Grading and Writing Service

Note: The schedule listed above is the Office Hours schedule. Students are not required to attend.

For the particular academic year for which the student is enrolled in this service, each will receive personalized grading for four Old Western Culture exams, and grading on four papers written throughout the year.

To receive credit, each quarter, students must attend one conference and submit one well-written essay that meets the teacher's criteria. If students need additional help beyond the conference, the teacher will respond to emails and be available during weekly office hours, which are optional to attend. Parents should inform the teacher if they want students to take the quarterly exams.

Writing in the first semester will focus on producing two shorter essays (750-1000 words) and honing skills in advancing and defending a thesis statement.

The second semester’s writing will focus on two longer papers (1,200 - 1,500 words) written in two stages, the rough draft and the final draft. Each student will develop a thesis around something they are studying in the student’s current year of Old Western Culture.

The advisor will advise the student through each stage of the writing process for each paper, and be available for questions and advice during virtual office hours throughout the school year. At the end of the year, the advisor will assign each student a grade for the course based on the four papers and the four exams.

No writing experience or prerequisite course necessary. Though this is not a class unto itself, our tutor is more than happy to answer questions and work with students to give advice and feedback tailored to their level of experience.

Note: This course is much easier if students already know how to type. Handwritten work is acceptable if it is neat, double-spaced, has margins on both sides of the paper, and is easily legible. If writing by hand, the student will need to be willing to write and re-write multiple drafts. Typing and basic computer literacy will be a real time-saver.

Objectives

Students will grow their writing skills, including practice in:

• selecting a topic
• developing a thesis statement
• writing a rough draft
• polishing a final draft
• creating academic citations and bibliographies

Recommended Text

The following text is suggested for use as a secondary source when writing research papers that rely on sources outside your Old Western Culture readings.

• Invitation to the Classics - by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness