COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course teaches students how to write a persuasive/argumentative, five-paragraph essay. It breaks the writing process down into five simple steps and offers a review of the fundamentals, which 95% of high school students need. It also teaches specific techniques at each step along the way, and points out common pitfalls and mistakes that students tend to make in the writing process. It is recommend for high school students as it places more emphasis on critical thinking, reasoning and argumentation, and less emphasis on the simple structural elements of a five-paragraph essay.
COURSE TIMING & RECOMMENDATIONS
Course Components and Duration:
- Access to one new lesson a day for five days
- Total video time: 2.5 hours
- One auto-graded quiz each day to test understanding
Recommended for:
- High school students
- Students who need a review of the fundamentals of essay writing
- Students who complain that they know how to write an essay but don't know what to write
- Students who want to transition from middle school writing to high school writing
- Middle school students who are already familiar with the five-paragraph structure and want to prepare for high school
Questions about the best option for your student? Email Ms. Finnigan at
[email protected]
She'll get back to you within 24 business hours.
CURRICULUM
Day 1: Identifying Your Purpose
Day 2: Writing a (good) thesis statement
Day 3: Brainstorming techniques that will keep your essay on track
Day 4: Organizing your ideas
Day 5: Drafting and formatting in accordance with MLA conventions
Hi, I'm Ms. Finnigan
I received my B.A. in English from Boston College and my M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. I have been teaching writing online to homeschoolers since 2008. For nine years I taught in the high school English and Literature Department at Kolbe Academy Online, a classical school for homeschoolers, where my students had to write eight papers a year in every class!
The problem was: I didn't have time to teach writing in my literature classes. So I had to figure out a very consolidated way to teach essay writing at the high school level.
My colleagues told me that they could easily identify which students had been through my classes because they were the best writers. One administrator told me that I was the best writing instructor their school had ever had!
I loved setting up my students for success in high school and beyond. I would love to do the same for yours!
Testimonial
Dear Ms. Finnigan,
I hope that you had a wonderful summer! I have been at Franciscan University for a few weeks now, and I am having a wonderful time! I wanted to let you know that earlier this week, I had the first draft of my English paper displayed on the large classroom screen for peer editing (and extra credit!), and as I was reading through it, my English teacher kept pausing me to point out to my classmates all the things that she loved about the paper. She did have some minor edits, but she was very impressed by the draft. Anyway, it made my day, and I figured I'd let you know about it because I know that I can trace a lot of the techniques that I used in that paper back to what you taught me in your class! Thank you for preparing me for the writing I've been doing here at college!
Sincerely, Rebecca
Email received September 2022
More Testimonials
"The 5 Day Essay Course by Ms. Finnigan was very helpful to me as a homeschool mom. I am glad we took a week out of our normal curriculum to devote to working on writing skills, because this course was succinct (about 30 minutes per day) but at the same time, thorough. My students learned a lot in a short amount of time and were able to improve their essay skills as well as writing in general after completing this course. I consider this time well spent and would recommend the course for grades six and up. Ms. Finnigan communicates so clearly that I feel younger students would benefit as well as high schoolers."
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"This class solidified the basics of essay writing. It was exactly what my son needed! Definitely worth the time!"
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"I liked the format and the techniques taught. I thought it was a very well thought out class. All the techniques were taught in a comprehensive way that helped to keep me organized. This class has improved my writing immensely."
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"I enjoyed watching the videos; you were very enthusiastic and fun in them!"
Purchase this class individually or in a bundle.
"Level Up" includes a course for parents on how to assign and grade high school essays. The "10-Day Camp" allows for submission of assignments and feedback from Ms. Finnigan.
