bundled together grammar and writing, which would be a big time saver. 

My favorite thing about this homeschool writing curriculum is that it teaches the writing process perfectly. My then 4th grader learned the steps of Planning, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing – steps that she still uses today.

I loved that my kid was being taught to draft an entire piece in one day and that it didn’t need to be perfect! She could just pour out her thoughts on paper or “make the dough” as we called it. And then we would shape the dough during revising and editing later in the week.

This helped very much with her paralysis with writing, because she felt overwhelmed with it being perfect. 

She still uses these writing process steps for her writing today and I even still make her editing checklists similar to what the book had so she can edit her own work. 

I would strongly recommend BJU Grammar and Writing for strong grammar, time-saving, and high-quality writing.

3. Writing With Ease/Writing With Skill

For Grades : 1st – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Writing With Ease (elementary level) only requires a student workbook. Writing With Skill will require a student workbook and Instructor Text (teacher’s guide).

Price : $25 – $50

Details About Writing With Ease and Writing With Skill:

I love this super gentle writing curriculum from A Well Trained Mind and written by Susan Wise Bauer. 

I am on my second round of using Writing With Ease (the elementary level) with my younger children, and I absolutely recommend it as a beautiful introduction to writing. 

Every week I read sections of classic stories to my daughter and I ask her listening comprehension questions that she has to answer in full sentences. She thinks it’s just a fun story and talking time with mom, but there is a specific purpose. 

This process teaches her what a complete sentence is and what a fragment is – which is key information before you sit down to write.

There is also copy work of classic literature, grammar instruction, and writing original thoughts.

I haven’t used the next levels of this writing program from Susan Wise Bauer yet, but if this quote from The Well Trained Mind is any indicator, you need to check it out!

“We offer a variety of easy-to-use resources for teaching the vital skill of written communication. Our Writing With Ease series teaches elementary students how to transform thoughts into coherent paragraphs. Writing With Skill adds many other skills for middle and high schoolers, such as outlining, research, citation, and the construction of full-length essays in history, literature, science, and other subjects. The Creative Writer helps them write a best-selling novel that will get turned into a worldwide blockbuster movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which will enable them to support you in your old age.”

There are four levels of Writing With Ease and three levels of Writing With Skill . 

4. WriteShop

For Grades : K – 12th

What You Need to Buy : WriteShop Primary (ages 5-9) requires an activity pack and a teacher’s guide. WriteShop Junior (ages 8-13) can pick from a number of things or bundle them all together: activity pack, teacher’s guide, fold-and-go grammar guide, and time-saver pack. WriteShop 1 & 2 (Middle School/High School) requires a student workbook, teacher’s guide, and dictation/copy work guide.

Price : $41 – $110

Details About WriteShop:

WriteShop is a homeschool writing curriculum that I’ve had my eye on for a long time. In all of my homeschooling blogging circles, I seem to always hear buzz about how incredible this writing program is!

I have done some homework, and it is beautifully laid out, colorful, and so engaging from first sight. It is known for fun activities, engaging writing assignments, and its step-by-step, incremental approach to teaching writing skills.

And as an added bonus, WriteShop focuses on teaching the homeschool parent how to teach writing – in an easily understandable way.

The lower levels enjoy fun, hands-on writing activities to get kids excited about writing! I love that there are supply lists in the teacher’s guides (all regular things you’d have in the house) to teach a writing lesson! 

And the assignments would catch any kid’s attention: science fiction, adventure, and mystery story writing!

There are also additional resources on the website that you can use alongside WriteShop or as a writing supplement to your current curriculum. Check out StoryBuilders and Writing Prompts for some fun springboards for creative writing!

The higher levels allow students to work more independently, and there is even a video course offered.

It may be difficult to know which level you need to start with, so definitely check out the WriteShop placement test .

To find out more about Writeshop, head on over to their website or check out this full review from MeaningfulHomeschooling .

5. BraveWriter

What You Need to Buy : BraveWriter offers bundles of their curriculum that covers multiple kids, but they are very relaxed about what you “need.” It is cheaper overall to buy the bundle, but you can also just start out with one of their books, and go from there. Online classes are also offered. They are taught by homeschool parents, who are also published authors.

Price : $50 – $229 (bundle price)

Details About Brave Writer:

Brave Writer is definitely the most unique writing curriculum that I have researched yet.

This writing program was written by Julie Bogart, a homeschool mom who has 5 homeschool graduates to her credit. 

Brave Writer promotes a “Brave Writer Lifestyle” that focuses on raising kids in a language-rich environment where they will learn to not just be a good writer – but to love writing. There is a large focus on reading great books aloud and a weekly poetry tea time (I love that!), and less of a focus on structured lesson plans and “you have to write this many sentences.”

Parents are encouraged to purchase one bundle and adapt it to teach all the grades in their homeschool. That is a huge time saver!

Learn more at the Brave Writer website or check out this full review at This Simple Balance .

6. Wordsmith

For Grades : 4th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Each level only requires one book. Level 2 suggests buying a helpful teacher’s guide.

Price : $18

Details About Wordsmith :

Wordsmith is an economical homeschool writing curriculum from Janie B. Cheaney, a published author of six books. 

She provides a simple, easy-to-use curriculum that is broken up over three main books.

Wordsmith Apprentice (4th-6th grade) :

“All the practicality, humor and fun of Wordsmith, but written for the younger student, ages 9-12. An easy to use writing course encouraging students to develop their writing skills as they participate in every role on a newspaper staff: editor, reporter, writer, etc. Children develop a love for writing as they express themselves through sentence and paragraph writing, persuasive writing, and much more. The third edition has a larger font and cleaner type for easier reading. With added examples and delightful new illustrations, developing writing skills is made fun and easy.”

Wordsmith: Building Skills (6th-9th grade) :

“Confidence is what most young writers lack, and  Wordsmith   is designed to lead them to the place where they can read over their own work and think, “Hey—that’s pretty good!”  Wordsmith  is the core book in the series, the one that every student from age 12 and up should complete, especially if their writing skills lag behind the recommended level.”

Wordsmith Craftsman (9th-12th grade) :

Part Three of  Wordsmith Craftsman  is a master class on The Essay, pulling together thought, organization, logic, personal connection, and style.  A well-written essay is rightly considered the mark of an educated, thoughtful man or woman. A student will learn how to apply the TOWER process (Think, Organize, Write, Evaluate, and Rewrite) to a variety of essay types, namely  descriptive, narrative, expository, critical , and  persuasive . The expository section includes a primer on the all-important first step in writing research papers (which will save a lot of freshman-comp angst later!).

There are sample lessons for all three of their books. Hop on over to the Wordsmith website to check them out and see if this homeschool writing curriculum best fits your homeschool!

7. Clear Water Press

For Grades : 6th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Student Kit and matching DVD or Cloud Access

Price : $258 – $343

Details About Clear Water Press :

ClearWater Press is the perfect writing curriculum for aspiring authors! Students are taught this creative writing course through in-depth video lectures while they work on year-long writing projects.

Below are the details of their three main curriculum books.

Cover Story (6th-9th grade) :

“The  Cover Story magazine writing program works  with your student, not against them. Award-winning author Daniel Schwabauer takes 6th–9th graders on a creative journey writing their very own magazine through engaging videos. The optional grammar lessons make Cover Story a full English Language Arts!  Choose to watch Cover Story lessons on Cloud streaming or DVDs.”

One Year Novel (9th-12th grade) :

“Author Daniel Schwabauer takes 9th–12th graders under his wing to write their own compelling original novel—for a high school English credit! His unique approach begins where many writing courses don’t go at all, with an exploration of how Story works . A creative community and support resources help students thrive. Video lessons now available on Cloud streaming only.”

Byline Journalism and Essay Writing (9th-12th grade) :

“In the Byline journalism and essay writing program, students step into the role of a 1930s-era newspaper reporter, training under Editor-in-Chief Daniel Schwabauer, who takes them under his wings to teach them everything he knows. Before they even realize it, they master the dreaded high school essay! Choose to watch Byline video lessons on Cloud streaming or DVDs.”

Head on over the Clear Water Press website to find out more information and see sample lessons !

8. Writers in Residence: Apologia

What You Need to Buy : All in One Student Text and Workbook, answer key, additional workbooks for teaching more than one child

Price : $21 for one student

Details About Writers in Residence :

I have to be honest with you all, I had no idea that Apologia offered anything besides science! Apparently, they do offer a full language arts program through their Writers in Residence series!

I love that it is designed to be used with multiple children at the same time – a huge time and money saver for homeschoolers with multiple kids!

Your students will learn about everything from sentence structure to short stories to persuasive essay writing – all through a Christian worldview lens.

“Thorough and systematic, six units and twenty-four modules are included, with lively and colorful lessons building on previously-taught concepts, skills, and terms. The easy-to-use, “all-in-one” Student Text and Workbook features an engaging tone that’s written directly to the student. Each unit opener includes a focus on a Christian writer, unit overview, and rubric; units include models from professional writers for students to study and use as an inspiration for their own writing. Modules integrate clear, engaging instruction with sidebar notes and a variety of exercises. Assignments cycle through four types of writing tasks: I Remember: assignments focused on the personal narrative I Imagine: creative writing assignments such as short stories, poetry, and novels I Investigate: research skills assignments I Think: tasks that teach opinion and argument writing, including persuasive and argument writing”

To find out more, check out Rainbow Resource, Christianbook.com, or Amazon for reviews, sale prices, and more details!

What You Need to Buy : Student Text and Teacher’s Guide

Price : $45

Details About Jump In :

Jump In is a budget-minded homeschool writing curriculum focused on getting middle school students ready for the expectations of high school writing. It has a gentle, low-stress format that is focused on independent student writing.

“What to do when high school is just around the corner and your middle schooler HATES to write? Jump In: Middle School Composition covers all the basics needed for high school writing in an engaging fashion; humor sneaking in occasionally. Daily lessons will take 5 – 20 minutes to complete. Instruction is written directly to the student and sometimes involves Bible stories or characters. Lessons might start with 10-Minute Writing Plunges that are designed to engage reluctant writers or appeal to eager writers. Or the Plunges can be a break from other assignments or a course by themselves. Plunge prompts are given M-Th with no grading (or turning in). On Friday, the student chooses which one they like best, proofreads it, and gets it ready to hand in.

10. Essentials in Writing

For Grades : K-12th

What You Need to Buy : Student Workbook, Instruction Manual, and access to video lessons

Price : $69-$89

Details About Essentials in Writing :

Essentials in Writing is a video-based course that will take a lot of stress off the busy homeschool parent or the parent who is intimidated to teach writing. 

The format is rather simple. The student watches a video (DVD or streamed) and then completes the corresponding workbook pages. The parent is responsible to look over the work and discuss it with the child.

There are also fun hands-on activities, such as time capsules, that will get kids excited and engaged with the writing process. 

“Looking for a complete English course for all grade levels that is well organized, thorough in explanation, effective in teaching and easy to use in a homeschool or group setting? Then consider Essentials in Writing! Video instructor Matthew Stephens taught English at the elementary and high school levels for years, and he used his experience to good effect in authoring this course. Video lessons featuring Mr. Stephens are the essence of the course, with supporting workbook activities as follow-up. Mr. Stephens is doing the heavy lifting of presenting and explaining the material, leaving only clarification and follow-up questions to the home instructor. Lessons are presented in bite-sized chunks, so each day’s lesson features one main point. The quality of the video and audio is good, showing Mr. Stephens teaching in front of a classroom on a white board. For younger grades, the teacher and student would watch the videos together, then discuss to make sure that the student grasps the main ideas of the presentation. Students at more advanced grades can watch the videos on their own (as the instruction is always directed to the student), leaving only follow-up discussion of the material and assignment to the teacher. Of course, the instructor should preview the video material to ensure knowledge of the material and consistency of approach in working with the student.”

Check out the Essentials in Writing website for more information, sample lessons, and videos!

11. Writing Strands

For Grades : 5th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : One Student Book and One Teacher’s Guide (One teacher’s guide covers all 6 levels of Writing Strands)

Price : $40

Details About Writing Strands :

Writing Strands is a full language arts and writing curriculum from Master Books. It is a newly revised edition that has streamlined and improved on the older version.

The curriculum includes a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced level and has a Christian Worldview.

You will find clear daily schedules, opportunities for independent work, and writing lessons based on the analysis of literature and scripture.

Here is a snippet of the curriculum description for Writing Strands Book 2:

“This resource covers 180 days of instruction and includes a weekly lesson schedule, student worksheets, and an answer key for the objective questions in the reading lesson portion. Each week alternates between writing lessons and reading lessons; for their reading, students will read biblical passages as well as books chosen and assigned by the parent. A weekly lesson schedule is also included. This comprehensive approach will help students begin to develop a solid foundation in communication as they focus on basic, creative, organizational, and descriptive writing skills. This course alternates a week of writing exercises with a week of reading and discussing books and ideas.”

12. Writing & Rhetoric

For Grades : 3rd and up

What You Need to Buy : Student Edition and Teacher’s Edition

Price : $40 (for one semester)

Details About Writing and Rhetoric :

Writing & Rhetoric is an award-winning series of writing curriculum books.

Each book will only cover one semester, so if you stay on track, you will be doing 2 books per year.

Books 1-6 are for grades 3-6. Books 7-12 are marked for grades 6 and up. 

Here is a description of this overall curriculum:

“Writing needs to be taught just like any other subject, and letting students be ‘free’ to write without a model is often letting them jump in the deep end without learning to swim first! Writing & Rhetoric assumes students learn best by first reading excellent literature and then imitating those writers. Students who complete the entire program will learn to write narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive essays while developing their own unique style. Each exercise is designed to teach a skill that can be employed across all subjects. Skills are arranged from simple to complex, and the cumulative nature of each chapter reviews skills from earlier in the book, helping students to build a solid foundation of writing skills.”

Recap: Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum

I don’t know about you, Homeschool Mama, but it’s going to be very difficult to choose between all of these writing curriculums!

I do hope that you found a few that you want to research, dig deeper into, and hopefully use in your homeschool. 

Of course, this is not a complete list of all writing curriculum – I would need a whole book to write out everything that is out there!

Please drop a comment and share if you have a favorite writing curriculum that I didn’t list above!

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