Each session, 5000 Words culminates with a peer-judged writing contest. Our last few classes are devoted entirely to workshops, which are the faves of mine and my students. After surviving the gauntlet of peer critique (in which the writer must remain absolutely silent), students polish and edit their stories to a brilliant shine. Why silent, …
Tag: homeschool
Announcing the Winners of the 5000 Words Creative Writing Contest
It was during my 5000 Words Writing Class that I first heard the news about my brain tumor. I'd be lying if I said it was easy to focus during the weeks leading up to my surgery. I let some things go, like this announcement. The stories that follow were written by my students, all …
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5000 Words Fall 2018 Short Fiction Winners!
The 5000 Words Fiction Contest is the culmination of our fall class. Students write stories of at least 1000 words, workshop, edit, and post the final drafts to their WordPress sites. Then the students anonymously judge the stories. All I do is tally them! 🙂 As part of our in-class time, students journey through a …
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Fearful, Tearful, Weirdful, and Rise
Fear. I wish I could cut it from my soul with a scissors. I wish I could lay on a comfy couch, talk its existence into oblivion, then charge myself $100/hour. I'd collect my fees and go on a vacation to the beach. I have an active imagination, so I fear things most people haven't …
Getting to the Whole Story: An Example from my Son
School started today, to my son's horror. We're finishing our history curriculum from last year because I went through K-12 never learning anything after WWII because we always ran out of school year before we ran out of boring textbook. A History of US is one of my favorites because it's a comprehensive, source-driven look at …
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5000 Words Writing Competition: Everyone Wins.
And not just in the sense of participation trophies. Everyone wins because they become confident and robust writers who don't shrink at the idea of putting their minds on the page. 5000 Words develops excellence in writing by combining the following elements: Read quality literature and analyze its structure, themes, and content. (Most recently The …
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W is for Writing Class, 5000 Words Style
As soon as I had an open room (Katae went to college), I began teaching a writing/literature class in my home. I called it 5000 Words because I promised the students would write a minimum of 5000 words over a six-week period and that they would do it with a smile. My credentials were a …
H is for Homeschooling
H has to stand for homeschooling because we've been doing this gig for seventeen years. When we got on the homeschool road it was legal, but it was something only weirdos did. For us it was a grand experiment and had all the attendant insecurity of such. Now homeschooling is like breathing. The year we …
Don’t Want to Forget: Garbage Sentences
"See, Mom." Gabe said as he handed me his grammar sentences, "They're not garbagy three-word sentences." "What's that?" I asked. "You know. Like you said before: 'garbagy three-word sentences.' These are definitely not that." I looked at his sentences. They were indeed lovely. Gabe writes sentences every day for several subjects: spelling (when he gets …
The Raw Homeschool Mom, My eBook
One of my goals last summer was to publish an eBook. I did it this summer-- better late than never. Were I not the perfectionist I am, it wouldn't have been all that monumental a task, but I am the queen of revisions. I read and re-read, suddenly hating this or that, spending hours and hours …
KL Griffiths 