The Lost Tools of Writing: Class Highlight
Monday, January 30, 2023 by Catherine Gilliland | Class Highlight
This is what The Lost Tools of Writing teaches. Students acquire and practice one new writing tool for each step in the writing process, incrementally putting them together in every new essay. They learn how to discover new ideas and deepen their understanding of them, they learn to arrange their ideas according to established written structures, and to communicate these ideas in an engaging and appropriate manner.
Every class includes oral review or games, new instruction, group and individual practice.
If we were to ask a crowd what they find challenging about the writing process, what would they relate? When surveying groups, I hear answers like these:
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Getting started
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Impacting the reader
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Arranging ideas
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Having enough to say
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Not saying too much
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Wording ideas just right
Can you relate? Do you notice that each of these fits into one of three broad categories: coming up with ideas, putting ideas in order, and expressing ideas appropriately. These are the skills The Lost Tools of Writing teaches.
These are the universal writing challenges every writer faces. If you can solve them, you can write effectively. Put simply, to write well is to come up with something to say, to put your materials in the best order, and to express your thoughts appropriately. The process begins with thinking deeply and ends with communicating those thoughts articulately to others.
Solving these challenges was the goal of classical rhetoricians. They noticed that people overcome them by working through three stages, one for each challenge. They gave these stages names, which translate to English as follows:
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Invention (coming up with ideas)
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Arrangement (structuring your ideas)
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Elocution (expressing your ideas clearly and articulately)
The word canon comes from the Greek word denoting a straight rod or rule for measuring objects. The solutions of classical rhetoricians comprise three canons (rules) of classical composition that you will find in The Lost Tools of Writing.
For each essay, students acquire and practice one new writing tool for each canon, incrementally putting them together in every new essay. In short, students in this class learn how to discover new ideas and deepen their understanding of them, they learn to arrange their ideas according to established written structures, and to communicate these ideas in an engaging and appropriate manner.
Writing to a Target Audience
Monday, January 30, 2023 by Catherine Gilliland | Scholarship Essays
What does your student know about their target audience when they are writing scholarship essays? Writers must always keep their readers in mind when designing their written work. Doing so will attract the attention of their target audience–the scholarship committee–and boost the likelihood that their essay will be noticed.
Did you know that a scholarship committee:
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Potentially reads hundreds of essay entries (Yours must be particularly memorable.)
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Is seeking one candidate who stands out (For the right reasons!)
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Desires to easily become knowledgeable about you (Share an experience that reveals your inner greatness.)
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Looks for a clearly understood story free from typos and other mistakes (Demonstrate your writing ability.)
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Already is acquainted with your academic achievements (Leave those details out.)
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Wants to hear how their scholarship will benefit YOU (They want a return on their investment.)
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May not read your entire essay (Make every word count.)
For more details regarding how to write award-winning scholarship essays, consider securing my self-paced, affordable, online course for your student. I am also available to work one on one with students as they navigate this exciting, but often challenging process.
Topics of Writing Scholarship EssaysOnline Course include:
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Getting your Past Together (compiling past experiences for future essays)
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Searching High and Low (for scholarship opportunities)
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Keeping Your Act Together (organization)
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Yikes, I Have to Write the Essay (strategies for writing essays)
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Managing Word Count
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The Power of Gratitude (effective follow-up)
Check out my blogs on these topics for more free information!
Understanding the Scholarship Essay
When to Apply for Scholarships
Know Your Scholarship Committee
What is Dyslexia?
Monday, January 30, 2023 by Catherine Gilliland | Dyslexia Support
Simply put, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty learning to read.
The International Dyslexia Association has developed a comprehensive definition of dyslexia. Nancy Mather, Ph. D explains the condition for laymen as "a neurobiological disorder that affects the development of basic reading skills, spelling, and automaticity with sound-symbol connections." She goes on to explain, "It is often accompanied by specific weaknesses in cognitive factors that predict poor reading and spelling" ("Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment").
Will children ever "grow out" of dyslexia? In short, the answer is no. It is a lifelong condition. There are, however, at least two pieces of great news! Very effective dyslexia interventions exist that reduce dyslexia's impact on the whole person, plus, "Research indicates that dyslexia has no relationship to intelligence. Individuals with dyslexia are neither more nor less intelligent than the general population. But some say the way individuals with dyslexia think can actually be an asset in achieving success" (International Dyslexia Association). You probably are very familiar with the names of these truly successful Americans: Thomas Edison, Stephen Spielberg, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Charles Schwab. Each of these men has dyslexia, yet still pursued their dreams and made great contributions to mankind.
The universal recommendation is for early intervention. When dyslexia is diagnosed early in a child's education (K-2), effective, science of reading interventions can begin and less time is lost for remediation. Grades K-3 are spent teaching the skills of reading, whereas in grades 4-12 and beyond the skill of reading is used for the purpose of learning. It is crucial that students receive interventions early to prevent falling behind because of reading deficits as their school career progresses.
The science of reading is "a comprehensive body of research that encompasses years of scientific knowledge, … and shares the contributions of experts from relevant disciplines such as education, special education, literacy, psychology, neurology, and more [and has enabled researchers to] identify an evidence-based best practice approach for teaching foundational literacy skills called Structured Literacy" (IMSE Journal).
Dyslexia may seem like a death sentence of sorts, but it is not! Dyslexia's typical deficits manifest differently in each individual it touches. With intervention, individuals with dyslexia are able to learn to read, spell, and comprehend. Their reading fluency may never reach that of their peers,yet with advocacy, assistance, and as needed, accommodations, dyslexics are able to maximize their intelligence and develop into successful members of society, making impressive contributions to humankind.
Sources:
"Dyslexia At a Glance" - International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)
Mather,Nancy, Ph.D., "Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment", Virtual Dyslexia Conference, Dyslexia Training Institute, Spring 2020.
"What is the Science of Reading?" | Structured Literacy | IMSE Journal | IMSE - Journal
"Out the Classroom" Learning Opportunities
Monday, January 30, 2023 by Catherine Gilliland | Unique Learning Opportunities
Learning opportunities that take place "out the classroom" are some of the most memorable experiences for students. When children are seeking after a topic that motivates their learning, their thinking skills naturally grow stronger, void of resistance.
How could you design a personalized learning adventure about a topic that sparks delight for your child? When children are led into these types of learning experiences, what first began as parent-led learning quickly passes into student-led learning. This style of learning works well for children of all ages and for multiple aged children in one family if a family decided upon a learning project together.
Any parent can create a unique unit of study for their child. First, determine a topic that interests your child. As a parent, complete investigative learning about this topic yourself to determine which aspects of the topic could be tangible learning experiences for a learner that is your child's age. You may want to begin at the library checking out and reading books on the subject to help your child become more familiar with his or her area of interest. Ask your child if they would like to visit the topic, make a model of their subject, or design another hands-on experience. Determine associated information that the child could learn to widen their general understanding. How can this be accomplished? Let the delight-driven learning begin! Be intentional and and scheduled, refraining from stringing the learning on for too long a period of time.
A possible learning experience about the Oregon Trail could include reading literature about the topic, handcrafting a model of a prairie schooner, creating a relief map of the trail itself, designing a diorama of what a typical Oregon Trail camp may have looked like, studying about buffalo, calculating the mileage travelers covered between camps and in total, learning how to build a campfire and cooking a meal outdoors, drawing the box size of a covered wagon with sidewalk chalk and trying to fit belongings into the space, visiting an Oregon Trail museum, and taking an all day walk along a trail. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
What do members of your family want to learn? I hope that you enjoy delightful memories with your family that will not only foster topic learning but draw your hearts closer as you complete the learning experience together.