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BARB'S WRITING EVALUATION AND TUTORING
SERVICE
FOR HOMESCHOOL FAMILIES AND OTHERS WHO NEED HELP
DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN YOUR
ENGLISH SKILLS
TO KNOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN TO
WRITE?
OR DO YOU WONDER IF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
CATCH HIS MISTAKES?
Writing is one of the most important skills a person needs to
succeed in life. Any child who is aiming for a college education must demonstrate
proficiency in writing skills. Writing is important in many jobs. Yet many parents
hesitate to give writing assignments to their children because they do not feel capable of
grading or evaluating English skills unless there is an answer key. And for writing
assignments, there is no answer key. The evaluator just has to know what is right or wrong
and how the structure of the writing itself can be improved. Since many homeschool
parents believe they aren't able to evaluate their children's writing, they just don't
assign much writing. Instead, they teach English skills and grammar from workbooks that
have answers. Is that you? If so, read on.
It has been demonstrated that studying grammar does not usually help
a student write better. Studying mechanics and usage is more effective. Workbooks and
drills can help. So can reading aloud. Perhaps the thing that helps most is having
standard English modeled well at home. When one always hears the language spoken
correctly, one will tend to speak correctly himself, and he will tend to write as he
speaks. If your child spends a lot of time with people who use slang or non-standard
English, he will imitate that, and he may become confused about what is correct when he
speaks or writes.
As your child's teacher, you have a great responsibility to see that
he or she learns to write well. It is almost as important as seeing that he or she learns
to read and do basic math. But what if you don't have the skills yourself? What if you do
not model good use of the English language at home? Or, perhaps, you aren't sure if you
do. What can you do to teach your child without teaching him something wrong?
First, you must learn what your own skill level is. Maybe you
are perfectly capable and have the skills you need, but you aren't sure that you do, so
you avoid teaching writing. Wouldn't it be nice if you could write an essay yourself and
get it evaluated for a reasonable fee and have someone tell you that you have the skills
you need? Now you can. I will do it for you for $12.00. I will tell you whether you have
the skills you need and what skills you should work on. I will also suggest ways to
acquire those skills in the most inexpensive way possible. If you do not have a skill
level high enough to correctly guide your children in language usage and writing at the
ages they are, I will tell you that, too. But I won't leave you hanging. I will suggest
activities you and your children can do together in language arts so you will all grow in
your skills. And I will suggest ways you help yourself learn what you need to.
Suppose you have confidence in your ability to recognize
spelling, mechanics, and usage errors, but you're not sure how to judge what your child
really needs to study in language arts. You don't know if his writing is up to grade
level. You have no basis for comparison. Or, perhaps, you don't know how to evaluate his
style or sentence structure. I can help with that, too. For $12.00 I will evaluate your
child's essay or composition. I will tell you the ways in which he or she needs to improve
and what skills need polishing. I will also suggest methods and materials that will help
him or her reach these goals as inexpensively as possible.
That sounds like a nice idea, but we're so broke. I can't
afford a service like that. If you are unsure of your skills, can you afford not
to take advantage of this service? How much are you wasting on curriculum that doesn't
work or that you don't know how to teach?
But I have so many children! How could I afford this service
for all of them? We have a family plan. The most important evaluation to get done
is your own. If it turns out that you have the skills you need, you won't need to worry
about having your children evaluated unless you want a curriculum prescription. But if you
want more than one evaluation, the first one, yours or a child's, is $20 and each
additional evaluation is only $10. So you could get yourself and two children evaluated
for just $40.00. Or yourself and four children evaluated for just $60. You could easily
find that money by not having to buy a textbook or two. And you will receive a $5.00 gift
certificate to help towards the cost of any recommended books or any other books from
Barb's People Builders.
OK! You've convinced me I need to do this. How do I go about it?
- For your own evaluation, write an essay telling me why you have
chosen to homeschool and what materials you are currently using, and why, to teach each
subject. (If you are an unschooler, let me know what each of your children is doing to
grow in knowledge and skills.) Tell me about your children, including their ages and
interests, and anything else you think is important about the way they learn. This essay
may be organized in any way you wish and may be any length, as long as it is at least 300
words. You can write it on the computer, but please don't use any spelling or grammar
checkers or the results of my evaluation will be distorted. Please double or triple space
to leave room for me to make corrections. The evaluation will also be distorted if you
don't proofread your essay before sending it to me. It is best to read it out loud to
yourself, because you will often catch mistakes that way that you might miss using only
your eyes. Be sure and give me your name, address, and e-mail address. Send your essay
with a check for $20.00 to BARB'S PEOPLE BUILDERS, 3420 Highway 46 West, Templeton, CA
93465. I will let you know by e-mail when I have received your essay. Please
enclose .60 in postage to have your corrected essay returned. If you do not live
in the United States, please email me on how to handle this.
- I am limiting my evaluations of children's writing to children in at
least fourth grade. If you want a child evaluated, have him or her write me an essay that
answers all of the following questions. Do not help your children with mechanics or in the
organization of their essays. Remind your children that these are essays. They do not have
to answer the questions in the order they are listed if that interferes with organizing
the essay in a way that makes sense. Essays should be at least 300 words. There should be
at least one paragraph for every question, but the last two questions may be combined into
one paragraph. The essays should have a title, an introduction, and a conclusion. The
essays should be triple-spaced to allow room for corrections.
- Here are the questions:
What to you like to do best in your spare time? What are your interests and
hobbies?
What do you like best and least about home school or school?
What are your regular chores? How do you feel about them?
What school subjects do you like best and least and why?
What to you want to be doing ten years from now? If you have thought about it yet, how do
you want to earn your living when you are an adult?
- To have your children evaluated, send essays with appropriate check
amount ($20 for first child and $10 for each additional child, or $10 per child if you
have also had yourself evaluated) to the address in #1 above. Please enclose one
stamp for every four pages your send me, for return postage. I will send a gift
certificate good for $5.00 at Barb's People Builders with your returned evaluation.
WHAT YOU WILL GET FOR YOUR MONEY
You will receive each essay back with mechanical
errors noted.
You will receive an evaluation of writing
strengths and skills that need improvement.
You will receive suggestions on how to best build
needed skills for you and/or your children as inexpensively as possible, with
recommendations for instructional materials if needed.
REMEMBER! WRITING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
SKILLS NEEDED FOR SURVIVAL IN TODAY'S COMPETITIVE WORLD. MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS NOT LEFT
BEHIND.
LET BARB HELP!
BARBARA RADISAVLJEVIC: QUALIFICATIONS
B.A. in English, UCLA, 1964
California Lifetime Credential in Secondary English, 1966
Experience Teaching English to Students in Grades 2-12 at Home and in Schools
CONTACT INFORMATION
(800) 925-8587
e-mail: barb@barbsbooks.com
3420 Highway 46 West
Templeton, CA 93465
Back to Home Page
How Do I Teach English?
How Do I Teach English, Part II
Language Arts Teaching Materials
Read Only "How Do I Teach English" Special Forum on
The Homeschoolers' Curriculum Swap
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