creative writing curriculum for middle school

Complete Guide to Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Every Budget and Age

Looking for a homeschool writing curriculum that will educate and motivate your child to write with excellence?

It can be a hard road, Homeschool Mama!

Writing is one of the three core subjects (reading and math are the other two) that form the basis of a solid education – which is why it can be so stressful for the homeschooling parent!

We feel the pressure to develop strong writers, but we also want our kids to love writing. It can be hard to achieve both of those things.

Blessedly, there is a mountain of homeschool writing curriculum out there that can fit any homeschool style, education philosophy, budget, and family size!

This blog post is going to be your complete guide to the 12 best and most loved homeschool writing curriculums on the market.

Think of it as a one-stop-shop to explore curriculum you’ve heard of but don’t know that much about – or to discover new curriculum that is just right for your homeschool!

Enjoy and happy homeschooling!

Ultimate Guide To The 12 Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum Options

Below I have provided quick reference information for each curriculum in terms of grade level, materials needed, price, and details. 

Price is for new curriculum and according to prices available to me as I write this. 

1. IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing)

For Grades : 1st grade – 12th

What You Need : Teacher’s Guide and Student Book

Price : $55

Details About IEW:

This was the first homeschool writing curriculum that we tried, and I think it truly set an excellent foundation for my then 3rd grader. 

Our co-op at the time taught it every year, but I sat down and did the actual lessons and writing with her during the week. 

I loved that it did such a thorough job teaching kids how to put a keyword outline together for a structured, low-stress writing experience. As a writer myself, I understand how important an outline is to keep you organized and productive!

IEW is also very big on teaching vocabulary words and encouraging students to use more “interesting words” in their writing. To this day, my daughter still includes lots of adjectives and “strong verbs” in her writing because of her experience with IEW. She also carefully avoids using the “banned words” like “big” and “good” – why use those words when there are so many other more descriptive and colorful word choices out there!

Another fun part of IEW is that you can choose what theme you want your child to use for the year. For example, grades 3-5 can pick from “ Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales ,” “ Bible Heroes ,” “ Ancient History ,” or” All Things Fun and Fascinating .”

If you are looking to build a strong foundation in writing, I would recommend IEW for an excellent beginning. It was easy to teach, reasonably priced (definitely use the above links to check for used prices on Amazon), and solid.

I have not used the higher levels, but I have often heard it discussed as the gold standard for homeschool writing. 

Keep in mind that the IEW grammar program is sold separately.

2. BJU Writing & Grammar

What You Need : Teacher’s Guide and Student Workbook

Price : $110

Details About BJU Grammar and Writing:

BJU Writing & Grammar is the next writing program we tried. When our co-op shut down for the pandemic, I realized I was on my own for teaching writing.

We shifted gears to BJU Press because it bundled together grammar and writing, which would be a big time saver. 

My favorite thing about this homeschool writing curriculum is that it teaches the writing process perfectly. My then 4th grader learned the steps of Planning, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing – steps that she still uses today.

I loved that my kid was being taught to draft an entire piece in one day and that it didn’t need to be perfect! She could just pour out her thoughts on paper or “make the dough” as we called it. And then we would shape the dough during revising and editing later in the week.

This helped very much with her paralysis with writing, because she felt overwhelmed with it being perfect. 

She still uses these writing process steps for her writing today and I even still make her editing checklists similar to what the book had so she can edit her own work. 

I would strongly recommend BJU Grammar and Writing for strong grammar, time-saving, and high-quality writing.

3. Writing With Ease/Writing With Skill

For Grades : 1st – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Writing With Ease (elementary level) only requires a student workbook. Writing With Skill will require a student workbook and Instructor Text (teacher’s guide).

Price : $25 – $50

Details About Writing With Ease and Writing With Skill:

I love this super gentle writing curriculum from A Well Trained Mind and written by Susan Wise Bauer. 

I am on my second round of using Writing With Ease (the elementary level) with my younger children, and I absolutely recommend it as a beautiful introduction to writing. 

Every week I read sections of classic stories to my daughter and I ask her listening comprehension questions that she has to answer in full sentences. She thinks it’s just a fun story and talking time with mom, but there is a specific purpose. 

This process teaches her what a complete sentence is and what a fragment is – which is key information before you sit down to write.

There is also copy work of classic literature, grammar instruction, and writing original thoughts.

I haven’t used the next levels of this writing program from Susan Wise Bauer yet, but if this quote from The Well Trained Mind is any indicator, you need to check it out!

“We offer a variety of easy-to-use resources for teaching the vital skill of written communication. Our Writing With Ease series teaches elementary students how to transform thoughts into coherent paragraphs. Writing With Skill adds many other skills for middle and high schoolers, such as outlining, research, citation, and the construction of full-length essays in history, literature, science, and other subjects. The Creative Writer helps them write a best-selling novel that will get turned into a worldwide blockbuster movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which will enable them to support you in your old age.”

There are four levels of Writing With Ease and three levels of Writing With Skill . 

4. WriteShop

For Grades : K – 12th

What You Need to Buy : WriteShop Primary (ages 5-9) requires an activity pack and a teacher’s guide. WriteShop Junior (ages 8-13) can pick from a number of things or bundle them all together: activity pack, teacher’s guide, fold-and-go grammar guide, and time-saver pack. WriteShop 1 & 2 (Middle School/High School) requires a student workbook, teacher’s guide, and dictation/copy work guide.

Price : $41 – $110

Details About WriteShop:

WriteShop is a homeschool writing curriculum that I’ve had my eye on for a long time. In all of my homeschooling blogging circles, I seem to always hear buzz about how incredible this writing program is!

I have done some homework, and it is beautifully laid out, colorful, and so engaging from first sight. It is known for fun activities, engaging writing assignments, and its step-by-step, incremental approach to teaching writing skills.

And as an added bonus, WriteShop focuses on teaching the homeschool parent how to teach writing – in an easily understandable way.

The lower levels enjoy fun, hands-on writing activities to get kids excited about writing! I love that there are supply lists in the teacher’s guides (all regular things you’d have in the house) to teach a writing lesson! 

And the assignments would catch any kid’s attention: science fiction, adventure, and mystery story writing!

There are also additional resources on the website that you can use alongside WriteShop or as a writing supplement to your current curriculum. Check out StoryBuilders and Writing Prompts for some fun springboards for creative writing!

The higher levels allow students to work more independently, and there is even a video course offered.

It may be difficult to know which level you need to start with, so definitely check out the WriteShop placement test .

To find out more about Writeshop, head on over to their website or check out this full review from MeaningfulHomeschooling .

5. BraveWriter

What You Need to Buy : BraveWriter offers bundles of their curriculum that covers multiple kids, but they are very relaxed about what you “need.” It is cheaper overall to buy the bundle, but you can also just start out with one of their books, and go from there. Online classes are also offered. They are taught by homeschool parents, who are also published authors.

Price : $50 – $229 (bundle price)

Details About Brave Writer:

Brave Writer is definitely the most unique writing curriculum that I have researched yet.

This writing program was written by Julie Bogart, a homeschool mom who has 5 homeschool graduates to her credit. 

Brave Writer promotes a “Brave Writer Lifestyle” that focuses on raising kids in a language-rich environment where they will learn to not just be a good writer – but to love writing. There is a large focus on reading great books aloud and a weekly poetry tea time (I love that!), and less of a focus on structured lesson plans and “you have to write this many sentences.”

Parents are encouraged to purchase one bundle and adapt it to teach all the grades in their homeschool. That is a huge time saver!

Learn more at the Brave Writer website or check out this full review at This Simple Balance .

6. Wordsmith

For Grades : 4th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Each level only requires one book. Level 2 suggests buying a helpful teacher’s guide.

Price : $18

Details About Wordsmith :

Wordsmith is an economical homeschool writing curriculum from Janie B. Cheaney, a published author of six books. 

She provides a simple, easy-to-use curriculum that is broken up over three main books.

Wordsmith Apprentice (4th-6th grade) :

“All the practicality, humor and fun of Wordsmith, but written for the younger student, ages 9-12. An easy to use writing course encouraging students to develop their writing skills as they participate in every role on a newspaper staff: editor, reporter, writer, etc. Children develop a love for writing as they express themselves through sentence and paragraph writing, persuasive writing, and much more. The third edition has a larger font and cleaner type for easier reading. With added examples and delightful new illustrations, developing writing skills is made fun and easy.”

Wordsmith: Building Skills (6th-9th grade) :

“Confidence is what most young writers lack, and  Wordsmith   is designed to lead them to the place where they can read over their own work and think, “Hey—that’s pretty good!”  Wordsmith  is the core book in the series, the one that every student from age 12 and up should complete, especially if their writing skills lag behind the recommended level.”

Wordsmith Craftsman (9th-12th grade) :

Part Three of  Wordsmith Craftsman  is a master class on The Essay, pulling together thought, organization, logic, personal connection, and style.  A well-written essay is rightly considered the mark of an educated, thoughtful man or woman. A student will learn how to apply the TOWER process (Think, Organize, Write, Evaluate, and Rewrite) to a variety of essay types, namely  descriptive, narrative, expository, critical , and  persuasive . The expository section includes a primer on the all-important first step in writing research papers (which will save a lot of freshman-comp angst later!).

There are sample lessons for all three of their books. Hop on over to the Wordsmith website to check them out and see if this homeschool writing curriculum best fits your homeschool!

7. Clear Water Press

For Grades : 6th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : Student Kit and matching DVD or Cloud Access

Price : $258 – $343

Details About Clear Water Press :

ClearWater Press is the perfect writing curriculum for aspiring authors! Students are taught this creative writing course through in-depth video lectures while they work on year-long writing projects.

Below are the details of their three main curriculum books.

Cover Story (6th-9th grade) :

“The  Cover Story magazine writing program works  with your student, not against them. Award-winning author Daniel Schwabauer takes 6th–9th graders on a creative journey writing their very own magazine through engaging videos. The optional grammar lessons make Cover Story a full English Language Arts!  Choose to watch Cover Story lessons on Cloud streaming or DVDs.”

One Year Novel (9th-12th grade) :

“Author Daniel Schwabauer takes 9th–12th graders under his wing to write their own compelling original novel—for a high school English credit! His unique approach begins where many writing courses don’t go at all, with an exploration of how Story works . A creative community and support resources help students thrive. Video lessons now available on Cloud streaming only.”

Byline Journalism and Essay Writing (9th-12th grade) :

“In the Byline journalism and essay writing program, students step into the role of a 1930s-era newspaper reporter, training under Editor-in-Chief Daniel Schwabauer, who takes them under his wings to teach them everything he knows. Before they even realize it, they master the dreaded high school essay! Choose to watch Byline video lessons on Cloud streaming or DVDs.”

Head on over the Clear Water Press website to find out more information and see sample lessons !

8. Writers in Residence: Apologia

What You Need to Buy : All in One Student Text and Workbook, answer key, additional workbooks for teaching more than one child

Price : $21 for one student

Details About Writers in Residence :

I have to be honest with you all, I had no idea that Apologia offered anything besides science! Apparently, they do offer a full language arts program through their Writers in Residence series!

I love that it is designed to be used with multiple children at the same time – a huge time and money saver for homeschoolers with multiple kids!

Your students will learn about everything from sentence structure to short stories to persuasive essay writing – all through a Christian worldview lens.

“Thorough and systematic, six units and twenty-four modules are included, with lively and colorful lessons building on previously-taught concepts, skills, and terms. The easy-to-use, “all-in-one” Student Text and Workbook features an engaging tone that’s written directly to the student. Each unit opener includes a focus on a Christian writer, unit overview, and rubric; units include models from professional writers for students to study and use as an inspiration for their own writing. Modules integrate clear, engaging instruction with sidebar notes and a variety of exercises. Assignments cycle through four types of writing tasks: I Remember: assignments focused on the personal narrative I Imagine: creative writing assignments such as short stories, poetry, and novels I Investigate: research skills assignments I Think: tasks that teach opinion and argument writing, including persuasive and argument writing”

To find out more, check out Rainbow Resource, Christianbook.com, or Amazon for reviews, sale prices, and more details!

What You Need to Buy : Student Text and Teacher’s Guide

Price : $45

Details About Jump In :

Jump In is a budget-minded homeschool writing curriculum focused on getting middle school students ready for the expectations of high school writing. It has a gentle, low-stress format that is focused on independent student writing.

“What to do when high school is just around the corner and your middle schooler HATES to write? Jump In: Middle School Composition covers all the basics needed for high school writing in an engaging fashion; humor sneaking in occasionally. Daily lessons will take 5 – 20 minutes to complete. Instruction is written directly to the student and sometimes involves Bible stories or characters. Lessons might start with 10-Minute Writing Plunges that are designed to engage reluctant writers or appeal to eager writers. Or the Plunges can be a break from other assignments or a course by themselves. Plunge prompts are given M-Th with no grading (or turning in). On Friday, the student chooses which one they like best, proofreads it, and gets it ready to hand in.

10. Essentials in Writing

For Grades : K-12th

What You Need to Buy : Student Workbook, Instruction Manual, and access to video lessons

Price : $69-$89

Details About Essentials in Writing :

Essentials in Writing is a video-based course that will take a lot of stress off the busy homeschool parent or the parent who is intimidated to teach writing. 

The format is rather simple. The student watches a video (DVD or streamed) and then completes the corresponding workbook pages. The parent is responsible to look over the work and discuss it with the child.

There are also fun hands-on activities, such as time capsules, that will get kids excited and engaged with the writing process. 

“Looking for a complete English course for all grade levels that is well organized, thorough in explanation, effective in teaching and easy to use in a homeschool or group setting? Then consider Essentials in Writing! Video instructor Matthew Stephens taught English at the elementary and high school levels for years, and he used his experience to good effect in authoring this course. Video lessons featuring Mr. Stephens are the essence of the course, with supporting workbook activities as follow-up. Mr. Stephens is doing the heavy lifting of presenting and explaining the material, leaving only clarification and follow-up questions to the home instructor. Lessons are presented in bite-sized chunks, so each day’s lesson features one main point. The quality of the video and audio is good, showing Mr. Stephens teaching in front of a classroom on a white board. For younger grades, the teacher and student would watch the videos together, then discuss to make sure that the student grasps the main ideas of the presentation. Students at more advanced grades can watch the videos on their own (as the instruction is always directed to the student), leaving only follow-up discussion of the material and assignment to the teacher. Of course, the instructor should preview the video material to ensure knowledge of the material and consistency of approach in working with the student.”

Check out the Essentials in Writing website for more information, sample lessons, and videos!

11. Writing Strands

For Grades : 5th – 12th

What You Need to Buy : One Student Book and One Teacher’s Guide (One teacher’s guide covers all 6 levels of Writing Strands)

Price : $40

Details About Writing Strands :

Writing Strands is a full language arts and writing curriculum from Master Books. It is a newly revised edition that has streamlined and improved on the older version.

The curriculum includes a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced level and has a Christian Worldview.

You will find clear daily schedules, opportunities for independent work, and writing lessons based on the analysis of literature and scripture.

Here is a snippet of the curriculum description for Writing Strands Book 2:

“This resource covers 180 days of instruction and includes a weekly lesson schedule, student worksheets, and an answer key for the objective questions in the reading lesson portion. Each week alternates between writing lessons and reading lessons; for their reading, students will read biblical passages as well as books chosen and assigned by the parent. A weekly lesson schedule is also included. This comprehensive approach will help students begin to develop a solid foundation in communication as they focus on basic, creative, organizational, and descriptive writing skills. This course alternates a week of writing exercises with a week of reading and discussing books and ideas.”

12. Writing & Rhetoric

For Grades : 3rd and up

What You Need to Buy : Student Edition and Teacher’s Edition

Price : $40 (for one semester)

Details About Writing and Rhetoric :

Writing & Rhetoric is an award-winning series of writing curriculum books.

Each book will only cover one semester, so if you stay on track, you will be doing 2 books per year.

Books 1-6 are for grades 3-6. Books 7-12 are marked for grades 6 and up. 

Here is a description of this overall curriculum:

“Writing needs to be taught just like any other subject, and letting students be ‘free’ to write without a model is often letting them jump in the deep end without learning to swim first! Writing & Rhetoric assumes students learn best by first reading excellent literature and then imitating those writers. Students who complete the entire program will learn to write narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive essays while developing their own unique style. Each exercise is designed to teach a skill that can be employed across all subjects. Skills are arranged from simple to complex, and the cumulative nature of each chapter reviews skills from earlier in the book, helping students to build a solid foundation of writing skills.”

Recap: Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum

I don’t know about you, Homeschool Mama, but it’s going to be very difficult to choose between all of these writing curriculums!

I do hope that you found a few that you want to research, dig deeper into, and hopefully use in your homeschool. 

Of course, this is not a complete list of all writing curriculum – I would need a whole book to write out everything that is out there!

Please drop a comment and share if you have a favorite writing curriculum that I didn’t list above!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top 10 Homeschooling Middle School Writing Curriculum Choices For 2021

Writing curriculum programs for middle school homeschooling are not a one size fits all; and, as a home educator, it is ultimately up to you to make the best decision.

We have asked some Teach Them Diligently families what their favorite Middle School Writing curriculums are. Those are listed below with a link to our complete Homeschool Family Favorite Guide.

The Top 3…

Institute for Excellence in Writing – From their website: At the Institute for Excellence in Writing, we train teachers to model an oral and written pathway of communication which develops the language skills of all students through imitation to innovation. Because every teacher can use the method in his or her classroom, every parent can be confident that every student can learn to listen, speak, read, write, and think effectively and eloquently.

Memoria Press Classical Composition – From their website: Memoria Press’ composition program, Classical Composition, is based on the original classical method of teaching writing called the “progymnasmata.” It was the program that produced John Milton and William Shakespeare. This method involved learning fourteen skills, organized from the simplest and most basic to the most complex and sophisticated. In addition, our English Grammar Recitation program will solidify the grammar your child has learned in Latin through memorizing and reciting the essential grammatical and usage rules in English.

Essentials in Writing –  Essentials in Writing is an engaging video-based homeschool writing curriculum designed for Grade Levels 1-12. Students watch video lessons that are presented in a systematic, step-by-step approach, and then proceed to writing assignments. Writing lessons and assignments are presented in small “chunks” to help students understand, apply, and retain concepts. Writing and literature lessons are modeled by the teacher. After a new or reviewed concept has been taught, the teacher “shows” students HOW to apply the new concept in writing.

Top Middle School Writing Curriculums 4-5

4. Writing Strands – From their website: This convenient all-in-one worktext features 180 days of instruction and a variety of student activities and exercises. Each week alternates between writing lessons and reading lessons; for their reading, students will read biblical passages as well as books chosen and assigned by the parent. A weekly lesson schedule is also included.

5. Brave Writer – From their website: Through our user-friendly materials and award-winning online classes, you’ll grow into a competent writing coach, calm your anxious writers, and nourish your aspiring authors.

Top Middle School Writing  Curriculums 6-10

6. Gather Round Homeschool  

7. BJU Press Grammar and Writing

9. Writing with Ease From Well-Trained Mind

10. The Good and the Beautiful

Sign up to download your free curriculum guide today!

Lizzie Gray Fritz

Leave a reply cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Sign up for Updates

Event Details

Homeschool Tools

• All Resources
• Growing up & Staying Safe
• Physical Education
• Social and Emotional Learning
• Asian American History
• Black History
• Hispanic Heritage
• Anti-racism
• Hidden Voices
• Civic Education
• Four Pillars for Building Trust in New York City Public Schools
• Citywide Instructional Priority
• Career Connected Learning
• Our Instructional Principles Learn about how we will transform our system through the integration of academic and social-emotional learning, and establish a new path to academic recovery and reimagining.
• Instructional Practices Learn about instructional practices that support student achievement.
• Instructional Leadership Framework Learn about implementing the Instructional Leadership Framework in schools.
• Supporting New Teachers Learn about the key beliefs, knowledge, and skills for first year teachers.
• Professional Learning Learn about different ways to support professional learning in schools.
• Civics for All
• Vision for School Improvement Learn about how to embed the Framework for Great Schools into ongoing cycles of learning.

Grades 6-8: Educating Powerful Writers

Grades 6-8 Educating Powerful Writers is a complete writing curriculum.  There are 7-8 distinct units per grade which include outlines of daily lessons, mentor writing texts for each unit, guidance for assessment, sample handouts, and sample lesson plans.  Educating Powerful Writers is a spiraled curriculum that takes students through narrative, informative, argumentative, literary essay, and poetry writing each year.  Each grade offers a distinctly different unit in each of these genres while continuing to build on the skills developed in previous grades to continue educating powerful writers. Additional materials, including student work, will be added to this collection on a rolling basis.

Included Resources

Sample student work: educating powerful write..., sample student work: educating powerful writers.

Sample student work to be utilized with Grades 6-8 : Educating Powerful Writers Middle School writing curriculum.

Grade 6,units 1- 4: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6,units 1- 4: educating ..., grade 6,units 1- 4: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 1-4 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 6, units 5-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6, units 5-8: educating ..., grade 6, units 5-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 5-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 1-3: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 1-3: educating ..., grade 7, units 1-3: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 1-3 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 4-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 4-8: educating ..., grade 7, units 4-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 4-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 8, units 1-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 8, units 1-8: educating ..., grade 8, units 1-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 8, Units 1-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

A resource for homeschooling families

Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Middle School

This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Best Basic Program: Writing With Skill s eries, Susan Wise Bauer
• Best Comprehensive Program: Institute for Excellence in Writing Level B program , Andrew Pudewa
• Best Classical Approach: Classical Composition series , Memoria Press

Middle school is a critical period when it comes to learning how to write well. Kids have learned the basics of spelling, handwriting, grammar, and sentence construction in their elementary years, and in middle school it is vital that they use this foundation to build the skills necessary for more complex high school writing. 

If you are homeschooling a middle school student, you may have a lot of questions about where to start when it comes to teaching writing. Many comprehensive language arts curriculums include writing instruction as one component of their programs. If you have a seventh-grader and want to learn more about these comprehensive language arts programs, check out our article Best 7 th Grade Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum . 

While some homeschoolers choose to use a complete language arts program, many others prefer using a writing-specific curriculum in order to help their kids really develop their writing skills during the middle school years. In this article, we’ll tell you about three of our favorite homeschool writing curriculums for middle school students. If you have an older or younger student, check out our related articles, Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School and Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Elementary Students . 

Best Basic Program

Writing With Skill s eries, Susan Wise Bauer

In general, we are big fans of the curriculum options offered by Well-Trained Mind Press, and this is especially true when it comes to its Writing With Skill series. Writing With Skill follows the ideals of classical education put forth in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home , emphasizing a certain amount of dictation, repetition, and subject mastery in its treatment of the writing process. Yet this program is far less rigidly classical than Memoria Press’s Classical Composition series, and the Writing With Skill series in particular serves as a fantastic basic writing program for homeschooled kids regardless of their families’ homeschooling philosophies. Most homeschooling families will find the program simple, straightforward, and effective. 

Writing With Skill does an excellent job of teaching fundamental writing skills that will prepare your middle school student for high school writing. Students learn the fundamentals of outlining; are introduced to such writing forms as chronological narratives and biological sketches; learn to construct literary essays on fiction and poetry-based themes; and are taught the basics of researching and citing source materials. Throughout the program, students learn by imitating the styles and techniques of great writers, both those who wrote classic literature and also those who wrote about science, history, and other topics.

The program itself is easy to follow. It is organized into weekly units and daily lessons with step-by-step instructions. The lesson plan calls for four relatively short lessons per week, but this can be modified if you so choose. There are three levels to the program, and Level 1 can be started anytime in grades 5-8. For Level 1, you’ll need to purchase the Writing With Skill Level 1 Instructor Text and the Writing With Skill Level 1 Student Workbook . 

Since Writing With Skill is not a complete language arts curriculum, you’ll want to have your student read plenty of quality literature and also pair this program with a high-quality grammar program. We recommend the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind program, as it is produced by the same authors as Writing With Skill and compliments that program really nicely. If your student enjoys creative writing, consider further supplementing with the Creative Writer series by Boris Fishman.

Best Comprehensive Program

Institute for Excellence in Writing Level B program , Andrew Pudewa

Another excellent homeschool writing curriculum for middle school students is the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) program created by Andrew Pudewa. The IEW program is more systematic and broader in scope than Writing With Skill , and it really teaches students the nitty-gritty of how to write well. The IEW produces excellent homeschool programs for kids of all ages. Level B refers to the middle school programs. 

The IEW programs approach writing instruction by focusing on nine structural models central to the writing process: note-taking, paragraph writing, stories, basic reports, writing from pictures, research reports, creative writing, essays, and critiques. The lessons are straightforward and incremental and help students gain confidence in their writing abilities one skill at a time. 

The program teaches writing in a multi-media way that is especially good for visual learners. Each week begins with a video lesson by Pudewa, who shows students how to create an outline for that week’s assignment and then teaches specific techniques pertinent to that assignment. Students then complete the assignment on their own during that week. This format makes for minimal prep and teaching time on the part of parents.

 For the most convenience, purchase all of the Level B Year One required materials as a bundle. You’ll have a choice of purchasing the video lessons on DVD or in a digital format that you can stream online.

Best Classical Approach

Classical Composition series , Memoria Press

If you want a homeschool writing program that is firmly rooted in the methods and ideals of the classical homeschooling model, look no further than Memoria Press’s Classical Composition series. Memoria Press is a leader in Classical Christian homeschool curriculum, and its Classical Composition series teaches students to write using the same techniques taught to William Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, and John Milton. 

Like many of Memoria Press’s other programs, the Classical Composition series is based in the progymnasmata , a framework invented in ancient times to teach effective communication. Ancient writers like Cicero and Quintilian learn to write using the progymnasmata, which includes fourteen exercises. Memoria Press uses those same fourteen exercises in its Classical Composition , adapting them for modern students.

Classical Composition is rigorous and especially good for independent and gifted learners. Students learn how to write exceptionally well and will be far above their peers in writing when they enter high school. Yet they also learn about how writing is an artform that has been developing in the Western world since ancient times. Students who complete the Classical Composition series will have a greatly increased ability to understand and analyze the great works of classic and ancient literature because of their immersion in this classical model of composition.  

If your student is beginning Classical Composition in middle school, you’ll want to purchase the Classical Composition III: Chreia & Maxim course materials, which consists of a student book , a teacher guide , and a DVD set . These can also be purchased together as a bundle . Depending on your student’s grade level and prior writing experience, he or she may be ready for a different level of the program. See Memoria Press’s website for more information on the different program levels.

There are many excellent homeschool writing programs for middle school students. If your student is in seventh grade and you are looking for a complete language arts curriculum, check out our article Best 7 th Grade Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum . If you are looking for homeschool writing curriculum for older or younger kids, see our related articles, Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School and Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Elementary Students .

Jump In: Middle School Composition

Jump In is for what grade levels?

Jump In  is for grades 5 – 8. Younger students likely will be frustrated with the material. Older students will want to use  The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School .

Can I use Jump In for my homeschool?

Absolutely! Jump In was developed to take the burden of teaching writing from the shoulders of homeschool moms, and it has been used successfully in co-ops and Christian schools as well.

What will my students learn in Jump In?

Fifth through eighth graders will learn how to write in all four modes of writing: persuasion, exposition, description, and narration. In the exposition section, they’ll learn how to write a report with documentation, along with other expository essays like a how-to and compare and contrast. 

What are the Skills in the book?

Each day’s work is labeled a Skill. The first chapter of  Jump In has eight Skills. The first seven are daily lessons. The last one is the writing assignment. There are 98 Skills or daily lessons in the workbook, which leads to the next question . . .

I've heard I can use Jump In for more than one year. Is this true?

If you would like to stroll through Jump In, 2 nd Edition at a more leisurely pace, feel free to use the following plan:

Complete “Get Your Feet Wet” through “A Report” in the first year. In the second year, finish “A Biography” through “Poetry.”

When students get to the essay assignment at the end of each chapter, put the textbook aside as they work through the assignment, suggested writing schedule, and the accompanying checklist. That way, students can concentrate on their current essay assignment without being bogged down with new information from the next chapter.

When the essay is completed on time, move to the next chapter.

This pace also gives you time to repeat a lesson or section if you see that your student does not understand the material or could use more practice in it.

Dip into the 10-Minute Writing Plunges program during the year (page 41).

How do I grade my students' papers?

Grading essays just got a whole lot easier! The Teacher’s Guide contains grading grids for every essay assignment and many of the fiction-writing assignments as well. You’ll evaluate an essay based on very specific questions, give a defined number to the question, and then add up all the numbers for an objective grade. For instance, “Is there a topic sentence for each point?” is worth 1-10 points.

The Teacher’s Guide to Jump In also contains a very practical guide called “How to Earn an A,” “How to Earn a B,” and so forth. The examples there are from real papers by real students and explain exactly why the papers earned those grades. 

Will my student learn how to proofread his or her own work?

Yes, indeedy. The Mistake Medic, a one-page proofreading tool, teaches students how to catch their own mistakes by asking the right questions. Checklists for each essay assignment also guide students through the proofreading process. Students have two copies of The Mistake Medic in their workbook, and teachers have a copy of it in the Teacher’s Guide.

I've used Jump In and loved it! Now my student is in high school. What can I use for a writing curriculum in high school?

I’m glad you asked. The sequel to  Jump In is very popular with teens. The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School is just as practical, incremental, and conversational as  Jump In . Click here for more info on this field-tested textbook that gets real results from both college-bound and inexperienced writers!

What happens if I have other questions about Jump In? Can I get answers?

Yes! Click here to contact Sharon Watson, the author of  Jump In .

“I have decided to use Jump In because of the tone of the program.I really appreciate the gentle, supportive, and somewhat humorous manner in which you address the student.” -Candice T.

New and seasoned writers learn important writing skills—without tears!

J ump In, 2nd Edition  is the writing curriculum your middle school student will use ! Easy, bite-sized lessons guide your student through the complexities of writing essays and the finer points of writing.

Students will learn nine types of essays, a research report, story writing, poetry, and more in 98 daily lessons. They’ll practice topic sentences, a main idea (thesis statement), in-text citations, and other essential building blocks of composition. The text is incremental, the tone is light with a sprinkling of humor, and the assignments are very achievable.

What’s new in the 2nd edition?

S tudents get more practice writing paragraphs before they delve into essays. We’ve added lessons on writing paragraphs, using a handy paragraph chart, and practicing different types of paragraphs.

Students will also learn two solid methods for compare-and-contrast writing. Younger students will write a compare-and-contrast paragraph using a Venn diagram. Experiences writers will write a compare-and-contrast essay using a chart of features.

We’ve also added a lesson on how to write a personal narrative.

Each essay assignment now comes with a suggested writing schedule and a specific checklist to help students proofread their work.

And speaking of proofreading, students are guided through the process of proofreading with practical lessons, checklists, and a Mistake Medic.

Because methods for citing sources often change, we’ve created a digital lesson on how to create a works cited page . You can access it here  or click the image below.

Digital versions now available!

Interested in the digital versions of Jump In, 2nd Edition ?

Find the digital textbook here. >>

And here’s the digital teacher’s guide. >>

What reviewers are saying about the original edition

“A  popular choice for homeschoolers.”

— CATHY DUFFY,  cathyduffyreviews.com

“F inally, a composition course that REALLY teaches your children how to write!”

— CYNTHIA DOWNES (read her  full review )

“I  can’t speak highly enough of this program.”

— CINDY PRECHTEL,  Homeschooling from the Heart

With  Jump In , your middle school student will learn how to:

Download free samples of our courses    here. Dismiss

• Rating Count
• Price (Ascending)
• Price (Descending)
• Most Recent

Creative writing for middle school

Creative Writing Prompts with Art Inferences | Middle & High School

Middle School Creative Writing Elective Unit 1

Middle School Creative Writing Bundle- 5th, 6th, 7th Grade

Middle School Creative Writing (Short Story) and Narrative Writing Unit Bundle!

Create a Children's Book ELA Art Project Creative Writing Middle School Unit

Creative Writing Unit Prompts Activities & Projects for Middle + High School

Creative Writing Prompts Early Finishers Activities Choice Board ELA Bingo Game

Story Writing Bundle of Creative Writing Resources for Middle School

Fun Creative Writing Poetry Packet for Elementary/ Middle School with Rubrics

Back to School Creative Writing Project Middle & High School English Activities

Dystopian Fiction Creative Writing Project Bundle for Middle and High School

Drama Lesson Costume Design Superheroes Middle School Plus Creative Writing

Creative Writing Bundle for Middle School and High School Writers

Creative Writing Poetry Complete Unit - Middle /High School - 4 Weeks - EDITABLE

Storytelling with Rubrics | Middle School Writing | Creative Writing

Harris Burdick Creative Writing Rubric - Simple Easy Middle School 6 7 8 9

Characterization and Character Analysis | Middle School Creative Writing

50% OFF Creative Writing Prompts, Middle School Creative Curriculum ELA Bundle

Sell a Famous Painting - Creative Informational Middle School Writing Prompts

Fun and Unique Middle School Creative Writing Worksheets

FREE Middle School Creative Writing Prompts Task Cards | 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade

Middle School High School Creative Writing Elective Unit 1-3

Creative Writing Middle School High School - Using Classic Texts as Mentors

Middle School Creative Writing Activities

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

20 Creative Writing Activities For Middle School: Poem Ideas, Prompts, Story Starters, And Worksheets

April 10, 2024 //  by  Stephanie Ledford

Some students are prolific writers, needing no help putting pen to paper and telling their stories. However, there are other students who need a little more direction in order to get their stories out. Whatever the case may be, these 20 creative writing activities for middle school will have all of your students showing their creative prowess.

1. I Am From

After reading the poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon, have students write their own “I Am From” poems. Using a template, all students will be able to create wonderful poems illustrating their own unique backgrounds.

Learn More: Made by Teachers

2. Found Poems

Using the words of others, students create their own “found poems.” By taking a snippet here and a line there, they can arrange them in their own creative ways to create new, interesting poems. Reading a book as a class? Have them use the book to create a found poem!

Learn More: Read, Write, Think

Your middle schoolers are sure to feel like poets in the making with this creative assignment. Encourage them to connect themselves to something bigger, like their families, their culture, or their historical background as you task them with creating poems using their own names. Prompt them to begin their writing process by having them use the letters of their names to inspire a new line of poetry that they think reflects who they are as a person.

Learn More: Mama Smiles

4. Chain Stories

This assignment has each student start with a blank piece of paper. After giving them a writing prompt , every student begins writing a story. After your chosen time limit is up, they stop writing and pass their story to the next person in their group who then has to continue telling the story. When each story returns to its original author, the activity is complete.

Learn More: Creativities ESL

5. Visual Character Sketch

Being able to add depth to a character can be difficult for many students. By allowing a student to create a visual sketch, you are allowing them a different approach to writing a character description.

Learn More: Adobe Education Exchange

6. What If…

“What if” writing prompts are a great way to get your learners’ creative juices flowing. By posing a question, they’re given a starting point, and it’s up to them to decide what twists and turns their stories will take. Will they write a sad, action-packed, or scary story? The possibilities are endless!

Learn More: Journal Buddies

7. Descriptive Writing Prompts

Descriptive writing activities are another way for middle school students to practice their creative writing skills. They can give their descriptions their own unique twists by using their different writing styles to describe common objects. And hey, they might have a different appreciation for the things in their everyday worlds after this assignment!

Learn More: Academic Writing Success

8. Scary Stories

Go through the entire writing process and teach your students how to write scary stories! Before you begin writing, though, read them some (age-appropriate) scary stories to give them the chills and an idea of what is expected in a scary story.

Learn More: Keep ’em Thinking

9. Daily Journal Writing

There is no better way to improve students’ writing abilities than to do daily writing. Each day, give students a different prompt and allow them to write for fifteen minutes. After, allow them the opportunity to share their story with their peers or the class.

Learn More: Daily Teaching Tools

10. So Much Depends Upon…

“ The Red Wheel Barrow “–such a simple yet eloquent poem. Following this lesson plan, your students will be able to write their own simple yet eloquent poems and feel like accomplished writers.

Learn More: NYLearns

11. An Ode to…

Reluctant writers are often intimidated by complicated writing ideas. By using a template like the one pictured above, your students will all be able to feel like poets as they create their own odes about a person, place, or thing.

Learn More: Crafting Connections

12. Story Starters

Story starters are a great way to help students begin their stories. If you have a digital classroom, the Scholastic story starter page is great because it can formulate much different writing prompts, helping engage all students.

Learn More: Scholastic

13. My Time Machine Trip

What is everyday life like in 1902? How about in 2122? Have students write stories about their experiences traveling through time using the attached worksheet. For those that need a little extra help, allow them to research time periods so they have an idea of what life was like then.

Learn More: K12 Reader

14. Writing and Math

This is a great assignment for a math class! Using the provided instructions, students are to write a story that explains to their boss the math they used while delivering packages. Since this assignment asks them to cover specific math concepts, make sure you cover them in class first (or hand this assignment to a math teacher and let them have at it!).

Learn More: Dr. Hamblin

15. How to Bake Cookies for Santa

Seasonal writing activities are a great way to get kids excited around the holidays! One way to get descriptive paragraphs out of your students is through these instructions on how to bake cookies for Santa. The great thing about this assignment is all levels of writers can participate. Those that are more advanced can provide more details and struggling writers can still feel accomplished by explaining the cookie-making process!

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

16. Diary Entry of a Literary Character

Another favorite among creative writing ideas is having students write diary entries in the voice of a character from literature. This can be a character from a book you read as a class or from a book they read on their own. Either way, it will showcase their creative writing skills and their knowledge of the character!

Learn More: Banana Magic

17. Write a Rant

Writing a rant is a good assignment to use when you are trying to teach about the different voices we use when writing. When writing a rant, you are going to use an angrier, more aggressive voice than if you were writing a children’s story. This is a great warm-up to get students ready to write persuasive essays.

Learn More: Teachers and Writers Magazine

18. Write a Newspaper Story

After reading through some newspapers to get ideas on how newspaper articles are formatted, have each of your students write their own article. When they are all done, you can compile a classroom newspaper!

Learn More: Nie Online

19. Coat of Arms

Studying Shakespeare? Maybe European countries where it was common to have a Coat of Arms? If so, this assignment is perfect for your class. Have students create a coat of arms and then write a few paragraphs explaining their choices.

20. A Letter to Yourself

Have students write letters to their future selves. Give them specific questions to answer like “where do you see yourself in five years? Are you happy with your life? Is there anything you would change?” And then in five years, mail the letters to their parents!

Learn More: Ms. Carota

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Nourishing My Scholar

Exceptional Middle School Writing Curriculum

August 16, 2020 by Erin Vincent Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a middle school writing curriculum ? Do you need something flexible, and gentle, yet thorough? Perhaps you have a reluctant writer or a young writer that has trouble putting their thoughts on paper. WriteShop takes the overwhelm out of the writing process. It’s a comprehensive writing curriculum that walks the homeschool parent and their student through the skills needed to find their kiddos writing voice.

*Disclosure: I was compensated for my time in exchange for an honest review of WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course . I was not required to write a positive review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only choose to share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy and benefit from. 

We’ve used other writing curriculums in the past. And while I love their philosophy and lifestyle, my son was needing something more. He needed a writing curriculum with more structure that would help him with the building blocks of writing while developing his writer’s voice.

I, the parent, needed more direction on HOW to TEACH my son to write papers and essays. He needed more than copy work and dictation.

My son is a multi-sensory learner. But most middle school writing curriculum are boring and only focus on pencil and paper. I spent all spring searching for a better alternative. I kept coming back to WriteShop I for its ability to help students to build strong writing foundations while also allowing the student to go at their own pace. Then there are the videos that WriteShop offers. Not the boring and dry videos I’d seen across the internet, but visually stimulating and creative videos that would hold my son’s attention.

I was so happy to get my hands on WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course !

Middle School Writing Curriculum

What is WriteShop? WriteShop I is a writing curriculum that offers detailed step-by-step lessons to help introduce descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive compositions and essays. It provides pre-teens and teens with a solid foundation in brainstorming all the way through the final draft stages and builds self-editing skills. It’s also perfect for your older reluctant writers because of its gentle writing approach.

WriteShop was created by a couple of moms whose sons struggled with writing! So, they understand what it’s like to be in the trenches of homeschooling reluctant writers.

These moms found that most writing programs were great about encouraging kids to “get their ideas onto paper,” but they often failed to help parents teach, guide, and evaluate in a simple way.

With WriteShop , you’ll discover lessons that provide:

• Prewriting games to stimulate creativity.
• A way to introduce and help students develop new skills.
• Creative, varied writing exercises with clearly defined expectations.
• Incremental lessons that built upon previously learned material.
• Writing checklists to help students edit their own work.
• A simple evaluation tool to help us grade final drafts objectively

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgaVmYpQL-/

Why I Love WriteShop I Homeschool Writing Curriculum

WriteShop I is perfect for most children ages 12-16 in middle and early high school. The student workbook contains the meat of each lesson written directly to the student.

WriteShop I focuses on stylistic techniques, vocabulary development, active voice, and sentence variation in a fully faith neutral way. Writing skills are taught in shorter writing assignments. I love that students are working on the building blocks of more mature sentences and middle school paragraph writing while teaching me how to be my child’s writing coach. WriteShop literally teaches students how to describe an object, write a sentence, a paragraph, and connect it all together! This lays the foundation for all future compositions, essays, and reports.

Benefits of Using WriteShop I for Middle School Writing Curriculum

The beauty of the program is its adaptability! Whether your child is advanced, reluctant, or struggling with learning difficulties WriteShop can meet your kiddo’s needs. Lessons are parsed out in bite-size chunks. My son loves that each day’s assignments aren’t overwhelming. In addition, most compositions are rarely longer than one paragraph. My son also does well with the multisensory aspects of the lessons, whether it’s a game or a fun prewriting activity. This means that WriteShop is especially good for reluctant writers, special needs writers, and parents who need extra support with teaching writing .

Adapting Writing Lessons to Fit Your Middle Schooler’s Needs

With WriteShop I you can use a 1-week schedule, 2-week schedule, or break it up even further for teens with learning disabilities and create a schedule that fits their needs. That means you can plan for it to take 1 semester to 2 years depending on the way you do it. It’s all about doing what works best for your individual kid.

You can go as slowly as you need to, and the assignments are not long, lengthy papers, but focused on building strong paragraphs. New skills are introduced slowly, so I don’t have to worry about my son having to master everything at once.

WriteShop Online Video Course

WriteShop also offers an online video course for their WriteShop I & II curriculum.

Play With Education provides this additional support for writers and their parents with the platform for these videos.

WriteShop Online Videos Take One Thing Off Moms Plate

Each 10- to 15-minute video introduces students to the key points of WriteShop’s lesson in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

The WriteShop online video segments cover all the teaching points of each lesson. The videos cover it so fully that I was able to hand the bulk of the teaching over to the videos. I didn’t have to add anything. Though I still watched the videos with my son initially. I also helped my son with his paper, but the beauty of the videos was that I didn’t have to teach the lesson. The videos do this for me!

The video course works beautifully alongside the Teachers Manual. I highly recommend adding the video course as part of your WriteShop I writing curriculum.

WriteShop Middle School Writing Curriculum Resources

WriteShop I does have some grammar mingled into it but it is not enough to be considered a full credit. Because my son does so well with a multi-sensory approach, we paired Winston Grammar program with WriteShop 1.

WriteShop offers homeschool writing curriculum for all grades from K to 12. The Placement Quiz will help you find the best fit.

You can learn more about WriteShop’s Scope and Sequence as well as see Sample Lessons here . Subscribe to WriteShop and get instant access to your FREE gift ! WriteShop offers so many wonderful resources to help you help your child succeed in writing.

WriteShop Homeschool Writing Curriculum

If you’re looking for a most cost-effective alternative to the hard copy curriculum, don’t want to deal with hefty postage costs, or long shipping delays then be sure to check out the E-book Digital version to all of WriteShop’s curriculum.

You can browse the Digital Bundles here .

WriteShop includes everything you need for a successful year of writing for your homeschool. We’ve been using it for several months and I already see a HUGE difference in my son’s approach to writing. He’s becoming more independent and self-motivated while getting his brilliant words and phrases out onto paper! I’m so pleased with the growth we’ve both experienced on this writing journey.

You may also enjoy:

• Are You Unexpectedly Homeschooling
• 10 Things You Need to Know to Homeschool
• U.S. Elections Process for Kids
• Free Typing Games for Kids

About Erin Vincent

Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

ENROLL DONATE

• Who We Serve
• Program Logic Model
• Culture Statement
• Board of Directors
• Advisory Council
• Junior Board of Directors
• Join the Team!
• Get Involved

What's Hot?

• WRITOPIA SPEAKS
• Creative Writing
• Essay Writing
• College Essay
• Role-Playing Games
• Debate Team
• Private Sessions & Workshops
• Specialty Genres, Events, and More
• Sleepaway Camps
• School Year
• Writopia Publishing Lab
• Worldwide Plays Festival
• Scholastic Writing Awards
• Youth Essay Conference
• Family Memoir
• Writopia Lab Salon
• Teen Intensives
• Professional Development

Upcoming Events

• Westchester
• Program Schedules
• For Students
• For Parents
• For Educators

Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE)

Summer 2024 programs.

The Advanced Writing Exploration Program invites rising 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore their literary passions.

The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The program will prepare writers for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program.

Price: $1290. Applicants can apply for need-based financial aid

Summer sessions include daily craft talks, writing exercises, and deep dives into different writing genres including poetry, memoir, playwriting, screenwriting, essay writing, fiction, comedy, and more. The session concludes with a reading and celebration.

Summer 2024 Date and Location Options:

• Upper West Side, Monday, July 29th to Friday, August 9th, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET
• Online, Monday, August 12th to Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET / 10 AM to 1 PM PT

Click here to apply for AWE!

School Year Programs

The Middle School Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE) invites 7th and 8th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore, expand, and deepen their literary passions. The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The AWE program also includes one private session in which the writer can focus on academic essay writing, admissions essays, or the creative genre of their choice.

The program will inspire and challenge middle school writers, as well as prepare them for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Tuition: $645 (Limited financial aid available.)

• Week 1: Multi-genre Workshop and Goal Setting
• Week 2: Multi-genre Workshop
• Week 3: Mystery and Horror Master Class Part 1
• Week 4: Mystery and Horror Master Class Part 2
• Week 5: Multi-genre Workshop
• Week 6: Screenwriting Master Class Part 1
• Week 7: Screenwriting Master Class Part 2
• Week 8: Multi-genre Workshop
• Week 9: Author visit and publishing discussion
• Week 10: Comedy Master Class Part 1
• Week 11: Comedy Master Class Part 2
• Week 12: Final Workshop and Celebration
• Tuesdays, 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM ET (Dates: Jan 10 through Apr 4)
• Wednesdays, 7 PM to 8:30 PM ET (Dates: Jan 11 through Apr 5)
• Upper West Side
• Sundays, 4 PM to 5:30 PM ET (Dates: Jan 8 through Apr 2)
• Mondays, 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM ET (Dates: Jan 9 through Apr 10)
• Tenleytown, DC
• Fridays, 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM ET (Dates: Jan 13 through Apr 7)
• Enroll now in  Fall, Winter, and/or Spring Trimester workshops .
• New Program: Writopia Quarterly News
• September 28th: Teen Open Mic in NYC!

Winter Retreat

• Saturday, February 15th to Tuesday, February 18th, 2025
• @ Camp Mariah in Fishkill, NY

Enroll Now!

Weekly Trimester-Long Workshops

Check out the Weekly Trimester-Long Schedule .

Holiday & School Break Workshops

Check out the Half-Day and Full-Day schedules.

Summer Workshops and Camps

Check out the Summer Schedule .

The Homeschool Writing Curriculum

That grows with you.

1 MINUTE TO YOUR PERFECT LEVEL

EXPLORE OUR PRODUCTS

WriteShop Primary

WriteShop Junior

WriteShop I & II

Parents Love WriteShop!

Quality, parent-approved writing resources, award-winning.

Chris, using WriteShop Primary Book A

Levi has really enjoyed this program. It has taken the pressure off of him to read and write, and just allowed him to be creative … Our kindergarten year has been a pretty rough start up to the last couple of months. But WriteShop has really changed things at our house!

Ashley, using WriteShop I

My 13 yo has gone from tears over more than 2 sentences to beautiful paragraphs in the year and a half that we’ve been using Write Shop.

Heily, using WriteShop I

Thank you very much for creating Write Shop! It has been a pleasure to teach this curriculum and the results are phenomenal. Our son went from hating writing to asking for more!

Dena, using WriteShop I

WriteShop has been a wonderful program for us. I don’t think my dyslexic daughter would have ever learned to write without it!

Nikki, using WriteShop Primary Book C

You know this is a good product when your reluctant writer asks, “Mom, when are we going to write another story?” My son has always struggled with writing. Because of Write Shop, my son has enjoyed writing creative stories, and I am tearing up as I type this.

Zandra, using WriteShop II

Somehow the words fun and writing have become connected, ever since we started using WriteShop. That, along with the progress I’m seeing in my students’ writing, is the highest recommendation I can give.

Search Bravewriter.com

Middle school writers ages 11-12.

To grow as a writer, what does your middle schooler need? Answer: YOU!

They want space to experiment and support to improve.

Middle School Writers sometimes...

• tire quickly
• take pride in their work
• make spelling errors
• begin drafts on their own
• need help to finish strong

These writers (11-12) are building confidence in their writing skills. They're looking for kind, effective support from a person they trust.

Let us show you how to be the best writing coach and ally for your student.

Our bundled program has so much material, it can easily last more than one year.

You'll love it—but more importantly, so will your writers!

• The Middle School Writers Bundle Our comprehensive program for ages 11-12
• Sample View and download a sample of the program
• Customize Individual Items Select individual items to suit your children’s needs
• Online Classes Learn online with our amazing instructors

Middle School Writers Bundle

Make a rule: Writing will not be tedious in our household!

Flip the script on writing—learn to transform the age-old writing formats into life-giving writing experiences.

In the Middle School Writer’s Bundle, we combine three interlocking programs for a year of essential language arts:

• An easy-to-use manual to help you teach your kids how to write.
• Monthly handbooks that pair with read aloud novels. Discover the "not boring" way to learn grammar, punctuation, and reading comprehension!
• A program of oral language activities and twelve writing assignments that are right for this age and stage.

Our bundles are made up of year-long, non-consumable PDF products . We show you how to put them together for a rich writing life! These tools can be used for more than one child in your family at a time, particularly if close in age, and again with other children as they come of age.

Read the feature descriptions below.  

Brave Writer Sampler

New to our program?

Click here for a sneak peek of our products. Our year-long bundles are beautifully designed, non-consumable and meaty! Not to worry—we'll hold your hand with lots of guidance so that implementation is a breeze! Download and print the samples or view them on your tablet. Brave Writer has served over 100,000 families, over 22 years, in 191 countries. We know what works!

Download now for free!

This is more than a curriculum, it is a paradigm shift. Reading these materials and letting them soak in has brought a lot of clarity to me about the process of teaching my kids to write... It is helping me to step back and see the big picture. Siobhan W

or Purchase Individual Items

Customize your program to suit your family and needs! Each of the three programs can be purchased individually. Create your customized program using recommended resources below.

Growing Brave Writers

Growing Brave Writers is the essential training you need to be the effective writing coach your children deserve. While other programs focus on what to write, Growing Brave Writers teaches children how to write. End writer's block!

(ages 8-18)  

Put away the red pen! Most programs tell students   what   to write. We show them   how   to write.

Growing Brave Writers   is the essential training you need to be the delightful writing coach your children deserve. End writer’s block!

One product to teach all your kids, and will last your entire homeschool career!

Together, you and your kids will:

• play oral and writing games
• grow a rich vocabulary
• do research
• freewrite (unblocks your blocked writers)
• revise (brand new material)
• edit (two strategies your kids will embrace)
• polish fiction and nonfiction writing

Empower your kids to feel   good   about writing.

This program works for a wide-range of children. Perfect for children who can read easily and handwrite comfortably.

Each chapter contains:

• A coaching guide for a writing practice
• A writing activity with detailed instructions
• A checklist for completion
• A sample written narrative of skills mastered

An additional chapter and an appendix feature:

• Directions for how to use the program in co-ops, with schooled children, and across the curriculum 
• Writing samples for the activities

Growing Brave Writers   is a 200+ page PDF file. It’s non-consumable and works well with students of all ages (8–18). It’s designed to support a writer doing any kind of writing, including assignments in other programs or classes, for homeschooled and traditionally schooled students. Purchase perks!  Upon purchase, automatically enter into a 10-month email workflow that will guide you step-by-step! Implementation was never so easy! 

Want a print copy? Go to the front of the line at the Homeschool Printing Company with a special Brave Writer offer. Order   here . 

All products are digital and downloadable. All sales are FINAL. No refunds.

$179.55 $149.00

The Arrow uses living literature to teach the mechanics of writing. Grammar, punctuation, and literary devices taught through powerful, engaging books! Comprehension questions and book club party ideas included!

(ages 11-12)

The Arrow creates a love of reading and writing through literature!

Our year-long program is delivered in nine month-long lesson plans, released monthly.

Each handbook is based on a novel and immerses your child in the world of:

• literary devices
• punctuation
• and book club parties

Find out why the Arrow has been the most popular writing program in Brave Writer history!

It's possible to learn grammar and literary devices naturally, in conversation, through playful activities. We show you how!

Our program uses the time-tested practices of copywork and dictation as the key tools to learn punctuation, spelling, and grammar naturally in context. We teach you four methods for applying those practices to literature and writing.

Each handbook contains:

Notes to go with a selected read aloud (book not provided)

Four passages taken from the novel for copywork and dictation, one per week

Easy-to-follow instructions to teach writing elements found in the passages

Playful and effective grammar and punctuation activities that kids love

A simple, delightful writing exercise to apply lessons

Nine comprehension questions

Book club party ideas

Copywork passages on separate printable pages

Four-color design that looks gorgeous on tablets or printed at home

The   Arrow   program comes with Guidelines to help you implement copywork and dictation practices, as well as a planning tool and a writing skills tracker to help you stay attuned to your child's progress. Start any time. Enjoy the published  Arrow s  in any order.  You will receive all nine by April 2025.

2024-2025 book list: 

August: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park September: The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown October: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day November: Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson December: The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz January: The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri February: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia March: Figure it Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis April:   The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Swap one!   This year, when you purchase the year-long program, you can swap one handbook in the program for a handbook in the  Literature Singles collection . Find the swap form in your account after purchase. Delivery: The   Arrow   is delivered to your Brave Writer online account once per month on the 15th. Each handbook (40-50 pages) is a non-consumable PDF and can be used with multiple children—no need to purchase additional copies. Want a print copy? Go to the front of the line at the Homeschool Printing Company with a special Brave Writer offer. Order   here .  Note: The Arrow  is one part of the  Middle School Writers Bundle . Get all three components of the Brave Writer program in one bundle. 

All products are digital and downloadable. All sales are FINAL. No refunds.

Find related books in the Brave Writer Book Shop: Prairie Lotus , The Wild Robot Protects , The Mona Lisa Vanishes , Eagle Drums , The Doughnut Fix , The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams , Clayton Byrd Goes Underground , Figure it Out, Henri Weldon , The Last Mapmaker

Building Confidence (11-12 yrs)

The Building Confidence program prepares junior high kids for high school writing. It provides 12 writing projects (one per month) that are engaging, fun, and academically sound. Guidance for oral reports, recitation, movies, poetry, nature study, writing fiction, and more included.

Want your Middle Schoolers to feel good about writing?

Building Confidence  (formerly Faltering Ownership )  offers a slew of engaging writing projects that prepare kids for a life of self-expression and academic achievement.

Combine style with skill!

Your kids will:

• Indulge wild word play
• Design a dust jacket book review
• Report on a natural disaster
• Keep a diary as a historical figure
• Examine headlines for bias
• Learn the features of great fiction
• Discover the joy of writing poetry
• Write a semester length report and celebrate with a party
• ...and so much more!

Confidence and competence are around the corner!

Middle School is a great time to introduce academic writing skills.

You'll guide and coach your middlers in:

• conducting research
• citing sources
• letter writing
• book reviewing
• interviewing

Included in the   Building Confidence   program:

• Guidance for poetry recitation, word play, nature study, art appreciation, music, and movies
• Twelve month-long writing projects: reports, interviews, letters, poetry, fiction, advertisements, diaries, literary elements, book reviews and more
• A tool to plan the projects
• A tool to track the skills your child gains
• A sample schedule (routine) for how to incorporate these practices into your year

This program can easily last more than one year and can be adapted for families with children between the ages of 10 and 15. If your student is in high school but not yet a confident writer, start here. These projects lay the foundation for the   Help for High School   program skills.

Building Confidence   is 160 pages in a four-color PDF file. Looks great on tablets and iPads, or can be printed. The product is non-consumable and can be used for multiple children at once. Each activity can be done more than one time with a fresh topic to practice the formats. Want a print copy? Go to the front of the line at the Homeschool Printing Company with a special Brave Writer offer. Order   here .  Note:  Building Confidence  is one part of the  Middle School Writers Bundle . 

Popular Literature Single Issues

Amari and the night brothers, book scavenger, leon garfield's shakespeare stories, wings of fire: the dragonet prophecy.

View more Literature Singles »

Online Classes

Our online classes are wonderful supplements to our written programs. Each class lasts between 3–6 weeks.

Some recommended online classes for Middle School Writers include:

Brave Writer® 101: Guided Writing Process

Ages 9 - 14

Brave Writer® 102: Learning to Revise

Brave Writer® 201: Academic Revision

Ages 11 - 18

Write for Fun: Dream Big

Write for Fun: Fly High

Write for Fun: Go Wild

Explore More Online Classes »

Join Our Brave Learner Home Community!

Join our resource-rich Brave Learner Home community! Over 17,000 members strong, we offer monthly professional development webinars, monthly themed lesson plans, a community coaching discussion board, and oodles of trainings about how to homeschool and parent. Members get early access to our online class registration as well as other perks.

Join Today!

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Writing Curriculum

Teach Writing With The New York Times: Our 2023-24 Curriculum

Our eight writing units, each with its own practical step-by-step guide, are based on real-world features like reviews, photo essays, narratives, podcasts and more.

By The Learning Network

Update, Aug. 8, 2024: We have published our 2024-25 Writing Curriculum.

What can the news, features, essays, interviews, photos, videos, podcasts and graphics in The New York Times teach your students about composing for a real audience? So much, we hope, that the units we detail below are just a beginning.

Our writing curriculum is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it organizes our offerings — writing prompts, mentor texts and student contests — into eight distinct units, each of which focuses on a different genre of writing that your students can find not just in The Times but in all kinds of real-world sources.

For students, it offers confirmation that they have something valuable to say, a wide range of choices about how to say it and a global audience eager to listen. Promoting student voices has always been a pillar of our site, and through the opportunities for publication woven into each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply consuming media to becoming creators themselves.

Though our offerings are aimed at middle school and high school students, we know that they are used up and down levels and across subjects — from elementary school to college. So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, interview fascinating people or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say!

Each unit includes:

Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish new writing prompts every school day and have since 2009. You can find categorized collections of these prompts , or just scroll through to see the latest. Your students can respond on our site, using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it is published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who may read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each step-by-step guide features activities, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. Mentor texts like those informing how to “show not tell” in narratives , how to express critical opinions , how to quote or paraphrase experts and how to craft scripts for podcasts use the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

A contest that acts as a culminating project .

Over the years, we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we wanted to help teachers “plan backward” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Below are the eight units we will offer in the 2023-24 school year.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Our Favorite Creative Writing Curriculum

You guys. Next year my daughter will be in 9th grade. Do you know what that means? Yep. High School.

As a relaxed homeschooler who teeters on the verge of unschooling, the idea of earning credits and completing an entire curriculum has me shaking in my boots. Long gone are my days of “winging it” and letting the weeks slip by without touching our curriculum. Now, I must keep track of credits and plan ahead to ensure my daughter completes everything needed in order to attend college.

When I sat my daughter down and started discussing which classes she’d take, she had only one request: a creative writing curriculum. As a blogger, I’ve always loved writing, so I was giddy at her request. But even after all of the creative writing classes I’ve taken, I still don’t really know how to teach creative writing. So I set out to find a curriculum that would take the guesswork out of it.

This post is sponsored by WriteShop. I received the products for free & was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% my own.

Going from relaxed homeschoolers to “semi-strict, gotta-get-this-done homeschoolers” is a huge change. My daughter isn’t the only one who is struggling with the thought of it. I knew there were several creative writing curriculum options on the market and I hoped and prayed that one of them would help us with the transition.

I had a few things that I really wanted included in our creative writing curriculum and I wasn’t willing to budge on them.

• We didn’t want a dry and boring curriculum that would make my daughter despise writing.
• I wanted something that brought her out of her shell and helped her feel more confident in her writing.
•  There were dreams of a curriculum that didn’t require me to spend hours prepping and teaching. It needed to take out all the guesswork and clearly lay out all expectations for her.
• I still needed flexibility, as my other kids are still relaxed, almost-unschoolers . A rigorous schedule would interfere in life’s natural learning process.

 Lucky for me, I found all of these things wrapped up in WriteShop I.

A Creative Writing Curriculum That Sparks Imagination

With WriteShop I, we opted to take the 2 year path so we could enjoy some flexibility in our writing. Each lesson takes 2 weeks to complete so there’s no need to rush through the information. Each concept is presented and built upon until the idea becomes second natural to the student. 

In each lesson, kids will work through a series of hands-on activities to help them thoroughly understand each concept:

Pre-writing activity:.

Activities that are designed to build skills, help kids understand the introduced concepts and help them feel more comfortable with new ideas.

Brainstorm & Write a Practice Paragraph:

Students will brainstorm for the upcoming assignment and construct a practice paragraph.

Jot Down a Sloppy Copy:

The sloppy copy is a great way to help kids focus on getting their pencil on paper and not worry about grammar, spelling and other details. They organize their ideas into paragraphs and add more details and information.

First Revision:

Give the kids a chance to edit their own work before you dive into it. This will put the responsibility back on the writer to find and correct mistakes.

Teacher/Parenting Edit:

Using the Teacher Checklist, editing writing has never been so easy! Simply go through the steps and make suggestions as the list suggests. You want in on a secret? Us mamas don’t have to be a word-lover to be able to edit your child’s papers. You just need the perfect creative writing curriculum. ( Hint: this is it!!! )

WriteShop also stole my heart when I found the “Addressing Errors Lesson by Lesson” section of my teacher’s manual. WOWZA! It addresses every single issue I’ve ever came across and it offers solutions to help your child become a better writer.

Final Draft:

Students will create a final draft based on the edits and suggestions of the teacher. They’ll learn new concepts and key points to becoming a better essay writer through each lesson. They’ll even be proud to show off their compositions!

Teaching with a Creative Writing Curriculum that Covers It All

If you’re anything like me, you are  struggling to find the perfect creative writing curriculum. But teaching creative writing doesn’t have to be scary or hard. I kid you not when I say that WriteShop has outdone themselves. I’ve seen plenty of curriculum and I’ve never laid eyes on a Teacher’s Manual that covers everything as completely and thoroughly as WriteShop has done. The sections it covers takes the guesswork out of teaching and editing your students’ work.  Each section is neatly organized and streamlined with only the most vital information.

Sections include:

Lesson Plans

Editing & Evaluating

Positive & Encouraging Comments

Addressing Errors Lesson by Lesson

Common Problems of Mechanics

Student Writing Samples

Skill Builder Keys

Pre-Writing & Lesson Activity Keys

Appendix A: Handy References

Appendix B: Supplemental Activities

Seriously! Have you ever seen anything so thorough? I love the fact that the folks at WriteShop want to make sure ALL of the bases are covered. They’ve thought of the issues I’ve faced, long before I’ve faced them. And even better, they’re ready and waiting with a solution right at my fingertips!

If you’re looking for a comprehensive creative writing curriculum that won’t break the bank, you do NOT want to miss WriteShop! Down to the last details, they’ve gone above and beyond to make it easier for you and your child to fall in love for writing.

Want More From WriteShop?

Grab a free gift.

You don’t want to miss this bundle! It includes a total of 480 writing and essay prompts to inspire both elementary and teen students for an entire calendar year! You get two different products with a total value of $7.00. 

Print the prompts in your choice of three formats: calendars, cards, or strips. Only available for a limited time.

Grab their “Journal All Year!” Elementary Writing Prompt Calendar Scoop up the “Journal All Year!”  Teen Writing Prompt Calendar

Get Social with WriteShop!

Request a catalog, check out samples, more from my site.

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Walking by the Way

the road to inspired learning

Eight Free Creative Writing Lessons

February 17, 2012 by Ami 17 Comments

I know I throw around the word favorite all the time. But this is the truth: teaching creative writing lessons is my favorite. 

I have taught creative writing enrichment for summer school students. I have taught creative writing in various homeschool settings and co-ops. I have taught big students and little students. And I love it. 

Since I love to share homeschool co-op class ideas , I have compiled the creative writing lessons from a co-op class that I taught. 

Creative Writing Lessons for a Homeschool Co-op Class

First, please remember that any teacher can use these creative writing lessons. You don’t need to be teaching homeschoolers. You can be a classroom teacher or a homeschool teacher at home with one student. You can even be a librarian who needs a fun program series.

Second, I used these creative writing lesson plans with upper elementary students (with maybe a few 7th graders thrown in). However, you can adapt and use them for older students or younger students!

Creative Writing Lesson Plans

Creative writing lesson one.

The first lesson focuses on cliché and metaphor. It prompts students to consider how words matter.

Grab lesson one here .

Creative Writing Lesson Two

The second lesson teaches students about sensory details: why they are important and how to include them in their writing. Students will begin using sensory details to evoke smells and sounds and sights.

Grab lesson two here.

Creative Writing Lesson Three

The third lesson introduces showing vs. telling. Students learn how to recognize authors who utilize showing, and students are able to articulate the difference between showing and telling.

Grab lesson three here.

Creative Writing Lesson Four

The fourth lesson teaches students how to capture images. We use examples of poetry and prose to discuss this important writing skill.

Grab lesson four here.

Creative Writing Lesson Five

The fifth lesson introduces the story elements of character and conflict.

Note: You may choose to split this lesson into two lessons since it covers two big elements. I only had nine weeks with my students, so I had to jam character and conflict together.

Grab lesson five here.

Creative Writing Lesson Six

The sixth lesson introduces the students to point of view and perspective. We have fun reading poems and using pictures to write descriptions from different points of view.

Grab lesson six here.

Creative Writing Lesson Seven

The seventh lesson puts everything we’ve learned together. I read the students some fractured fairy tales, and we watch some, too. Students then use the prewriting activities and their imaginations to begin drafting their own fractured fairy tales.

Grab lesson seven here.

Creative Writing Lesson Eight

The eighth lesson focuses on revision. After a mini-lesson, students partner up for peer editing.

Grab lesson eight here .

For our final class day, students bring revised work, and I host coffee shop readings. This is a memorable experience for students (and their teacher).

Creative Writing Lessons FAQ

Since posting these creative writing lessons, I have had lots of questions. I decided to compile them here in case you have the same question.

Q: What are copywork quotes? A: Copywork quotes are simply great quotes that students copy as part of their homework assignments. You can use any quotes about writing. I’ve included my favorites throughout the printable packs.

Q: Can I use this with a younger or older student? A: Absolutely! Just adapt it to meet the needs of your student.

Q: Can I use this for my library’s programming or my homeschool co-op class? A: Yes! I just ask that it not be used for profit.

Do you have any questions about teaching creative writing? What’s your biggest hang-up when it comes to teaching creative writing? I’d love to hear from you and help you solve the issue.

January 7, 2016 at 1:57 pm

Hi Theresa,

As long as you are not profitting from using them, they are yours to use! Enjoy! Wish I could be there to help facilitate all those young writers! 

[…] Creative Writing Class […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Homeschool Writing Curriculum: 17 Actually Engaging Options

The specifics of a writing curriculum will vary, but a comprehensive curriculum should cover a progression of skills, increasing in complexity and sophistication from elementary to high school. Here's which homeschool writing programs best prepare kids to be great writers.

Prisma is the world’s most engaging virtual school that combines a fun, real-world curriculum with powerful mentorship from experienced coaches and a supportive peer community.

The Power of Being a Great Writer  

Living in an era dominated by rapid technological advances and artificial intelligence, it’s harder than ever, as educators and homeschooling parents, to figure out what skills kids will need to succeed in the future.

For example, why should we care about writing in the age of AI? Will technology make traditional skills like writing obsolete? On the contrary, at Prisma we believe the rise of AI makes writing more important than ever . While AI can generate text and even mimic human-like writing, it lacks the nuance, critical thinking, and empathy that are the hallmarks of human communication. The best human writers will always be able to use their command of language arts to influence others.

Plus, the practice of writing skills is important for children’s brain development. As Flannery O’Connor aptly stated, "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." The writing process enables us to crystallize our thoughts, stimulating disciplined and critical thinking —a skill that remains irreplaceable by AI. Whether it's a scientist explaining a complicated theory or an entrepreneur pitching their company to investors, the ability to articulate thoughts clearly & with originality is indispensable.

Moreover, writing fosters empathy . Writing, especially creative writing, allows us to imagine and understand different perspectives—an emotional skill that even the most advanced AI lacks. Empathy is vital for personal relationships, teamwork, and any profession involving human interaction.

Furthermore, writing teaches resilience . It's a journey filled with trials and errors. Children learn to handle setbacks, receive criticism, while continuously revising their work, skills that instill adaptability and persistence.

And it's a skill where we see a worrisome trend. According to a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, only 27% of students in America achieved or exceeded proficiency in writing. This statistic rings alarm bells about the declining writing skills among our children.

As we guide our children's learning paths at home, our responsibility extends beyond teaching writing. Our aim is to help them appreciate writing as a tool for thinking, empathizing, and persevering. Despite the rise of AI, the art of writing is here to stay. It's not just a skill, it's a compass—a compass that will guide our learners to navigate the evolving landscape of the future with thoughtfulness, empathy, and resilience.

Selecting a Homeschool Writing Curriculum: Key Factors

Choosing a homeschool writing curriculum is a crucial decision, as it will greatly impact your child's development of writing skills. Here are some key factors to consider:

• Your Child’s Interest in Writing: Is your child a very reluctant writer who may need an online app with gamified elements or lots of varied, hands-on worksheets to stay interested? Or is your child a voracious reader & enthusiastic future author who might do better with open-ended journaling, creative writing prompts , and research papers on topics they’re interested in?
• Your Child’s Learning Needs & Style: If your child has any learning differences, such as dyslexia , ADHD, or autism, you should evaluate any possible curriculum for accommodations and supports. Also consider the way your child prefers to learn. Do they like variety or lots of structure? Pen and paper or digital? Visual, audio, or hands-on?
• Level of Interaction: Consider the level of interaction the curriculum offers. Does it provide opportunities for discussions, peer review, or one-on-one feedback sessions? Interaction can often boost motivation and improve learning outcomes. You could even look for programs that offer live online instruction (we share a few options below).
• Alignment with Goals: What are your goals for your child's writing education? Do you want them to homeschool permanently, or do you hope to have them transition to a more traditional high school or college? If so, make sure the curriculum you choose prepares your learner to write aligned to Common Core standards , and make sure you feel comfortable supporting them.
• Flexibility: Look for a curriculum that allows flexibility in pace and approach. Every child is unique and might not fit into a rigid learning structure.
• Incorporation of Writing Process: The curriculum should teach the writing process – brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. This will help your child understand that good writing often involves rewriting and refining.
• Grammar and Mechanics: While the primary focus might be on developing expressive and organized writing, the curriculum should also help your child learn the grammar and mechanics necessary for clarity and correctness. But we personally feel at Prisma that too many grammar drills can be counterproductive, and many writing experts recommend teaching grammar mostly in the context of a real writing assignment after elementary age.
• Integration with Other Subjects: Writing is a skill that can and should be integrated into other subject areas. A curriculum that encourages writing across subjects can foster more meaningful learning experiences. At Prisma, all writing happens in the context of our fun interdisciplinary themes , like Cities of the Future (where kids wrote a speech proposing a new law for their dream city), Build a Business (where kids wrote a business pitch), and Unsolved Mysteries (where kids wrote research-driven podcast & video scripts for a real life mystery).

Writing Curriculum Guidelines by Grade Level

The specifics of a writing curriculum will vary, but a comprehensive curriculum should cover a progression of skills, increasing in complexity and sophistication from elementary to high school. Here's a broad guideline to assess curriculum options, or if you feel like building your own curriculum from scratch:

Elementary School Writing Curriculum

‍ At Prisma, elementary school writers focus on developing key skills in our live Literacy Labs & completing writing missions connected to our project-based themes. Content covers:

• Sentence Structure: Understanding the basic elements of a sentence, like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and how to construct simple sentences.
• Paragraph Writing: Introduce the concept of a paragraph, topic sentences, and supporting sentences. Graphic organizers often help in this process.
• Basic Grammar and Punctuation: Understanding the rules of capitalization, the usage of periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
• Story Writing: Introduction to narrative writing, creating simple stories with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Writing for Different Purposes: Practice writing informative, persuasive, and narrative pieces.

Middle School Writing Curriculum

‍ Middle school Prisma learners build up to longer writing assignments to prepare for high school writing, and increasingly complete multiple revisions and use peer feedback to perfect their work. They build skills of:

• Advanced Grammar and Punctuation: Dive deeper into the intricacies of grammar and the use of more advanced punctuation marks like semicolons and colons.
• Essay Writing: Understanding essay structure, crafting thesis statements, and creating coherent arguments.
• Narrative Writing: Developing complex narrative techniques, such as point of view, character development, plot structure, and dialogue.
• Research Skills: Learning how to conduct research, evaluate sources, and incorporate evidence into their writing.
• Revision and Editing: Strengthening the ability to revise and edit their own work for clarity, coherence, and correctness.

High School Writing Curriculum

‍ Prisma high school students develop real-world writing assignments for real audiences, preparing to share their writing with the world and developing college-ready writing skills:

• Advanced Essay Writing: Enhancing argumentative, expository, and analytical writing skills. Practice writing longer, more complex essays.
• Literary Analysis: Writing essays that analyze literature for theme, symbolism, and other literary devices.
• Research Papers: Learning to write comprehensive research papers with proper citation and referencing.
• Persuasive Writing: Developing the ability to write persuasively, shaping arguments and using evidence effectively.
• Creative Writing: Exploring different creative writing genres like poetry, short stories, and script writing.
• College Application Essays: Learning to write personal essays that can be used for college applications.
• Critical Thinking: Developing the ability to critique, analyze, and evaluate arguments in writing.

Sign up for more research-backed guides in your inbox

• Prisma is an accredited, project-based, online program for grades 4-12.
• Our personalized curriculum builds love of learning and prepares kids to thrive.
• Our middle school , high school , and parent-coach programs provide 1:1 coaching and supportive peer cohorts .

Online Homeschool Writing Programs

Live online writing courses.

If you don’t feel comfortable teaching or designing writing curriculum yourself, an online course can be a great way to give your learner an interactive, high-quality language arts curriculum.

In a nutshell: Marketplace for online courses in all subjects, including writing. You can read teacher reviews and course descriptions to get a good feel of which classes will work best for your child (and try a bunch to see what works!)

Grade Levels: K-12 and above

Cost: Depends on the length, format, and teacher. Expect to pay around $10/class for most offerings, and up to $50/class for private, 1-to-1 tutoring.

Format: Depends on the class and instructor. Some courses may only be live sessions, and others may include asynchronous materials like worksheets, rubrics, and journal prompts.

Pros: Low-lift for parents, high interactivity; and often fun, engaging topics like Comic Strip Stories or Fan Fiction

Cons: If you switch instructors frequently, your child may have gaps in their knowledge or struggle to build momentum with one writing process

Written Out Loud

In a nutshell: Written Out Loud’s three core principles are transforming how kids learn - and love - to write. Prisma partnered with this organization the past two years and we can say that kids LOVE learning to write with this program. Kids write a whole book as part of a team.

Grade Levels: Ages 10+

Cost: Fee per class or camp. Current summer camp offerings are $529.

Format: In virtual courses (or in-person if a homeschool group reaches out to form a class together), kids work in teams to “break” a story in the style of Hollywood writers (decide verbally as a team what the story will look like) and then write their portions, ending in the publication of a full-length book!

Pros: Helps kids love writing, low-lift for parents, high interactivity

Cons: Doesn’t teach more traditional or “academic” forms of writing, so likely will need to be a supplement.

Prisma & Other Online Private Schools

Some homeschooling families choose to enroll in comprehensive online schools like Prisma, especially as their children get older and need more teacher support or rigorous curriculum. Although these options do charge tuition, they offer a comprehensive, intentional, expert-driven approach to academics (including writing) while still offering the personalization, flexibility, and environment of homeschooling.

Best Online Writing Apps & Websites for Homeschoolers  

Choosing an online program is great if you want something your learner can do at their own pace with minimal supervision from you. These programs can also be great at motivating learners by providing gamified elements (like points, badges, and achievements).

Essentials in Writing

In a nutshell: Former schoolteacher Matthew Stephens’ popular online program delivers direct instruction & writing practice aligned with the traditional way of teaching writing.

Grade Levels: K-12

Cost: $69-89

Format: A video-based online course with corresponding workbooks

Pros: Low-lift for parents with a consistent structure

Cons: May not be enough variety or interactivity for easily bored learners

Night Zookeeper

In a nutshell: A highly engaging game-based online world for kids to explore writing through mini games, interesting writing prompts, and drills

Grade Levels: Ages 6-12

Cost: Subscription costing about $9-13/month, depending on if you pay annually or monthly

Format: Learners sign on to the platform and explore the online activities freely. Parents can view insights into their progress on the back-end.

Pros: Both reluctant and enthusiastic writers tend to LOVE this platform, and the subscription model makes it easy to try out.

Cons: Doesn’t offer as much instruction as more traditional programs.

In a nutshell: No Red Ink is used in 60% of school districts and although the platform is primarily built for teachers, homeschool parents can register for teacher accounts and provide their children access to this interactive, comprehensive writing program.

Grade Levels: Grades 3-12

Cost: Free version, plus a premium version with additional features

Format: A mix of targeted exercises to help students master sentence structure & grammar, scaffolded writing and revising activities for a range of genres, and diagnostics & quizzes to assess your learner’s skills

Pros: Research-driven, interactive, and incorporates learner interests (kids take a fun quiz at the beginning to tailor the curriculum to what they like to write about), plus built-in assessment (a rarity for writing platforms!)

Cons: Since it’s built for teachers, may not be user-friendly for solo homeschooling parents

Online Grammar & Comprehension Practice

At Prisma, we use grammar apps to supplement our more in-depth writing assignments. Some of our favorites are:

• IXL : We like their initial diagnostic and that you can assign individual skills to learners to practice. The format is not the most exciting or engaging, though.
• Freckle : Elementary school-age writers enjoy the gamified elements of this math & language arts platform.
• Quill : Built around the research-backed strategy of sentence combining & revising as a way to learn key grammar and mechanics, this tool is both free and highly effective (though it may get boring if used too often!).

Best Traditional Homeschool Writing Curricula

Brave writer.

In a nutshell: Brave Writer is a writing curriculum designed to help children discover their own unique voice in writing. It emphasizes creativity and individuality, incorporating various elements of language arts such as grammar, spelling, literature, and writing. This curriculum is by far the most popular one with Prisma parents!

Grade Levels : Pre-K to 12th grade

Cost: Individual online classes range from $99 to $199 per course. Home study courses are available from $79 to $149.

Format: Online classes, home study courses with lesson plans and teacher’s guides, and resources for self-study. The courses take a unique approach, focusing on having lots of conversations before getting writing out on the page.

Pros: The curriculum is flexible and customizable to meet the needs of each student. It also encourages a positive attitude towards writing, reducing stress and resistance. It’s great for engaging and empowering young writers.

Cons: The less structured format may not work for all families. Parents may need to be more involved and excited about teaching writing to ensure progress and there is no built-in evaluation or assessment.

The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW)

In a nutshell: IEW is a tried-and-true homeschool curriculum option that employs a method that builds writing confidence and competence. It uses a structured and systematic approach, focused on helping students create quality writing pieces.

Grade Levels: K to 12th grade

Cost: The cost can range from $19 for single items up to $249 for a comprehensive level course.

Format: Mostly DVD-based courses, workbooks, and some online classes.

Pros: Provides clear instruction and step-by-step methods that are easy to follow. It is suitable for a variety of learning styles and abilities. The curriculum covers a broad range of writing styles.

Cons: It can be perceived as rigid by some and may stifle creativity for others. It is more traditional, we have found, than many Prisma parents are looking for. It might be too intensive for students who are not used to structured learning.

Classical Composition

In a nutshell: Based on the ancient principles of storytelling and rhetoric, Classical Composition is a rigorous writing program that leads students step-by-step through the process of writing. If you resonate with the classical approach to homeschooling, you’ll likely be drawn in by this approach.

Grade Levels: 4th to 12th grade

Cost: The cost can vary, but most books range from $15 to $30. DVDs range from $55 to $85.

Format: Textbooks and DVDs.

Pros: It provides a thorough, rigorous program that can help students become proficient writers. It's ideal for parents who prefer a traditional, structured approach to teaching writing, similarly to IEW.

Cons: According to curriculum reviews, it can be challenging and time-consuming. Some students may find it too rigorous or not creative enough.

In a nutshell: WriteShop is a writing curriculum that helps parents teach writing to their children in a step-by-step manner. It focuses on both the creative and mechanical aspects of writing.

Cost: Books and resources range from $7 to $50. Full-set curriculum kits range from $120 to $160.

Format: Books, digital downloads, and online resources.

Pros: The curriculum is easy to use and provides parents with detailed lesson plans. It encourages more creativity than some of the traditional options above while still teaching the technical aspects of writing.

Cons: Some parents have found it to be too teacher-intensive. It requires more preparation than other programs.

Writing Strands

In a nutshell: Writing Strands provides a step-by-step approach to teaching writing, focusing on a broad range of skills such as creative writing, report writing, composition, and critical thinking.

Grade Levels: 2nd to 12th grade

Cost: Individual books cost about $20 each.

Format : Books.

Pros: Even though it’s step-by-step, it is flexible and can be adapted to suit individual student needs. It's also affordable.

Cons: It lacks extensive grammar instruction, and some parents find it lacks depth in certain writing skills. The book-only format may not work for some kids who need more varied types of assignments.

New York Times Writing Curriculum

In a nutshell: This is a modern, real-world-focused curriculum, drawing from The New York Times resources. It emphasizes critical thinking, research, and journalistic writing skills.

Grade Levels: Middle school to high school

Cost: The online resources from The New York Times are often free, but for detailed curriculum materials, cost can vary.

Format: Online, leveraging articles, essays, and multimedia from The New York Times.

Pros: It offers contemporary, engaging, and relevant content. It helps students understand and engage with current events. Great for developing research and critical thinking skills.

Cons: Less emphasis on creative writing. The content might be advanced for younger students. Parental guidance might be necessary due to potentially sensitive topics.

BJU Press Writing & Grammar

In a nutshell: BJU Press Writing & Grammar is a Christian-oriented program that emphasizes grammar and the writing process, incorporating both traditional and creative assignments.

Grade Levels: 1st to 12th grade

Cost: Subject kits can range from $100 to $150, while individual books can range from $15 to $40.

Format: Textbooks, workbooks, and tests.

Pros: The program provides a comprehensive approach to teaching grammar and writing. It's straightforward and structured, providing detailed lesson plans.

Cons: Some parents have found the curriculum to be too rigid and not engaging enough. The Christian worldview integrated throughout the material may not be appealing to everyone.

Well-Trained Mind

In a nutshell: Based on classical education principles, the Well-Trained Mind approach guides parents in crafting a rigorous, comprehensive homeschool curriculum.

Cost: The core book "The Well-Trained Mind" costs around $20 - $30. Other resources' costs vary.

Format: Books and online resources.

Pros: It provides a detailed, rigorous roadmap for classical education at home. It is highly customizable, allowing parents to adapt to their children's learning style and interests.

Cons: It requires significant time and effort from parents. The approach may be too rigorous or structured for some students.

Does Your Writing Curriculum Prepare Your Kids for the Real World? 

At Prisma, one of our learning values is that education should prepare learners for the real world . 98% of Prisma parents say that our school does a better job preparing their learner for the real world than their last school. “The real world problem solving the learners do is unlike anything they do in more conventional schools,” says one parent. “If anyone tells you kids aren't ‘ready’ to consider meaningful topics like the world refugee crisis, neurodiversity, building a business, or scientific research, don't listen!”

When kids see why what they’re learning matters, they’re much more motivated and engaged . When we compartmentalize subjects, we make it unclear for learners how those subjects are used in the real world. When the only writing assignments you are given in school are to write 5-paragraph essays only your English teacher (or parent!) will read, you’re unlikely to grasp why writing is an essential skill in so many careers. Imagine if, instead, you’re asked to write a product pitch for an invention you developed to solve a real-world sustainability problem, like our learners did for the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge in our interdisciplinary theme Wild Inventions . Prisma learners are still taught foundational writing skills, they’re just asked to apply them to real world problem-solving in an interdisciplinary way.

Join our community of families all over the world doing school differently.

Want to learn more about how Prisma can empower your child to thrive?

More from our blog

Recommendations.

Prisma Newsletter