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The post Cottage Classes 2019-2020–Registration Is Open Now! appeared first on Character Ink.

CHARACTER INK HALF DAY HOMESCHOOL STARTS AUGUST 12, 2019!

 

Character Ink will continue its new teaching arm – The half-day homeschool for 4th -12th grades and expand it for K-3rd grades – in which all academics are taught, followed up on, recorded, and graded for YOU!

ALL of this is done as your students come to “school” for 8-15 hours a week!

The following schedule and guidelines have been developed for the 2019-2020 school year. Adaptions can be made to meet your family’s needs.

Character Ink Half-Day Homeschool will offer the following:

 

1) Responsible for curriculum securing, teaching, assigning, and overseeing for ALL academic subjects for K-12th grade students.
2) Teaching will be small group classes, block teaching, daily class meetings, one-on-one tutoring, and independent studies all in our home at 11120 Aboite Center Road Fort Wayne and at First Assembly of God Church (on Mondays).
3) 180 days of instruction (and record keeping and accountability) (e-learning will be utilized for inclement weather)
4) Daily lesson plans, checksheets, and accountability (Students, Ray, and parents can check.)
5) Curriculum found and laid out for each subject
6) Math, language arts, and reading taught by/planned by specialists in these areas. All academic areas will be covered in various sessions, blocks, and independent learning.
7) Thorough, safe, and fun environment to learn

 

General Schedule (180 days)

 

8/12/2019         First day of class

1/6/2020           First day of second semester

5/22/2020        Last day of class

 

 

Parents’ Responsibilities

 

1) Have students in class daily on time
2) Provide time in afternoon or evening for older students to complete a subject or two if needed
3) Read daily with elementary students (in addition to their daily reading lessons here)
4) Provide a final transcript for your student from your own private school (We will help with this.)
5) Send snack and drink daily if desired and lunch for high school students on Wed.
6) Pay monthly tuition the first week of each month.
7) Pay for curriculum (consumables, book rentals, and lab fees) up to $300 per year per student.

To Enroll:

1) E-mail characterink@gmail.com with the following information

Student name
Birthdate
Grade level (in fall)
Parent’s names
Any allergies or medical conditions we should know about

2) We will have a phone conference or meet in person to confirm curriculum for year.

3) Will need $200 deposit to start purchasing curriculum (after conference).

4) First day of class — 8/12.

 

High School Schedule (8th-12th grade)

Monday – Attend group classes at First Assembly of God
Tuesday – 8:30-12:00 at Reish’s home
Wednesday 8:30-2:45 at Reish’s home
Th and Fri – homework at home or Reish’s home
Classes included: Bible / Character, Literature, Math, American History, Science, Language Arts, Economics

 

Middle School Schedule (4th -7th grade)

Monday – homework at home
Tues-Fri 8:30 – 12:00 at Reish’s home
Classes included: Bible / Character, Reading, Math, History, Science, Language Arts, Literature

Elementary (K – 3rd grade)

Monday and Wednesday – homework at home
Tues, Thurs, and Fri 12:15 – 2:45 at Reish’s home
Classes included: Bible / Character, Reading, Math, Phonics, Science / Social Studies units

 

Call (260) 450 – 7063 for more details or questions.

The post Half Day Homeschool Expanded for 2019-2020 School Year appeared first on Character Ink.

It’s mid-school year—that time when we re-evaluate the first semester and try to make changes that will help us meet our goals for our classroom, home, and family in the coming year. For many homeschoolers, meeting some of our academic (and music, arts, physical, etc.) goals will mean securing outside teachers and tutors.

This isn’t a bad thing! In my thirty-two years of homeschooling, I either hired or bartered for woodworking, quilting, sewing, violin, viola, flute, piano, voice, science, electronics, art, worldview, debate, and much more! It helped my kids develop skills in areas that I was not as skilled in (okay…some areas I had zero skills in!), and it lifted the load for me many times!

So in this video today, I describe some of the programming we offer in our Teaching Center in Fort Wayne through Character Ink (including some new offerings this year!) and how you can join mid-school-year if desired.

Blessings on your learning, loving, and growing in 2019!
Donna

1) General Info

a. Classes start week of January 7th and run for 17 to 18 weeks depending on weather/cancellations
b. Three locations—Mondays First Assembly; Tuesdays Bluffton; Thursdays Aboite area/SW Fort Wayne
c. Half-Day Homeschool is in SW FW in our home and is in mornings only (unless you are a private or semi-private student—times vary)
d. Some new classes are starting; others have options of joining mid year with pre-requisites

2) New Classes

a. Jump Start II: Bluffton—students in grades 7 through 12 who are ready to write three paragraphs or more but haven’t written extensively (Tuesday afternoons)
b. Four Research Reports: SW FW—Upper Level High Schoolers who are ready to write up to 24 paragraph research reports (we start out with twelve paragraphs) using MLA approach to citation (Thursday mornings)
c. Private tutoring for all levels most subjects—locations and times vary
d. Online writing and language arts for existing groups or co-ops–contact us!

3) Two Semester Character Ink Cottage Classes

Click HERE

a. Mondays—complete language arts 7th through 12th grades; biology; chemistry; Spanish; speech and debate; middle school speech; junior high math—can join if complete language arts kids do four hours of videos at home to learn the program and if other subjects have the first semester done at home or elsewhere
b. Tuesdays—complete language arts for 2nd through 12th grades; can join if kids do four hours of videos at home to learn the program
c. Wednesdays–southwest FW–High school economics, advanced biology, world history–contact to see if your student is at the same spot we are
d. Thursdays— complete language arts for 2nd through 10th grades; can join if kids do four hours of videos at home to learn the program

4) Half Day Homeschool

Click HERE

a. All academics taught for you and most work done here with oversight by teacher most mornings from 8:30 to 12:00
b. SW FW
c. Can possibly join in January (call Ray for details: 260-450-7063)

5) Private Tutoring

a. Various locations and days/times
b. Few openings
c. Price based on number of meetings per week

6) Online Tutoring and Writing–groups and co-ops

a. As requested
b. Call for availability 260-450-7063 or 260-433-4365 

The post Thinking of Joining a CI Class or Program in January!?! appeared first on Character Ink.

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.

The post Character Ink Private Tutoring–Writing, Math, Reading, Grammar, & Science appeared first on Character Ink.

The post Character Ink 2018-2019 Cottage Classes! Live and Online Options! appeared first on Character Ink.

We have had a wonderful first semester of cottage classes here in Fort Wayne and Bluffton! So many great kids learning and growing as students! I wanted to send a quick update to let you know where we have openings for the second semester (including some live, online classes!):

1)  Registration

a. See the registration form and info here.

2) MONDAY CLASSES at First Assembly of God

a. The on-site classes are fairly full. We could squeeze another student or two in most of them with the exception of the 10:30-12:30 CQLA Level C classes.

b. There is talk of one online writing class from 11:30-12:30 if there is enough interest. Call Donna for this: 260-433-4365.

3) BLUFFTON CLASSES

a. One or two openings in Beginning Level A, Beginning Level B, and Advanced Level B of CQLA (complete language arts 4th through 9th grades in those three classes)

b. One private tutoring spot in reading, study skills, language arts, and composition/writing at 1:45

4) THURSDAY at Southwest Fort Wayne

a. Two openings in the following CQLA (complete language arts):

i. Beginning Level A (3rd-4th grade)

ii. Beginning Level B (advanced 4th-8th grade)

b. A few openings in High School Essays Only—5 paragraph essay, quote essay, persuasive essay, and timed essay—this is our college prep essay class!

c. LIVE ONLINE CLASSES available from Donna–also open to co-ops and small groups! (See post about the online classes here!)

i. Jump Start I–remediation for 4th through 8th graders to take them from one paragraph writing to four to six paragraph writing

ii. MC 9 I: Writing for High School –advanced 7th graders through 12th graders (all types of writing, including writing with given material, essays, research reports, and story)

iii. MC 10 I: High School Essays (all essays)

iv. Possible creative writing for Junior High or for High School–let me know what you want!

5) SAMPLES

a. CQLA Level A

b. CQLA Level B

c. CQLA Level C

d. MC 10 I : High School Essays Only

e. MC 8 II: Junior High Research Reports

f. MC 9 I: Writing for High School

g. Jump Start I samples not up yet…but the samples for MC 4 II, 5 I, and 5 II will show you the levels of projects

h. Potential of either creative writing book—MC 7 II and MC 9 II

Thanks for your support of Character Ink! The classes and book purchases make it possible for me to have a tech girl who helps me each week bring helpful content to families everywhere–it’s like getting to speak at a homeschool convention every week from my home! 🙂

Love and hope,

Call or text to chat about classes anytime: 260-433-4365

The post 2nd Semester Character Ink Cottage Classes (AND Online Writing Classes!) appeared first on Character Ink.

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!

The post Live Online Writing Class Starting Soon! appeared first on Character Ink.

Feeling like you need a little help with your homeschooling this fall? Wishing someone could help you out with science labs, writing instruction, Spanish, or others? Do you live in the Fort Wayne or Bluffton area? Then you’re in luck! If you live elsewhere and wish someone could help you with writing, your wish is being granted (on Thursday mornings at 9:00!).

Check out the openings we still have for this fall. Note that we do have other classes that we might be able to squeeze someone into, but these are the ones that have two or more available spots. Feel free to pass this along to friends and family!

Note:

We are starting with one Live ONLINE class for fall on Thursday mornings at 9:00 Eastern Time. It will be a remediation class using our new Jump Start book. Outside of this blog post, this class is called Jump Start (not remediation). This class is for students in seventh grade and up who have not learned how to write four paragraphs or more. It focuses on research reports, essays, and stories and will bring a student up one to four grade levels in one semester in their writing. Parents are responsible for grading part of the work in this class. Reports, stories, and essays themselves are turned in via email and graded by Donna. This class is $10 per week per student and a one time book fee of $15. You print your student’s book.

The post Character Ink Cottage Class Openings Fall 2017 appeared first on Character Ink.