Course Offerings for the 2015-2016 School Year
Writing and Composition for Young Adults:
This course offers writing instruction that both encourages creativity and strong structural excellence. Students explore a variety of writing, including several essay styles, reports, fiction, and poetry. Students practice more advanced compositional techniques, including crafting theses, organizing and developing ideas, implementing transitions, and writing with artistry and detail. Students learn to edit their writing through self-assessment and assess peer writing in an encouraging manner. Students write about both history and literature studies in this course. The literature selections emphasize critical analysis of literary elements including worldview issues through themes, characters, symbolism and authors’ lives. Students receive a high level of feedback on each step of the writing process.
This course is designed for 7th-10th- grade students who can write a paragraph and understand basic sentence construction. A placement test is available.
When: Tuesdays 8:45-10:45 at my home, I will give any students in this class and also in Paula Domermuth’s Tues/Thurs 11:00 Algebra 1 class a ride to her home. She lives 1 mile from me.
Resources needed: Writing Aids
Writing prompts may be altered for any history and literature curriculum.
Fee: $250/semester plus a one-time $25 copy fee. This includes weekly editing and feedback.
Click to see a sample of my editing and a sample grading rubric
Because I will provide a high level of feedback each week and this course is in my home, space is limited to twelve students. To reserve a place for your child, please email me at tina@thejobes.com
Literature Studies for Young Adults: The Ancient World
This course will cover young adult literature that represents in chronological order the cultures and worldviews of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, India, China, South America, Greece, and Rome. It will emphasize worldviews, exposure, and analysis from a Biblical perspective. It will also emphasize literary analysis skills. Students will receive weekly homework and discussion grades.
This course is designed for 7th to 9th- grade students. If paired with writing and/or grammar, it constitutes a full English credit for high school.
When: Thursdays, 12:30-1:30 at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Thoughtful Thursdays cooperative
Resources needed: Literature Studies for Young Adults complete student workbook
Book List:
Tales of Ancient Egypt
Gilgamesh the Hero
The Bible
Sons of Encouragement
Twenty Jataka Tales
The Chi’lin Purse
The Well of Sacrifice
Black Ships Before Troy
The Wanderings of Odysseus
Hittite Warrior
God King
Victory on the Walls
The Aeneid for Boys and Girls
The Eagle on the Ninth
The Bronze Bow
Fee: $95/semester for literature class and discussions. For students who wish to add the writing component, I am happy to assign literature essays, edit, and provide weekly feedback for an additional fee of $75/semester ($5/week or assignment.) Please note that students will not receive detailed instruction on the writing process in class. However, students who have previous writing experience should be able to complete assignments at home without difficulty.
Students enrolled in my Tuesday writing course may add literature studies for a reduced fee of $75/semester.
Click to view a sample of my editing and a grading rubric.
To register for this class, please email me at tina@thejobes.com
Analytical Grammar:
In this course, students will complete the study of grammar in one school year. Students will learn the parts of speech, parts of the sentence and the basics of sentence diagramming during the first 10 weeks. They then will learn all phrases and clauses and lastly, all the rules of punctuation and usage. The curriculum contains 36 weeks of instruction. In order to complete the course, we will meet at my house two Thursdays in August, December and May.
Students must be willing to spend about 30 minutes a day on grammar homework and tests. Students will receive weekly homework checks and graded tests.
This class is perfect for students in 8th grade and up or for advanced 7th graders.
When: Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 at Mount Vernon Thoughtful Thursday Cooperative
Fee: $95/semester plus a one-time $20 fee for incentives and additional handouts, transparencies, etc
Students taking both Literature Studies and Analytical Grammar may deduct $15 from fees for a total of $175/semester for both classes or $250/semester for both classes with the writing component.
Resources needed: Analytical Grammar student and teacher book:
To register for this class, please email me at tina@thejobes.com
Editing, Tutoring, and Grading Services:
If your child needs one-on-one instruction to learn grammar, structure composition, or improve sentence structure, I am available for private tutoring for $25/hour.
I also edit and communicate via email for $2.50/ double-spaced page with a minimum price of $5.00.
I will edit and provide rubrics for any writing assignment. This is ideal for students following a writing curriculum at home but in need of encouragement and feedback.
Click to see a sample of my editing or a grading rubric
To read some completed short stories, please see Tapestry historical fiction 20th century short stories. More will be added shortly.
About me:
I graduated summa cum laude with a degree in elementary education from Asbury University in 1993 and taught for several years in the public school system before receiving my real education – becoming a mother! For fourteen years, it has been a joy to educate my children at home. My oldest daughter, Anna, graduated in May ’14 and is pursuing a nursing degree at Belhaven University. My second daughter, Christina, graduated in December ’14 and is pursuing a degree in elementary education at Appalachian State University. Bethany and Nathan, sophomores, are dual-enrolled in our homeschool and Caldwell Community College. I continue to homeschool Sarah (12) and Esther (7). While I enjoy teaching most subjects, language arts are my favorites. I am a certified teacher with the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a curriculum advisor for Tapestry of Grace. For the past six years, I have enjoyed teaching middle and high school grammar and composition privately and through the Tapestry of Grace and Thoughtful Thursday cooperatives.
