In his groundbreaking book Amusing Ourselves to Death, critic and educator Neil Postman discusses society’s shift from what he deems the Age of Typography to the Age of Show Business—that is, a change from the importance of words to the importance of television and other visual media. According to Postman, the decline of writing…
Essential Conversations
This blog is devoted to all aspects of writing, literature, and teaching. We are excited to partner with you on your homeschool journey and provide you with helpful and quality content in our blog posts.
Why is Theme Important in Narrative Writing
Narratives, as Mr. Stephens often points out in his videos and curriculum, are fun to write and fun to read. Whether personal or imaginative, they tend to allow for more expression and creativity than compositions such as essays or research papers. Writing the narrative can be easier as well, for the homeschool student is…
Why Should I Care about Writing Well?: Help for the Homeschool Parent and Student
I have an acquaintance who will text me once in a while, and her texts always leave me in confusion. She writes like she is picking up in the middle of a conversation we never had. It’s lengthy; it references things that I don’t understand; and when I reach the end of the message, I’m…
Helping Students Focus on Writing – One thing at a Time
The Setup The year is 2016; the month is May. I have just turned in to my professor a ten-page paper discussing Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, a paper that will eventually be submitted and accepted by the Sigma Tau Delta Review. This paper utilized many sources, seven of which were cited. It also followed MLA…
When to Correct Sentence Writing for Students & When to Hold Back
Last week, I posted a picture to Instagram. Immediately after I clicked “Share,” my phone started buzzing in my hands. “Hey, Hope! It’s Jenna!” “Oh, hey! What’s up?” “Well, I’m actually at lunch with some friends, so I can’t really talk, but you made a spelling error in the caption under that picture you just…
How Does Reading Improve Writing?
Want to know one of the secrets of writing well? Read. This may seem strange and even counterintuitive. If you want to be a better writer, then you should read more? If you want to be an artist, should you frequent museums? If you want to be a professional sports player, do you watch as…