Middle School Writing: History Projects

“Inventions become perfect by slow improvement, and each step is itself an invention.” —Joseph Jastrow

Looking to engage your kids in history in a new way?
Does your child have very specific likes and dislikes?
Can your child recite the names and features of every Nintendo system, American Girl doll, or item in the family fish tank?

In true Brave Writer® fashion, we’ve created a class to plug into what delights your kids and call it “school”!

We created Middle School Writing: History Projects so you could knock TWO subjects off your checklist: history and writing. This enchanting class will get your kids seeing these subjects in a whole new light.

Time for a blast from the past!

In Middle School Writing: History Projects, we’ll look at the history of one of your child’s favorite things. Everything can be traced back to its invention—an idea that entices students this age.

We ask them: where does that object come from? How did it get here? What’s the way we use it now, as opposed to ten years ago? Who started this craze?

We dig. We excavate. We explore!

This class walks your child through an entire history project about an invention in four weeks:

Week One: The Story of History We’ll begin by setting the stage for thinking about history, the Brave Writer® way. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t involve memorizing dates or facts!)

Week Two: The Story of an Invention Let’s choose a topic and hunt for more information. We’ll get curious about how this thing came to be!

Week Three: Forks, Branches and Roots It’s time to sort through all we’ve discovered! We’ll organize our research in a “family tree.”

Week Four: Timeline time! Final projects ahead! Students can use their timeline to show us the “WOW!” about their chosen invention.

Some of the benefits of this class include:

Repeat potential: Students learn the various steps involved in an investigative history project over a four week period. You can repeat the process again at home with a different topic!
Personal point of entry: We aim for the subject that appeals to your child. We don’t squash enthusiasm with boring topics and restrictive formats. Students get to reveal their love for their interests on the page.
Research skill building: This class gives students a chance to join the academic adventure by doing research using sources real historians use. We’ll also introduce the idea of citing sources.
Traditional elements, the Brave Writer® way: We provide a non-intimidating introduction to academic conventions like planning, revising, editing and formats.

For more information about how the classes are run, please read about online classes.

To explore our Brave Writer® classroom, click here to access a sample class.

Brave Writer® online classes are specially designed with the busy homeschooling parent in mind.

Class Structure Overview #

Class is held in a private discussion board with 20-25 other participants.
Class is asynchronous—you log in when it is convenient for you each day of the week at no specific time of day.
It is text-based—no video.
Student writing assignments are posted in a text box, published to the classroom, and all students are able to read student writing.
Class is a writing workshop format, with all coaching feedback available to be read by all families.
Class work, student writing, and coaching feedback can be downloaded and saved in a PDF format.

Class Length and Time #

Classes last anywhere from three to six weeks. We offer courses that address a specific writing need so that you can take the ones that suit your family throughout the school year. Short class sessions enable you to work around family vacations, out-of-town swim meets, recovering from wisdom teeth removal, and visits from grandparents. We operate on the quarter system, including a summer session. Our most popular classes repeat each quarter, while others are seasonal.

We operate "asynchronously" (which means that the discussion is not live, but that posted information remains available to you in your time zone at your convenience). Instructors check the classroom throughout the day to answer questions and give feedback on writing. Writing is done at home and then typed into the classroom, and shared with both the instructor and other classmates. You're not required to be online at any specific time of the day. We have students from all over the world participating in our classes so "live" discussion is impossible. Instead, the online classroom enables the instructor to post information and assignments when it is convenient to the instructor. Then, when it is convenient for you, you come to the classroom and read the latest postings.

Private Classroom Space #

Our classes meet in a customized online classroom, designed specifically to meet the needs of Brave Writer®. Only registered students and the instructor have access to the classroom to ensure your privacy. Assignments and reading materials are posted by Brave Writer® instructors each week (no additional supply fees necessary, unless otherwise indicated). Either you (homeschooling parent) or your child (homeschooling student) will visit the classroom daily at your convenience to read helpful information about the current topic or to find the writing assignment.

Instructor feedback to student writing is offered for all participants to read. Writing questions are welcomed and encouraged! That's the point of class. We aim to give you immediate support as you face writing obstacles.

Safe Community #

Brave Writer® takes seriously the need for encouragement and emotional safety in writing. No student is ever at risk of being humiliated or mistreated. All online dialogue is respectful and supportive of your child's process. This is the core of Brave Writer® philosophy. You can read about Brave Writer® values here.

What makes our program especially unique in the world of online education is that we value a corporate experience. Rather than teaching your child in a tutorial format, we prefer students to have the opportunity to both publish their work for an audience (other students) and also to have the chance to read other student writing. In no other setting is this possible. Schools-in-buildings rarely have students read each other's work. Homeschooled children are rarely in a classroom environment to begin with, so the opportunity to read peer-writing is nil.

Our classes provide an utterly unique experience in the world of writing instruction. Since most writers grow through emulation of good writing, it is a real advantage to Brave Writer® kids to get the chance to read the writing of their fellow home-educated peers. They love it! They get to examine and internalize other ways of writing, analyzing and expressing ideas similar to their own. They have the chance to validate and cheer on their peers. And of course, the best part of all is that they receive the praise and affirmation of kids just like them.

Not only that, all instructor feedback is posted to the classroom for all students to read. That means your kids get the benefit of instructor comments on many papers, not just their own. We've noted that this style of instruction is especially effective and hope you'll agree!

To explore our Brave Writer® classroom, click here to access a sample class.