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Once I talked on the Language Lady Facebook page about how many times I had said “A paragraph is a unit of thought” in three days of teaching. (Too many to count!) And promised a post about designing paragraphs, paragraph breaks, and general paragraph help. Here you go!

Dividing paragraphs is one of the most challenging aspects of writing for young writers and adults alike (along with many other challenging aspects!). That is why when people who do not write a lot write a full page with no paragraph breaks. That is also why middle school writers start writing and have no idea when to indent–so they randomly pick a spot (“Hmmm….looks like I’ve written enough to change paragraphs now…”) and indent.

While paragraph division isn’t always simple to determine (I admit to looking at a lengthy paragraph and thinking those middle school thoughts myself at times!), there are some tips that can make the process easier.

1. Think of the “main idea.”

Remember all of those achievement tests that had you color in the little oval for a reading selection’s main idea? Well, turns out that is actually a skill you might need!

When you are writing (assuming you don’t have an amazing outline to write from–see next item!), ask yourself what the main idea of the paragraph you are writing is? Then keep writing until you start writing something that is not about that main idea!

I know that sounds simplistic, but it truly is the way to determine paragraph breaks–because, as I mentioned earlier–a paragraph is a unit of thought. When that thought changes, you should change paragraphs. Then you have a new “main idea” of the paragraph.

2. Write from an outline.

I know, outlines are for people who have more time than you have. However, if you want to write clear, concise paragraphs, you should learn to outline. (Stay tuned to Language Lady. I will teach you how to outline painlessly. Honest!)

In the fifty curriculum books that I have written over the past dozen years, every single writing project I have created has a student commit to the paragraph’s topic in an outline before anything else. I use dozens of outlining techniques in my books–Paragraph House for second graders, split paper technique for comparing/contrasting writing, formal outline for research papers, scene outlines for stories. But every type of outline I teach has one common characteristic: the Topic of Paragraph line.

When you create a paragraph-by-paragraph outline, you learn to write strong paragraphs without even realizing that you are learning to write strong paragraphs. Why? Simply because you are committing to what each paragraph will contain right off the bat. And you are forced to change paragraphs (start a new one) at the right time. Try it!

3. A paragraph generally contains three or more sentences.

I say generally because nowadays, especially on blog posts and inspirational writing, this rule of thumb is broken all the time. However, for those in school turning in reports and essays, it is still an important rule of thumb.

A paragraph might contain three or four sentences, or might contain eight or nine, but generally, a paragraph of fewer than three sentences is not truly a paragraph. And a paragraph of twelve sentences probably needs to be broken into two paragraphs (with the first paragraph being Part I of the topic and the second paragraph being Part II of the topic!).

This rule of thumb is a help to a new writer on the shorter end of the spectrum. A new writer needs to know that he can write three or four sentences for a paragraph, and it will still be a paragraph. (Let’s give those new writers every break we can!)

4. Teach very new writers to write the “paragraph is a unit of thought” way by having them write on a subject with clear paragraph topics.  

I know some of you adults are tuning me out here, and I understand! Language Lady has a diverse audience of adults who want to know where to put commas in and how to speak and write eloquently in the work place to teachers and homeschooling parents and students! So I will try to give you a little of everything!

In this instance, though, if you are a parent or a teacher (or both), this little tip can really help your young writers. (I’m all about making learning easier for young ones!) In my younger books, I like to expand from one paragraph writings to multi-paragraph writings by taking a topic that is simple to divide: Three Best Pets, Four Great Presidents, Five Zoo Animals.

By making the paragraph breaks so obvious, a new writer can’t go wrong! He is not going to write about cats in his dog paragraph. In this way, it is really like writing three one-paragraph reports and “squeezing” them together. It starts new writers out in a fool-proof method–and gives them immediate success.

So whether you are a teacher instructing a little guy in his first two

-paragraph essay or a college student writing eighteen pages of a final

research paper, always keep in the forefront of your mind that a paragraph is

a unit of thought. (And don’t forget to outline!) Smile…)

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We are expanding our private tutoring and small summer classes at Character Ink! We have more availability now–and in five subject areas:

1) Writing–sentence, paragraph, report, essay, story writing; all levels; Directed Writing Approach to get non-writers writing immediately! Taught by a writing curriculum author of over 100 books totaling over 50,000 pages!
2) Math–from elementary through twelfth grade….your curriculum or one of our choice; remedial, brush up, SAT prep, and more. Taught by a math professional (former CPA and CMA).
3) Reading–from first grade and up; phonics, reading comprehension, reaching reading fluency, and more. Taught by curriculum author, elementary education degree and master’s work in Reading Specialist.
4) Grammar/Usage–taught in conjunction with writing or alone; parts of speech; punctuation; editing; spelling/structural analysis; and more. Taught by curriculum author and experienced teacher of over 100 students each year in grammar and writing for over 20 years.
5) Science–elementary through high school–basic science, earth science, physics, biology, advanced biology, chemistry; taught by experienced science teacher who has taught all of these subjects to many small groups for over 15 years and is a math professional.

Here is what I am offering so far in small groups and what times Ray has available for private kids. Please note that if I have three or more students interested, I can add an online class or face-to-face class to my schedule pretty easily, so check out my Meaningful Composition samples if you are considering a quick summer writing class for your students!

TWO SUMMER SESSIONS

First Session: Week of June 4, 11, 18, 25, and July 2

Second Session: Week of July 15, 22, 29; August 5, August 12

Ray’s Availability: Any week day or week night in SW Fort Wayne; some Bluffton/Ossian openings here and there; Saturday mornings in SW FW

Donna’s Private Availability: Mondays; Tuesday all day and all evening; some Thursday openings

Private Costs: Private tutoring for Ray and/or Donna is $30 for a 55 minute hour for once a week; $25 for a 55 minute hour for students who come twice a week (or one session with Donna and one with Ray). Students may miss one out of every tutoring session during the summer sessions without penalty (must attend 4/5 or 8/10 total private sessions). More than one miss per session requires a make up session or a payment. (These are summer guidelines only.) We always prefer to make up sessions whenever possible.

Donna’s Online or Face-to-Face Summer Classes—Tuesdays—(Minimum student count must be met)

First Summer Session: Tuesdays, June 5, 12, 19, 26, and 7/3

Second Summer Session: Tuesdays, July 17, 24, 31, and 8/7
*Complete Language Arts remediation for 4th-8th grade students who have not written three or more paragraph reports and essays—Tuesdays 12:00 SW Fort Wayne (We will use CQLA Level A for this class; one month samples are available at the store.) CQLA Summer Cost: $15 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $10 per each five week session for their book.

*High School Writing/Remediation—grades 7th-12th who have not written four paragraphs or more of all types of writing with quotes, persuasion, and more (Jump Start book)—Tuesdays 1:30-2:45 (This is also excellent preparation for jumping into CQLA or Meaningful Composition classes in the fall!) Writing Summer Cost: $10 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $15 per each five week session for their book.

*You Choose! –I would love to add an online class or a different in-person class to my line up this summer—check out the MC books at the store to choose a book for your student or group, and I will plan around you! (Note that this year’s in-person writing classes by Donna will be High School Essay in the first semester and Four Research Reports second semester; Jump Start is a wonderful way to get your upper level high schoolers ready for these two classes. Or we could do a creative writing class this summer if I had enough interest!) Writing Summer Cost: $10 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $15 per each five week session for their book.

Call or text today for more information or to sign up! Decisions as to which classes will run will be made by June 1st and will be based on class enrollment. Donna at 260-433-4365.

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I know that title is a lot cheerier than most people are when they think of Summer School. However, I want to help you look at Summer School in a little more positive light. It CAN be an opportunity to catch up on missed skills, reinforce what was just learned, or prep for the upcoming school year. It CAN be an opportunity to focus on one area of academics instead of several. It CAN be an opportunity to grow your student in an area of interest. It CAN be a great opportunity!

My teaching load is way lessened in the summer (especially this summer since I am also starting to teach Intermittent Fasting online!), but I still have a day or two in which I offer remediation classes and private tutoring. (They are never called remediation classes outside of the sign up!)

Additionally, Ray is offering a few private slots middle school/high school math and science areas. For example, he is adding one student starting in April who is behind on chemistry and wants to finish the course strong before starting school in the fall (i.e. not carrying it over). He also has some SAT/ACT math prep students in the spring and summer. His degree is in accounting. (He was a CPA before he went into a plant setting and got involved in production and materials.) However, his real “claim to fame” in teaching has been teaching speech, debate, economics, biology, chemistry, physics, and 5th-12th grade math to our own kids as well as hundreds of kids in our cottage classes.

So…..if you are considering summer school and want a little help, we’d love to help you! We are offering two 5-week sessions—students can do one or both with one non-paid miss per session (due to vacations and busy-ness of summer).

Here is what I am offering so far and what times Ray has available for private kids. Please note that if I have three or more students interested, I can add an online class or face-to-face class to my schedule pretty easily, so check out my Meaningful Composition samples if you are considering a quick summer writing class for your students!

TWO SUMMER SESSIONS

First Session: Tuesday, June 5, 12, 19, 26, and July 3

Second Session: Tuesday, July 10, 17, 24, 31, and August 7

Ray’s Availability: Any week day or week night in SW Fort Wayne; some Bluffton/Ossian openings; Saturday mornings in SW FW

Donna’s Private Availability: Monday morning; Tuesday all day and all evening; some Thursday openings

Private Costs: Private tutoring for Ray and/or Donna is $30 for a 55 minute hour for once a week; $25 for a 55 minute hour for students who come twice a week (or one session with Donna and one with Ray). Students may miss one out of every session during the summer sessions without penalty. More than one miss per session requires a make up session or a payment. (These are summer guidelines only.) We always prefer to make up sessions whenever possible.

Donna’s Online or Face-to-Face Summer Classes—Tuesdays—(Minimum student count must be met)

• Complete Language Arts remediation for 4th-8th grade students who have not written three or more paragraph reports and essays—Tuesdays 12:00 SW Fort Wayne (We will use CQLA Level A for this class; one month samples are available at the store.) CQLA Summer Cost: $15 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $10 per each five week session for their book.

• High School Writing/Remediation—grades 7th-12th who have not written four paragraphs or more of all types of writing with quotes, persuasion, and more (Jump Start book)—Tuesdays 1:30-2:45 (This is also excellent preparation for jumping into CQLA or Meaningful Composition classes in the fall!) Writing Summer Cost: $10 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $15 per each five week session for their book.

• You Choose! –I would love to add an online class or a different in person class to my line up this summer—check out the MC books at the store to choose a book for your student or group, and I will plan around you! (Note that this year’s in-person writing classes by Donna will be High School Essay in the first semester and Four Research Reports second semester; Jump Start is a wonderful way to get your upper level high schoolers ready for these two classes. Or we could do a creative writing class this summer if I had enough interest!) Writing Summer Cost: $10 per week for a minimum of four weeks each session (preferably all five weeks); plus $15 per each five week session for their book.

Call or text today for more information or to sign up! Decisions as to which classes will run will be made by May 15th and will be based on class enrollment. Donna at 260-433-4365.

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When I post a live video of one of my writing classes on Facebook, I always get those same questions: When will you offer classes for people who don’t live near you? Are you going to be having online classes soon? And I keep saying “soon”! Well, soon is now here. We are officially having our very first LIVE online writing class (remedial writing, of sorts). I will enumerate the details below.

1. Class:

Remedial Writing for 7th through 12th grade students who have not learned how to write four paragraphs or more—or who want to learn my approaches (Sentence-by-Sentence Outlining, Checklist Challenge, Writing Boxes, 3 P’s of Persuasion, Overview Source in Research, and more!) in order to complete other books or classes that we offer. At the end of this class, your student will be able to move into any book in the Meaningful Composition series at or above his grade level. (I have twenty-two total books in this series!)

Note: The class will never be called remedial or remediation outside of this blog post and my ad. From here on (and in class), this class will be called Jump Start Writing.

2. Book:

Meaningful Composition Bonus Book: Jump Start! (Or Jump Start for short!) This book spans fifth through tenth grade writing projects incrementally, covering essays, stories, research reports, and much more. It also covers our Checklist Challenge, Writing Boxes, Creating and Writing From a Sentence-by-Sentence Outline, punctuation and usage, and way more! (See the Table of Contents and Skills Included list below!)

3. Semester Details:

The semester will begin on Thursday, August 31st and run up to and including December 14th for a total of sixteen weeks. We should be able to cover 3/4 of the book in that time frame with students meeting for sixty to ninety minutes a week with me online and completing 45 minutes of homework per day on their non-class week days. The book is sixteen weeks long; we should use at least thirteen of the weeks of the book, based on abilities and ages of students enrolled.

4. Students:

This class is open to anyone in the age range and ability level listed in #1. Students who have not learned the basics of sentences and paragraphs are probably not candidates for this class. The class will be divided into Basic and Extension, so younger students (or those with less writing experience) will have fewer assignments and fewer paragraphs/expectations than older or more experienced students.

5. Student Expectations:

Students will be expected to attend class every Thursday morning 11:00 to 12:00 Eastern time unless arrangements are made ahead of time for the student to watch the recording. (Parents should discuss this with me when enrolling; we want the class to be live so watching recordings will be a last option for necessary misses only.) Students will be expected to complete the homework assignments each week and scan/email their rough draft papers to me for editing and grading as assigned.

6. Parent Expectations:

Parents should watch the Create and Write From a Sentence-by-Sentence Outline and How to Complete the Checklist Challenge videos (you will be given access to the videos and documents upon enrolling in the class) so that they can grade their student’s outlines and Checklist Challenges. The only grading that will be done by the instructor for this class is editing and grading of rough draft papers (before or after the Checklist Challenge is done but before the final copy is created). These videos are under 90 minutes total and will be available as part of the class for the first four weeks of the class. Final grades will not be given, but parents may use the edits and grades from the student’s papers for overall grading purposes, as needed.

7. Materials:

You will be emailed a PDF of the book and will be expected to print this book and three-hole punch it for your student. Each student needs their own book in a three-ring binder. Additionally, students will need a medium set of highlighters (more than four colors), sticky notes, and a thesaurus (or online thesaurus).

8. Cost:

The class fee is $10 per week, $15 PDF fee (for your student use only), and $10 semester charge for our printing and outside editor per student. That is a total of $185. This is payable in three payments: $85 on or before August 24; $50 October 1st; $50 December 1st. You may mail checks or pay via PayPal at characterinklady@gmail.com PayPal address.

9. Class Size:

We will need at least six people in order to run this class with my assistant and outside editor help. We will limit the class to ten people total. If you have a small group of students who want to do the class together, please call me right away to make these arrangements (260-433-4365).

10. Book Samples:

The Jump Start book has been tested over six semesters and will be ready for publication the first of September (at the stores). Therefore, we do not have samples of the book at the store yet. However, you may see the types of projects and layouts of the lessons by checking out the sample lessons in Meaningful Composition 5 I through Meaningful Composition 8 I here.

11. Video Needs:

Your student will need to be able to be on a device or computer (preferably not a phone) on the app called Zoom. I will teach there live and will have screen sharing capabilities should I need to show any part of my book to students. This app is free for attendees.

12. Registration:

To register, email me at characterinklady@gmail.com with your student’s name, grade, address, email that you check frequently, and two phone numbers, if possible. Please also include parents’ names, any info you want me to know, and which number may be used for texting. Call with questions: (260-433-4365).

Love and hope,

Useful links 🙂

Jump Start Table of Contents

Jump Start Skills List

Live Video Lesson: Paragraph Breaks with Train Analogy

Live Video Lesson: Research Report Lesson

Meaningful Composition SALE!

Use coupon code MC10 to get $10.00 off any Meaningful Composition book through the month of August!

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We are happy to announce our class line up for the next school year at three of our four locations/days! (The fourth day/location is Joshua teaching at a co-op in Churubusco, Indiana.)

Please get your forms in by July 1st as we decide which classes to add or subtract based on enrollment at that time. If you are registering after July first, please call to see if there are still slots available (260.433.4465).

All of the info about each class is on the info sheets, and the registration forms are also given below.

This fall we will be adding a few live video writing classes for those who cannot make our live classes. There are limited spots for these since we will only have a few to begin with. If you have been blessed by our life classes and have family and friends outside of the FW area, we would love for you to forward them this email and/or the links to the blog post to help us grow our online classes.

Feel free to call anytime with questions. Thank-you for your support of Character Ink Cottage Classes!

Character Ink Cottage Classes Description PDF (click here)

Character Ink Cottage Classes Registration Form PDF (click here)

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Alright, Fort Wayne area peeps! We are ready for you!

If you are not a FW area peep, don’t close your computer ‘coz we are going Live on the Internet!

Yep, we are still having all of our classes in our four locations (our three, plus Joshua’s Columbia City/Churubusco co-op gig). But in addition to those, we will be rolling out our new Live Internet classes for three sections in the fall. (Do you want to be our guinea pigs???? 🙂 )

Check our class offerings and our fun video showing what we do for homeschoolers! We love our students!!

Download 2017-2018 Class Descriptions here.

Download 2017-2018 Class Registration Form here.

The post 2017-2018 Character Ink Cottage Class Offerings! appeared first on Character Ink.

Ray and Donna Reish Private Tutoring Offerings (Character Ink Press)

My husband and I are expanding our tutoring offerings for the summer (and adding our daughter-in-law!)

What (Donna): Private tutoring in complete language arts for grades two through twelve; reading/phonics/comprehension for young readers/struggling readers; writing (all grades including persuasive essays and research reports for college-bound kids!).

What (Ray): All high school sciences (including labs); math up through Algebra II and Geometry (including elementary and middle school); economics, accounting, etc.

What (Maelynn): Elementary teacher, Maelynn Reish, is also offering reading, language arts, and math for all grades—and she can come to you! OR you can sign up for a language arts or writing and math double hour with Donna and Maelynn (call early for this arrangement!).

How: We can either do “help” with subjects that the student is already doing or we can take the student through a semester (or year if continuing into the school year) of a subject in a private or small group setting (i.e. a semester of research report writing or a year of chemistry over a year).

Where: Mostly our home in SW Fort Wayne (near Homestead High School), but Ray also teaches in Bluffton during his lunch hour or before/after work (in library or at his plant).
Donna is also offering one or two Live Video sessions for private tutoring in writing and/or language arts this summer—so contact her quickly for this option!

When: Donna has two days a week set aside for summer private students and/or small groups (see below); I can also do an evening or Saturday when needed.
Ray teaches during the day in Bluffton and evenings (starting at 4:00) and Saturdays in our home.

Materials: Donna uses mostly the books she has written with some other reading materials thrown in; Ray uses Apologia for his science classes and Teaching Textbooks for math small groups; both will use whatever you are using for “supplemental” tutoring; Maelynn will use our books or yours!

Small Group Classes by Donna This Summer*:

Thursdays

9:00-10:15—Remedial Writing for Junior High and High School

10:15-11:30— Language Arts for Elementary and Middle School Students (CQLA Level A)

11:30 to 1:30—Private Tutoring Slots

1:30-2:30—Junior High and High School Creative Writing OR High School Essay (based on interest)

2:30 to 5:30—Private Tutoring Slots

*We can arrange for double math and language arts/writing hours with Donna and Maelynn if you contact us early!

Price: Private Tutoring Sessions—

• $28 per hour for once a week; $21 per forty-five minutes once a week (for younger kids)
• $25 per hour for twice a week; $21 per forty-five minutes for twice a week meetings
• Summer Classes—$10 per session (must commit to five out of a six week session) plus materials

Expectations: Summer homework is half that of the academic year, but there is still 90 minutes of homework per week for classes

Contact Info: Email, call, text, or FB message! 260-433-4365

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With the addition of live video Cottage Classes to our line up next year and the completion of the Meaningful Composition and Write On writing series recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my books.

Technically, my books can be broken down into four categories:

1) Complete language arts for second through twelfth grade Christian homeschooling families and Christian schools–Character Quality Language Arts (CQLA). Twelve print books of 1200 to 1600 pages each (worktexts). We use these in our full language arts Cottage Classes.

2) Composition/writing only for second through twelfth grade Christian homeschooling families and Christian schools–Meaningful Composition (MC). Twenty-two print books of 350 to 500 pages each (worktexts). We use these in our writing/composition Cottage Classes.

3) Write On! (based on books/movies)…Mowgli, Peter Pan, Beauty and Beast for second through twelfth grade homeschoolers, Christian schools, and public schools. Fifteen books available in print and downloadable formats. These are also worktexts. We have been testing these in our Cottage Classes as well (and many of these projects are also in MC books).

4) Downloadable products–little by little we are getting my lessons, concepts, and approaches up at our store, Teachers Pay Teachers, and CurrClick. These include how to use our Checklist Challenge, how to memorize prepositions, short writing projects of one week each, coloring books/readers, preschool and kindergarten letters and sounds program, and much more.

I’ve explained these further in the Facebook Live video below!

Check out the samples, books, and even videos of many of these products!

CQLA

Character Quality Language Arts–click on the image below for free one month samples!

Meaningful Composition (2 week samples!)

BookMovieBook Series (free samples at store!)

Language arts and reading books based off of the Jungle Book, Peter Pan, and Beauty & the Beast movies!

Other Downloadable Products

More language arts, character training & organizational tools!

More helpful reading:

Watch me teach how to write research reports here.

Writing With Adjectives (Facebook Live video lesson)

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