Episode Transcription

Note: This transcription may vary from the words used in the original episode for better readability.

I have had the privilege of teaching Grammar and Writing Shurley IEW at Veritas for the past seven years, and this truly is one of my favorite classes to teach.

I love that in Grammar school, the students are learning how to learn, and I get to be a part of that process. At the beginning of the year. I tell my students that Grammar and Writing is a lot like building a house. You can't put a roof on your home until you have a foundation, and before you even can build your foundation, you must have a plan.

In our Grammar and Writing courses, we are giving students a strong foundation and helping them build their Writing toolboxes that they will need for future success. Students who complete the four levels of Grammar and Writing will be equipped with the methods and materials to help them succeed in their future classes at Veritas. At VSA, families have two options to choose from when planning out a course of study. Mrs. Southern will be explaining the difference between the two options in just a few minutes.

But I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize how important it is to stick with one course of study. Both of these are excellent classes that introduce concepts using different methods, and it is difficult to jump from one curriculum to another. Students will really benefit from a complete course study. Whether you choose Shurley IEW or the CAP classes. For all the courses that we provide, there is a recommended age range.

Our youngest students should begin in Grammar and Writing 3. You will notice that Grammar and Writing 4-6 has a recommended age of 9-12 on the first day of class. If a student is new to Writing, or they struggle with Writing, or even struggle or a struggling reader, I always recommend that they go down one level.

A motivated student who has never had an intensive Writing course can succeed in the grade level placement, but they need to understand that the courses move quickly, especially when you get up to level 5 and level 6. Each course spirals back and starts from the beginning of the curriculum, but the pace varies per course. I would rather see a student feel like the Grammar and Writing assignments are maybe a little bit on the easier side at the beginning of the year than to see them become very frustrated and overwhelmed at the midpoint because the class is moving too quickly for their learning style.

At this young age, it's important for students to be successful in online classes. My favorite part of the year is at the end of the course when students look back through all of their Writing assignments, and when they are placed in the correct level, they can see on their own the tremendous progress that they have made throughout the year.

The patterns and formulas students learn are just stepping stones. Our focus is process over product and perfection in the in the Grammar years. It's important to remember that what students are learning is not an end product. It may not be beautiful Writing, but it is the process that is needed to grow into beautiful writers. They will become those beautiful writers in Grammar and Writing 6 and Grammar and Writing Transition and Composition.

Writing is incorporated into each lesson, whether it's through Excellence in Writing or the CAP curriculum. And parents should expect to provide consistent oversight on a daily basis, especially when our live classes are not meeting. Homework will average between 2 and 4 hours a week, but that really depends on your child. If your child comes to class prepared every day with their material open and their pen or pencil in hand, that time might decrease a little bit because we do start our homework in class and if they are being focused, paying attention and have their materials with them, most of the time it won't be on that higher end 4 hours per week, it will be 2 hours. And sometimes I have heard from students it doesn't even take them 2 hours because they're in class. They're working with us in class, and we are starting the process of our homework in class every class session

There's a few very important things to remember when you are placing a student in one of our Grammar and Writing courses. Grammar and Writing at VSA is a rigorous course, but growth comes from hard work. Grammar and Writing is challenging, and it may not be a favorite class, but that's okay. We have a great time, and we learn a lot each year, and students are proud of their work at the end of the year, even if they struggle. And throughout the year and they say, “I don't like this class!” At the end of the year, they're very proud of where they have come and all of their accomplishments. Students will be equipped with the methods and materials to help them succeed in all of their future Writing courses and even beyond Writing courses. When they have come up through our Grammar and Writing program here at Veritas.