Essay writing help

[catholicmonarchistmom]

Can anyone tell me the secret to writing a good essay. This would be an essay on a required reading book for the eighth grade. I am especially interested in learning how to write analysis on the author's use of literary elements. Is there a good source for the homeschooling mother to bone up on these skills? My 1970's public school education is woefully inadequate for keeping up with some of these basic skills in a good Catholic education. It has been sad for me to realize that even though I was considered an "average" student in school, the public schools even then were light years behind the kind of education available through Seton or Our Lady of Victory. It leads me to not trust myself at times when teaching my children.

 

Thanks and God Bless,

Dawn

[introibo]

Although my kids like to do creative writing type stuff, I was woefully negligent in getting them to do book reports and such analytical stuff.  This came home to me when my oldest daughter got to high school.  She is now doing Kolbe Academy homeschool.  For book reports, I have her take one aspect of the book - perhaps one of the characters - and say how that character changed throughout the book, or what aspect of that character's personality particularly struck her as interesting, annoying, etc.  It took a year of book reports which were basically 3/4 rehashing of the book's subjects matter and 1/4 of what I really wanted to get her to keep the plot summary to a minimum and do the analysis.

I think the idea of analyzing literary elements is a bit above the level of an eighth grader...unless your eighth grader is quite advanced.

Christina

[DominusTecum]

Oh, I don't know.... in 9th grade in Public school we were doing that kind of analysis of literary devices and stuff. Granted, it was an advanced class, but I imagine that a homeschooled 8th grader could at least attempt something like that.

[catholicmonarchistmom]

I think that is it. I need to make certain we don't rehash the story and just analize. I was looking at the 7th grade Voyages in English got a clearer idea. At least I hope. Sometimes I think something to death and don't know where to start on things.

[Extraecclesiamnullasalus]

we did that stuff in eigth grade. and now we are doing it in ninth grade as well.
 

[Sophia]

I'd be interested in more information as well.  My oldest is only 5th grade, so I'm not there yet- I don't have any advice.  I do really like the Voyages in English though.  I tried something else again this year, only to return to the Voyages. 

 

I wonder if Marybonita has seen this post yet.

[Trevor]

The easiest way to write book reports, get good grades on them, and  actually(maybe) learn more about the book is to write about the  symbolism. Almost every books uses it in some way. Everything always  has a deeper meaning, the write is always trying to say something.  Teach your kid to figure out what that is, what is the purpose of the  book. Anyways, thats what I always did in school, and I hope to be an  english teacher someday.